Alert your employees to the 1,000 euro STAP training budget

The STAP budget is a training budget available to almost everyone in the Netherlands. It is intended to boost the self-development of everyone, and your employees can use it at their own initiative. If your employees continue training, they will keep developing. This feeds opportunities for your business to grow. The STAP budget can also be used as a supplement to the compulsory educational contribution.

The STAP budget is a training scheme that was introduced in 2021 and will continue until the end of 2023. It allows almost everyone to submit an application for a training course of up to €1,000 per year. The application must be submitted to the Employee Insurance Agency (UWV).

Compulsory education

As an employer, you must provide training to your employees. For example, via an annual training budget as part of a personal development plan (in Dutch). These costs are business expenses that you can partially or fully deduct from your company’s income tax. Is your training budget exhausted or does an employee want to follow training that is more expensive than their personal company budget? Then suggest the STAP budget as a supplement.

Employer contribution

Your employee can use the STAP budget as an extra to cover the costs for training. For example, if you pay the employer's contribution for the training, the employee applies for a STAP budget for the rest of the costs. They must report this in the application. They do so by reporting how much financing they receive from an external source – in this case, their employer. The STAP budget is reduced by this amount or is a supplement if the training is more than €1,000.

An example

Your employee wants to do a training course from the STAP catalogue. It costs €1,500. You offer your employees a training budget of €500 per year. Your employee can then apply for €1,000 to pay for the rest of the training. Check out all the STAP budget conditions for more information.

Apply for the STAP budget on time

The STAP budget has limits. The government has made €218 million available per year for training costs. This means about 300,000 people per year can apply for funding for their training. 

There are usually 6 time periods per year to apply for the STAP budget, and the budget for each period can be quickly used up. So be sure to alert your employees to upcoming application periods. This means that they can have all the necessary information for the application ready before the application period opens.

These are the upcoming application periods for a STAP application:

• 18 September 2023
• 15 November 2023

Log in to the STAP budget portal.

Benefits for employers

KVK business advisor Yvonne Nikkelen talks to employers every day about issues such as staff shortages and growth ambitions. She mentions 2 key advantages of the STAP budget for employers.

 

1. Employees continue to grow
   Employees can gain knowledge or experience with the training so that they can progress to a higher or a different position. “This is how you bind employees (in Dutch) to your company, even if they have career advancement wishes,” says Nikkelen. In addition, an employee can explore another position or expertise.
2. Stimulate innovation within your company
   Innovation requires new knowledge or experience. Do you want to get started with digitalisation or sustainability? Or are you thinking of new ways of marketing, like starting a podcast? The STAP budget offers various training options with which your company can continue to grow. “Explore the courses available and compare them to your company objectives”, Nikkelen advises.

Inspire your employees

Do you want your employees to keep learning? Then point them to the STAP budget. This can be done in various ways. Nikkelen explains: “For example, send your employees an email about the STAP budget. Explain that as an employer you offer training and that the STAP budget is a supplement. Select 3 courses from the STAP budget portal that match your company and your growth direction. Explain why these courses suit your company, growth direction and the position of your employees. Also indicate that employees are also welcome to browse the course list themselves and make suggestions.”

You can also organise a team meeting to discuss employee training options. Or point them to the budget and put the information on their desk or add it to the payslip.

New measures for STAP budget

As of the STAP application period on 28 February 2023, new measures apply. These include:

• A course can receive a maximum of 300 STAP applications.
• An education provider may not offer trips or gifts to persuade people to choose them.
• Education providers must declare that their course or education meets the STAP requirements.

The new rules for the STAP budget are to prevent abuse of the application system.