Arrears in the Netherlands
If you live in the Netherlands, you may receive the following messages about amounts you owe us:
You may receive the following messages about amounts you owe us:
Initial notification
If you have a debt with DUO, we send a message informing you about it. This states how much you owe and what for.
Request for payment ('betalingsverzoek')
After the initial notification, you receive a request for payment with a due date. If you pay us by direct debit, you do not receive this message.
Reminder ('herinnering')
If you do not pay by the due date, we send you a reminder with a new deadline for payment.
Final demand ('aanmaning')
Before we transfer recovery of your overdue payment to the Central Judicial Collection Agency (CJIB), we send you a final demand with an official expiry date. Up until that date you can still settle your outstanding account directly with DUO. Once it has passed, we refer the matter to the CJIB.
CJIB letter
Once the CJIB has taken over responsibility for collecting your debt, it sends you a letter of notification. From this moment onwards, you can no longer arrange a repayment plan with DUO.
The CJIB gives you 1 more chance to settle the full amount, without any involvement from a bailiff. If you fail to do so in time, CJIB calls in a bailiff. From this point you incur more additional costs.
Multiple bailiffs
DUO takes part in Rijksincasso. Rijksincasso aims to engage only 1 bailiff if you have debts with several government agencies, so no extra costs are incurred. Therefore the collection of any overdue debts is transferred to the CJIB.
Do you have a DUO debt that was transferred to a bailiff before December 2017? This debt you will need to pay to the current bailiff. The debt cannot be combined with your debt with the CJIB.
Extra costs
Once we have transferred your overdue payment to the CJIB, it can be increased with interest, bailiff's fees, and additional recovery costs.
As the creditor, DUO may request interest on the outstanding amount. This is a fixed percentage of the sum owed. If we ask for interest, the amount is stated in the letter you receive from the CJIB.
If the CJIB engages a bailiff, you must pay their fees and any additional recovery costs incurred.
DUO and CJIB roles
If you want to know how your debt came about, you can see this in your notifications. You can find them in Mijn DUO, under ‘Mijn berichten’. If you need further information, please contact us.
If you have a question about settlement with the CJIB or its appointed bailiff after your debt has been transferred to them, you must contact the CJIB directly. You will find the contact details in the letter it sent you.