Financial matters

Just because the voluntary service is voluntary it does not mean that the volunteers' work is entirely non-remunerated. They receive:

• a monthly allowance
• catering (or an appropriate financial compensation) and partially free accommodation (or an appropriate financial compensation)
  
  

The participants have the right to receive at least 26 days off work. Additionally, both parts of social security (employer and employee contribution) are covered by the deployment site. 

Usually participants are eligible to receive child benefits whilst doing the FSJ. However, this depends on your overall annual income. We advise you to contact your responsible child benefit fund, especially if a further income was or is obtained. If the participant is eligible, he/she will also receive orphan's pension or half-orphan's pension.

The contractual agreement is made between the deployment site, the participant and ijgd as facilitator of the Voluntary Social Year.

Volunteers also receive an FSJ identity document and a certificate to confirm the completion of the Voluntary Social Year.

For some training branches and fields of study, the Voluntary Social Year is accepted as a pre-internship or waiting period before university.