Disability cover for the self-employed: AOV today and the mandatory BAZ coming

As a ZZP'er you get no automatic safety net if you can't work through illness or injury — there's no employer to keep paying you. Today that's your own responsibility; a mandatory scheme is on the way. Here's how to think about it.

Today: cover is voluntary

Currently a disability insurance (AOV — arbeidsongeschiktheidsverzekering) is optional, and many freelancers skip it because the premiums feel high. Common approaches:

• Private AOV — pays out a monthly amount if you're disabled, up to an agreed end age. You choose the insured amount and waiting period (most pick a short one, e.g. 1–3 months), which is why a private AOV often starts paying far sooner than the public scheme below.
• Broodfonds / schenkkring — peer schemes where a group supports each other for up to ~2 years. Good as a bridge, not full long-term cover.
• A buffer — savings of 6–12 months of fixed costs to absorb a gap.