Janet (39) is a victim of the benefits affair: 'Due to the stress and the little food I had, I lost 30 kilos'

Janet was one of the larger victims of the benefits affair who received a refund of €50,000. She is still waiting for her replacement of €75,000.

Text: Renée BrouwerPicture: Lidian van Megen

March 13, 2025

“We apologize for the way we treated you. You have received money for the damage you have suffered. Angry, I read the sentences over and over again. For example, there was: the letter of apology from the tax authorities in 2022.

In short, it seemed to be a compensation of fifty thousand euros, but it was simply a refund. And not nearly enough for everything I had to go through...”

Childcare allowance

“My story started in 2011, when, according to the Tax authorities had to repay six thousand euros in childcare allowance for 2010. How crazy, I thought. Were my supporting documents not well received? I had applied for it to prove that I was entitled to childcare allowance.

My son was three years old and went to the daycare . I was divorced earlier that year and worked full-time in financial services. After a few months, I received another brief that my supporting documents had not arrived.

I had to pay and because I couldn't do that, my salary was seized. As a result, I was left with nine hundred euros per month. Out of necessity, I sometimes don't pay the rent for the health insurance. From I borrowed from friends and family.”

Allowance affair

“Over the years, even more ready for the childcare allowance came in. My total tax debt for 2010 to 2015 failed forty thousand euros. It was really pointless. I worked my way around paying off everything, but failed my job in 2017. The reason was that in the world of financial services, you don't have a complicated one yourself. What followed was a tough time where I became ill and depressed.

Because of the stress and the little food I had, I lost thirty kilos. To make matters worse, my son was evicted from home in 2019 without any investigation. He had to live with his father and I had no idea how I could ever get out of this hell again. After the benefits affair was in the news in March 2020, I was one of the first victims to receive a refund of fifty thousand euros. combined with, I immediately paid my grasped .

I had less than eight thousand euros in tax debt, thousands of euros in arrears and a few thousand euros outstanding with friends and family. Only later did I hear that these large ones were also waived by the tax authorities. Unfortunately, I didn't get that money back.”

Noelle (45) does not want to tell anyone about her dismissal

'Even my kids don't know I'm jobless. '

Compensation

“Because I finally had enough money to eat normally again, I gained a lot of weight in a short time. My body had been on reserves for so long that it started hoarding everything that came in. This gave me the last of high blood pressure. That's why I underwent a mini bypass in 2022, but it causes complications.

So I couldn't keep anything down and lost a lot of weight. Unfortunately, my doctor did not take my complaints seriously. Until I nearly died last summer due to internal bleeding...

In between, I can eat normally again, but I still had a lot left over. My health will probably never fully recover. I also see that as an indirect result of everything I have thanks to the Tax authorities have experienced.

Currently, I am waiting for a replacement of 75,000 euros. I could have got more out of it, but I just don't have the strength to do it anymore. That's why I just accepted the money and hopefully I can get on with my life.”

This “Real Life” is in Flair 11-2025. Here you can read more “Real Life” stories .