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Working in the Netherlands – minimum wage 2026, contracts, holidays, CAOs and your qualifications

Last updated 25 September 2026Rules checked every MondayOfficial sourcesSources & methodology →

The Dutch minimum wage is set per hour, three quarters of employees are covered by a collective agreement, and a written contract is not even required. Here is what your employer must give you, what you are owed in pay, hours and holidays, and how a foreign qualification is recognised.

Woman with curly red hair working on a laptop in a plant-filled open office
Photo: bernardbodo/Adobe Stock

The pay floor moved twice this year. The statutory minimum wage rose to €14.71 gross an hour on 1 January 2026 and to €14.99 on 1 July 2026 for everyone aged 21 and over; it is adjusted every 1 January and 1 July. Since 22 May 2026, a highly skilled migrant (kennismigrant) who changes employer gets a decision from the IND (Immigratie- en Naturalisatiedienst) within 45 days.

Who can work in the Netherlands – and with what permit?

The rule is national. Citizens of the EU, EEA and Switzerland need no work permit or residence permit; a valid passport or ID card is proof of lawful stay. Everyone else needs the employer to arrange a permit. Whatever your passport, you need registration in the BRP (Basisregistratie Personen – the population register) with a BSN (burgerservicenummer – citizen service number) and Dutch basic health insurance within four months, even if you are insured at home. Part 2 covers permits in depth.

You areWhat you need to workKey figure 2026
An EU, EEA or Swiss citizenNo permit; jobseekers register on the job platform of UWV (the Employee Insurance Agency)Bringing an EU unemployment benefit: form PD U2 and registration with UWV within 7 days
A highly skilled migrant from outside the EUAn employer recognised by the IND as sponsor applies; fee €423At least €5,942 gross a month (30 and over), €4,357 (under 30) or €3,122 (recent graduates), excluding holiday allowance
An EU Blue Card applicantA contract of at least 6 months for a highly qualified job and a degree from a programme of at least 3 years; fee €423€5,942 a month, or €4,754 within 3 years of graduating
In other paid employment from outside the EUA single permit (GVVA) or a work permit (TWV), arranged by the employer; UWV advises whether Dutch or EU workers are available€2,337.00 gross a month excluding holiday allowance (1 July to 31 December 2026)

Source: IND and UWV, read 24 September 2026.

What is the Dutch minimum wage in 2026?

Since 1 January 2024 there is only an hourly minimum wage – no monthly, weekly or daily amount – so your monthly pay depends on your hours. The minimum applies to permanent, fixed-term, on-call, payroll, posted, agency and foreign workers alike, must be paid by bank transfer, and a CAO may set a higher floor. On top comes vakantiegeld (holiday allowance) of at least 8 per cent of your gross annual salary, usually paid in May or June.

AgeGross minimum wage per hour from 1 July 2026From 1 January 2026
21 and over€14.99€14.71
20€11.99€11.77
19€8.99€8.83
18€7.50€7.36
17€5.92€5.81
16€5.17€5.07
15€4.50€4.41

Source: Rijksoverheid, read 24 September 2026.

The government intends to raise the youth rates for 16- to 20-year-olds from 1 January 2027, but the bill still has to pass both houses. For orientation, CBS puts the average hourly wage of an employee at €30 in 2025.

Your employment contract – what the employer must put in writing

A contract can be fixed-term or permanent, written or verbal; working for someone every week for three months, or at least 20 hours a month, usually creates one. What the law does require is a written statement of terms. Under the chain rule you get a permanent contract after three consecutive temporary contracts or three years of them, unless the CAO says otherwise, and the employer cannot ban a side job without an objective reason.

ItemRule
Written termsParties, workplace, job, start date, trial period, duration, salary and hours within 1 week of starting; holiday entitlement, notice period, pension, CAO and any non-compete within 1 month
Trial periodOnly if in writing; none for contracts of 6 months or less; at most 1 month for fixed-term contracts under 2 years; at most 2 months for permanent contracts and fixed-term contracts over 2 years; either side may end the contract at once, without grounds
Your notice1 month by law, up to 6 if agreed – the employer's must then be at least double; give notice before the end of a calendar month
Employer's noticeAt least 1 month, plus 1 month per 5 years of service, up to 4 months; a fixed-term contract simply ends on its date unless it has an interim clause
From 1 January 2028 (adopted law)After three renewals no new temporary contract for 5 years (now 6 months); zero-hours contracts no longer allowed

Source: the government business portal (RVO), read 24 September 2026.

Working hours, holidays and public holidays

The Arbeidstijdenwet (Working Hours Act) caps a shift at 12 hours and a week at 60, with an average of at most 48 hours over 16 weeks; after a working day you get 11 consecutive hours off. Working more than 5.5 hours earns a 30-minute break, more than 10 hours 45 minutes, unpaid unless your contract or CAO says otherwise.

Statutory paid holiday is at least four times your weekly hours – 160 hours, or 20 days, on a 40-hour week – pro rata for part-timers. Statutory days expire six months after the end of the year in which you earned them. There is no legal right to a day off on a public holiday; your CAO or contract decides. Liberation Day on 5 May is in many CAOs a day off only every five years, next in 2030.

What is a CAO – and does it apply to you?

A collectieve arbeidsovereenkomst (CAO) is a collective agreement between employers' organisations and unions. The Ministry of Social Affairs can declare a sector CAO generally binding; three quarters of Dutch employees are covered, although only 15.3 per cent were union members in 2025. Your contract must state which CAO applies, a CAO may never be less favourable than the law, and if the two contradict each other the CAO prevails. CAO wages rose 5.0 per cent in 2025.

Will your qualification be recognised in the Netherlands?

You need no diploma or permit to work in the Netherlands unless your profession is regulated; ask Nuffic, the Dutch assistance centre for professional recognition. Anna Andersson, our illustrative newcomer, is a marketing manager: unregulated, so she may simply work. Her partner is a nurse: regulated, but with automatic EU recognition.

Your situationWhat to do
Unregulated professionNothing required; an employer may ask for an IDW credential evaluation (€148.83, one diploma per application, via My IDW)
Regulated profession, EU qualification, settling permanentlyRecognition by the competent authority; automatic for physicians, general care nurses, midwives, dentists, pharmacists, veterinary surgeons and architects
Regulated profession, EU qualification, temporary or occasional workNotification only, except for 51 listed health and safety professions
Regulated profession, non-EU qualificationRecognition is always required
Recognition refusedObject within 6 weeks

Source: the government business portal (RVO), IDW and Nuffic, read 24 September 2026.

Recruited from abroad with a 2026 salary above €48,013 (€36,497 under 30 with a master's)? Your employer can apply for the 30 per cent ruling within four months of your first working day; part 7 explains the 27 per cent rate from 2027. Planning to freelance? Since 1 January 2026 the Belastingdienst (the Tax Administration) can fine clients who use sham freelancers.

What to do now

StepWhatWhen
1Check your permit route (part 2) and, outside the EU, the salary thresholdBefore you accept the offer
2Ask which CAO applies and compare the pay with €14.99 an hourBefore you sign
3Insist on the written statement of termsWithin 1 week and 1 month of starting
4Check whether your profession is regulated; order an IDW evaluation if askedBefore you apply for jobs
5Take out Dutch basic health insurance; have your employer apply for the 30 per cent ruling if you qualifyWithin 4 months of arrival and of your first working day

Source: IND, UWV, the government business portal (RVO) and the Belastingdienst, read 24 September 2026.

Official sources

The official pages this guide is based on, read 24 September 2026. Links open the authority’s own website.

Relocate in Europe provides general information, not legal or financial advice for your individual situation. Check with the authority named above before you act – rules change, and your case may differ.