Check your employer, hours and gross pay before signing
Before signing an arbeidsovereenkomst (employment contract), check your employer, contract type, guaranteed hours and brutoloon (gross pay before tax). Ask for unclear terms in writing and keep your own copy. Your contract may be oral, but some clauses must be written. A contract gives you employment terms; your nationality or residence permit determines whether you may do the work.
This guide is for employees in the Netherlands, including people who work through an agency or payroll company. Your contract, the law and any applicable collectieve arbeidsovereenkomst (CAO, collective labour agreement) together set your rights.
Checks before you sign
Check the terms below before you sign. Then follow these four steps:
- Compare the draft with the job offer and the terms in the tables below.
- Ask the employer to confirm unclear promises or corrections in writing.
- Read the final version.
- Save your own copy.
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| Check | What must be clear |
|---|---|
| Employer and job | Legal employer, workplace or workplaces, role, duties and start date |
| Contract type | Permanent, fixed-term, preliminary on-call, zero-hours, min-maxcontract (minimum and maximum hours contract), agency or payroll; for a fixed term, its end date or end event |
| Hours and schedule | Guaranteed hours, normal days and times, referentiedagen en -uren (reference days and hours) for unpredictable work, call notice, shift changes and availability. These reference times set when the employer may require you to work. |
| Pay | Gross hourly or monthly wage, pay date, allowances, expenses, overtime pay or time off, and pension deductions |
| Leave | Holiday allowance, statutory and extra leave, public-holiday rules and how to request leave |
Also check the rules that can change your pay or end the job.
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| Check | What must be clear |
|---|---|
| CAO | The full CAO name, pay scale and which version applies |
| Trial and ending | Proeftijd (trial period), notice periods, any tussentijds opzegbeding (interim notice clause), fixed end date and aanzegplicht (fixed-term notification duty). An interim notice clause must give both sides the right to end the fixed-term contract early by notice. |
| Illness | Reporting procedure, wage percentage, waiting days and occupational-health contact |
| Training and costs | Required training, study-cost repayment, travel and equipment |
| Restrictions | Concurrentiebeding (non-compete clause) limits work for competitors. Relatiebeding (non-solicitation clause) limits contact with former clients and business relations. Also check nevenwerkzaamhedenbeding (side-work restriction), confidentiality, intellectual property (rights to creative work and inventions), unilateral change (employer changes without your agreement) and penalties. |
A Dutch employment agreement may be oral or written. A written contract helps prove what you agreed. Some clauses, including a trial period and a non-compete, require written form. Save the offer, messages, schedules, time records, payslips and bank payments. Ask the employer to confirm missing terms.
Information your employer must give you
Your employer must give you the first group of written terms within 1 week after you start. The second group is due within 1 month, or by the contract’s end if it ends sooner. The employer can include the information in your contract or provide it separately. Rijksoverheid (Dutch central government) (External site, opens in a new tab) lists the terms.
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| Deadline after you start | Information to receive |
|---|---|
| Within 1 week | Names and addresses, workplace, role or type of work, start date, fixed duration, gross pay and payment timing, normal hours and any trial period. For predictable work, this includes overtime and shift-change arrangements. For unpredictable work, it includes the variable pattern, guaranteed paid hours, reference days and times, and call notice. |
| Within 1 month, or by the contract’s end if sooner | Holiday allowance and leave, other paid leave, notice and dismissal procedure, and contract type. Where relevant: pension, CAO, training and non-compete or non-solicitation terms. |
The employer may provide a paper document. Electronic delivery requires your express agreement. You must be able to access, save and print the information. The employer must keep proof of delivery or receipt. Statutory rights still apply if the paper is incomplete. Ask for corrections in writing so you have evidence of disputed promises.
Types of employment contract
The contract type determines its end date and your guaranteed hours. These are the main types you may meet.
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| Type | What it means now |
|---|---|
| Vast contract (permanent contract) | Has no end date. The employer normally needs your consent, permission from UWV (Uitvoeringsinstituut Werknemersverzekeringen, the employee insurance agency) (External site, opens in a new tab), or a court decision to end it. |
| Tijdelijk contract (fixed-term contract) | Ends on the agreed date or event. Early termination normally requires a written interim notice clause; the chain rule and notification duty may apply. |
| Voorovereenkomst (preliminary on-call agreement) | You may accept or refuse a call. Each accepted call creates a fixed-term employment contract for that work period. |
| Nulurencontract (zero-hours contract) | There is an employment contract but no fixed number of hours. Current on-call protections apply; wage entitlement depends on the no-work clause, time employed and why work was unavailable. |
| Min-maxcontract (minimum and maximum hours contract) | The minimum hours and pay are guaranteed. You must normally work up to the agreed maximum when the employer calls you within the agreed days and times and gives the required notice. |
| Uitzendovereenkomst (agency employment contract) | The agency is your employer and the client supervises the work. The applicable CAO, phase and any uitzendbeding (agency clause) determine how easily the assignment or contract ends. |
| Payrollovereenkomst (payroll employment contract) | A payroll company is the formal employer. The client selected you and supervises the work. Payroll workers have the same employment conditions and legal position as comparable staff at the client. Separate rules apply to an adequate pension. |
Current rules for successive temporary contracts
Your fourth successive temporary contract is normally permanent. Successive temporary contracts also normally become permanent once their total duration exceeds 3 years. Gaps of 6 months or less count as part of the chain. Similar work through a successor employer can count too, depending on the facts.
BBL (beroepsbegeleidende leerweg, work-based vocational training) contracts are excluded. So are contracts for workers under 18 who average no more than 12 hours a week. A CAO can shorten the break to 3 months for recurring work done for at most 9 months a year.
For agency work or work whose nature requires temporary contracts, a CAO can extend the chain to at most 6 contracts in 4 years. Some training contracts, directors, school sickness cover and designated jobs or sectors have separate exceptions. Check the current chain rules (External site, opens in a new tab) and the applicable CAO.
Flex-work changes from 2026 to 2028
Current chain and on-call rules continue through 31 December 2027. The Wet meer zekerheid flexwerkers (law on greater security for flexible workers) has been enacted. The commencement decision (External site, opens in a new tab) sets different dates for the changes below.
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| Start date | Change |
|---|---|
| 31 December 2026 | Agency workers gain equal or at least equivalent employment conditions under the new law. A CAO can already give these rights. |
| 1 January 2027 | Several other changes start under the Waadi (Wet allocatie arbeidskrachten door intermediairs, law on supplying workers through intermediaries). |
| 1 January 2028 | The chain break generally becomes 36 months. The law replaces most standard zero-hours and min-max contracts with bandbreedtecontracten (contracts with a range of hours). Their maximum is generally no more than 130% of the minimum. Agency phases are shortened. |
Qualifying pupils and students averaging no more than 16 hours a week keep a 6-month chain break. For fixed-term contracts made before 1 January 2028, the existing six-month gap continues to apply. Existing CAO exceptions that allow more contracts, a longer duration or different successor-employer rules continue for contracts already covered when the law changes. This protection ends when the CAO expires, or 12 months after the change, whichever comes first. Other exceptions and transition rules also apply. Check the law again if your contract continues after one of these dates.
Your rights with on-call work
Check all five protections below against your contract and CAO:
- A call must normally arrive in writing or electronically at least 4 calendar days before the work. A CAO can usually shorten this to no less than 24 hours. The seasonal exception below can remove the call-notice protection.
- If the employer cancels or changes the times inside that notice period, you remain entitled to pay for the original hours. The seasonal exception below can remove this protection.
- If you have no fixed hours, or fewer than 15 hours a week without fixed times, a call normally pays at least 3 hours.
- After 12 months, the employer must normally offer fixed hours based on your average over that year. It must make the offer within 1 month after that year. The seasonal exception below can remove this duty.
- A min-max worker must receive pay for the guaranteed minimum, even when the employer does not call them.
You may refuse the fixed-hours offer. If you remain on call, the employer must normally make another offer after each further 12 months. The seasonal exception can remove this duty too.
Under the seasonal-work rules (External site, opens in a new tab), a CAO can remove call notice, cancellation pay and fixed-hours offers for designated functions. Climatic or natural conditions must limit those functions to at most 9 months a year. The same worker must also be unable to perform them continuously for more than 9 months a year. For a zero-hours contract in these functions, resignation notice remains 4 days.
For a zero-hours contract, a written clause can exclude pay for hours not worked during the first 6 months. A CAO may extend that only for specified, occasional work with no fixed scope. After that period, the employer normally must pay when work is unavailable for a reason within the employer’s responsibility.
After 3 months of a stable work pattern, you can invoke the rechtsvermoeden van arbeidsomvang (legal presumption of working hours). Ask for hours based on your average over those 3 months. The employer can dispute the presumption with evidence.
Agency and payroll contracts
With agency work, the agency employs you and the client supervises your work. Current law gives equal treatment on core conditions: pay, reimbursements, working and rest times, overtime and holidays. The agency may not charge you for placement. It must give you written workplace information before you start.
Ask the agency which CAO applies. Ask which phase you are in. Ask whether your contract has an uitzendbeding (agency clause). Check its rules for ending the contract and sickness. The ABU (Algemene Bond Uitzendondernemingen, association of temporary employment agencies) CAO does not automatically apply to every agency.
Where the ABU CAO 2026–2028 applies, equivalent employment conditions already apply from 1 January 2026. Individual terms can differ. Both the essential conditions (such as pay and working time) and the overall package must be at least equivalent. A reduction in an essential condition must be compensated by another essential condition. Ask the agency for the client’s terms and how it compared them.
In payroll, the client normally recruited you and controls the work. The payroll company handles formal employment. You have at least the same conditions and legal position as comparable client employees, with separate rules for an adequate pension. Agency-phase rules and an agency clause do not apply. The client ending its payroll arrangement is not by itself a reason to dismiss you.
Your CAO and contract clauses
A CAO can apply through a company agreement, your employer’s membership of an employer association, or a clause in your contract. A government declaration can also make it generally binding. Check the scope, dates and full text.
Mandatory law takes priority, except where it expressly allows a CAO to set a different rule. A minimum CAO allows better individual terms. A standard CAO allows changes only where the CAO permits them. When your contract conflicts with an applicable CAO, the CAO term normally takes priority.
Trial period
A trial period must be written or follow from the CAO. It must last equally long for you and the employer. A fixed term of 6 months or less has no trial period. For the other contracts below, the usual maximum is 1 or 2 months.
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| Contract | Maximum trial period |
|---|---|
| Fixed term of 6 months or less | None |
| Fixed term over 6 months but under 2 years | 1 month |
| Fixed term with no fixed calendar end | 1 month |
| Fixed term of at least 2 years, or permanent contract | 2 months |
A CAO may vary the temporary-contract rule, but never beyond 2 months. A new trial is normally invalid on renewal or a move from temporary to permanent work. The same applies with a successor employer if your duties stay the same. Only work that clearly requires different skills or responsibilities can justify a new trial.
During a valid trial, either side can end the contract immediately. If you request a reason, the employer must give it in writing. Discriminatory dismissal remains prohibited.
Clauses that restrict your work or impose costs
Non-compete and penalty clauses must be written. Ask how each restriction below applies to your job and any work you already do before accepting it.
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| Clause | What to verify |
|---|---|
| Concurrentiebeding (non-compete clause) or relatiebeding (non-solicitation clause) | You must be at least 18 and accept the clause in writing. In a fixed-term contract, the contract itself must explain a compelling business or service interest that justifies it. A court can cancel or narrow an unreasonable clause, or suspend it while the case is heard. The same rules apply to a non-solicitation clause. |
| Unilateral change | The employer can use a written change clause only if it has a weighty interest. Under the test of reasonableness and fairness, that interest must outweigh your interest in keeping the term. |
| Boetebeding (penalty clause) | It must be written and specify the breached rule and penalty. Statutory rules limit the amount and who receives the money. Written exceptions are possible for employees earning above the minimum wage; a court can reduce an excessive penalty. Get advice before accepting a large or repeated penalty. |
| Confidentiality | Check what information is confidential, for how long, and the consequences of a breach. A breach does not automatically justify summary dismissal. |
| Intellectual property | Copyright in work created for the employer usually belongs to the employer unless agreed otherwise. Patent rights can also belong to the employer when inventing is part of your job, unless agreed otherwise. Check written agreements, earlier work and side projects. |
Training costs and side work
Training that the employer must provide under law or a CAO must be free. This includes training necessary to do or continue your job. It counts as working time and must take place during your scheduled working hours where possible. A repayment clause for that training is invalid.
Training for a diploma or certificate that the law requires you to hold when first starting the role generally falls outside this rule. The circumstances can affect the answer. Other study may have repayment terms. Ask which rule applies to the course. Ask for clear repayment terms and have them checked before signing.
The free-training and working-time rules have an exception for employees who usually work fewer than 4 days a week for a private person. Their work must be exclusively or almost exclusively services for that employer’s household, including care for household members. The employer’s general duty to enable necessary training still applies.
A nevenwerkzaamhedenbeding (side-work restriction) needs an objective justification when the employer applies it. The employer must explain that reason then. The reason does not have to be included in the contract beforehand.
Pay, hours, leave and sickness
They apply unless a stated exception covers your work. Your contract or CAO may give more pay or leave.
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| Topic | Current baseline |
|---|---|
| Minimum wage | From 1 July 2026, workers aged 21 or over must receive at least €14.99 gross per hour. Lower statutory youth rates apply from age 15 to 20. Check the rate again each January and July. |
| Holiday allowance | Normally at least 8% of gross pay, including relevant overtime. A CAO can provide no separate allowance only if pay is at least 108% of the minimum wage. Above 3 times the minimum wage, a lower or zero allowance can be agreed in writing. |
| Paid holiday | At least 4 times your weekly hours each year. Your employer must normally approve your leave request. It may refuse the dates for a weighty business reason or a collective holiday. It must object in writing within 2 weeks. Statutory hours normally expire 6 months after the year you earned them. Exceptions apply if you reasonably could not take them. A CAO or written agreement can give longer. Extra hours normally expire after 5 years. |
| Schedule and overtime | For most adults, the maximum is 12 hours a day and 60 a week, but not every week: averages are capped at 55 over 4 weeks and 48 over 16 weeks. Night shifts normally have a 10-hour maximum. Different rules cover some work and workers. The law does not set an overtime premium; the contract or CAO must say whether extra work is paid or exchanged for time off. |
| Sickness | Your employer must normally pay at least 70% of your normal wage for up to 2 years. In year 1, your sick pay must be at least the minimum wage. In year 2, it can be lower. A CAO or contract may pay more. One or 2 waiting days apply only if stated in the contract or CAO. If a fixed-term contract expires while you are ill, employer payment normally ends and UWV may take over. On-call and agency outcomes depend on the running contract and applicable terms. |
| Payslip | Check hours, gross wage, allowances, holiday allowance, deductions and net payment against the contract, CAO and your own time records. |
Pay for 20 hours at the minimum wage
For example, in October 2026 an employee aged 21 or over works 20 hours at the €14.99 minimum rate. Gross pay for those hours is 20 × €14.99 = €299.80, before tax and deductions. At 8%, holiday allowance adds €23.98, after rounding. The employer may pay the allowance separately from the regular wage.
The Dutch payslip guide explains each deduction and the annual statement. For reporting illness, reintegration, fixed-term expiry and privacy around medical information, use the sick-leave guide.
For questions about benefits alongside your pay, see Toeslagen (benefits) overview.
Permission to work in the Netherlands
EU (European Union), EEA (European Economic Area) and Swiss nationals can generally work without a Dutch work or residence permit. For other nationalities, the employer may need a TWV (tewerkstellingsvergunning, work permit). You may need a GVVA (gecombineerde vergunning voor verblijf en arbeid, combined residence and work permit), or your residence permit may carry its own work conditions.
A signed contract does not replace work permission. Check your decision from IND (Immigratie- en Naturalisatiedienst, the immigration service) (External site, opens in a new tab) before starting or changing employer. The work-rights guide below explains how to read your permit.
Ways your employment can end
The route depends on who ends the job and why. A trial period, an agreed fixed end date or a settlement has different rules from an employer’s dismissal.
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| Situation | Current route |
|---|---|
| Fixed term reaches its agreed end | It normally ends automatically. The employer may have a separate written notification duty. Early notice normally works only if the contract contains a written interim clause. |
| You resign from a permanent contract | The statutory period is normally 1 month, usually ending at month-end. Check the CAO and contract before giving notice. |
| Employer cites economic reasons or long-term illness | The employer normally needs permission from UWV before giving notice. For a fixed-term contract without an interim notice clause, it must instead ask the court. |
| Employer cites performance, conduct, a damaged relationship or another personal ground | The employer normally asks the subdistrict court to dissolve the contract. |
| Valid trial period | Either side can end immediately without a notice period. The side ending the contract must give written reasons if the other side asks. Discriminatory dismissal remains prohibited. |
| Ontslag op staande voet (summary dismissal) | There must be an urgent reason, and the employer must act and communicate that reason immediately. Get advice at once: a court challenge normally has a 2-month deadline. |
| Vaststellingsovereenkomst (settlement agreement) | It is voluntary and must be written. Agree the final date and check any payment, release from work and unused leave before signing. Unemployment benefit is not guaranteed by a phrase in the agreement. |
Notice periods for you and your employer
Your statutory notice is normally 1 month. A written contract can extend it to at most 6 months. The employer’s period must then normally be at least twice as long. For a zero-hours contract, your notice is normally 4 days or the shorter call-notice period in your CAO. If your zero-hours contract has a fixed term, ending it by notice before the agreed end also requires a written interim notice clause. For a zero-hours contract in a designated seasonal function, your resignation notice remains 4 days.
The employer’s ordinary statutory notice rises with your years of service, from 1 month to 4 months:
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| Years of service | Employer notice |
|---|---|
| Less than 5 years | 1 month |
| 5 to under 10 years | 2 months |
| 10 to under 15 years | 3 months |
| At least 15 years | 4 months |
A CAO can set permitted differences. After AOW (Algemene Ouderdomswet, state pension) age, the employer’s notice is 1 month. Procedure time can sometimes be deducted, but at least 1 month must remain.
Early notice and fixed-term notification
A tussentijds opzegbeding (interim notice clause) decides whether a fixed-term contract can normally be ended early. The aanzegplicht (fixed-term notification duty) concerns renewal instead. For a contract of at least 6 months with a fixed calendar end, the employer must write at least 1 month before the end. It must say whether the contract will continue and on what terms.
This duty does not apply to contracts under 6 months, contracts without a fixed end date such as some project contracts, or an agency contract ending under an agency clause. No notification gives up to 1 month’s gross pay. Late notification gives a proportionate amount. The employer owes no notification compensation after declared bankruptcy, granted suspension of payment or admission to statutory debt restructuring.
Cooling-off period after a settlement
You can choose whether to sign a settlement. After signing, you can revoke it in writing within 14 days without giving a reason. If the agreement omitted this right, you have 21 days. Have the document checked before deciding. Employer initiative, the statutory notice period and the final date can affect unemployment benefit. A statutory transition payment is not automatic with mutual consent, so negotiate any payment expressly. You do not get a new cooling-off period if you and the same employer sign another settlement within 6 months after you revoked your previous settlement.
Transition payment when your employer ends the job
When the employer dismisses you or does not renew, the transitievergoeding (transition payment) normally builds up from your first day. It is one-third of gross monthly pay for each year, plus a proportional amount for the remaining time. In 2026 the cap is €102,000 gross, or 1 gross annual salary if higher. The calculation includes holiday allowance and relevant extra pay.
Exceptions include dismissal caused by ernstig verwijtbaar handelen of nalaten (seriously blameworthy acts or failures to act) by the employee. Other exceptions cover workers under 18 averaging no more than 12 hours a week, employer insolvency and reaching the applicable retirement age. Certain replacement-contract offers also remove entitlement. A CAO can replace the payment with another provision for economic dismissal. Mutual consent gives no automatic statutory payment; negotiate it expressly.
Court deadlines
Use the deadline for your specific claim. Asking your employer to reconsider does not replace filing with the court.
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| Claim or step | Deadline to protect |
|---|---|
| Challenge an ended employment contract, including summary dismissal | Normally file at the subdistrict court within 2 months after the contract ends |
| Claim only the fixed-term notification payment | File within 2 months after the fixed-term contract ends |
| Claim only the transition payment | File within 3 months after the contract ends |
| Revoke a signed settlement | Write within 14 days, or 21 days if the agreement omitted the cooling-off notice |
| Unpaid wages or holiday allowance | Generally 5 years from the date each payment was due. Ask a legal adviser how to protect or interrupt that period. |
Common contract problems and help
Use the route that matches your problem. Keep the contract and payment records so the adviser can check the disputed terms.
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| Problem | First action | Where to go next |
|---|---|---|
| Missing terms, wrong hours or unpaid contractual wage | Write to the employer or the personnel department with the clause, amount, dates and evidence | Union, legal-expenses insurer, Het Juridisch Loket (legal advice service) (External site, opens in a new tab), lawyer or subdistrict court |
| CAO is ignored or disputed | Raise the exact CAO article with the employer | CAO parties, union, sector dispute committee, Het Juridisch Loket or legal adviser; the ministry does not decide CAO disputes |
| Below minimum wage or minimum holiday allowance; excessive hours; unsafe or illegal work | Keep contracts, schedules, time records, payslips and bank statements | Nederlandse Arbeidsinspectie (Netherlands Labour Authority) (External site, opens in a new tab); call 112 for immediate danger |
| Pressure to sign, summary dismissal or approaching end date | Do not wait for an internal answer to protect a deadline | Union, Het Juridisch Loket or employment-law adviser; Rechtspraak (Dutch judiciary): employee dismissal proceedings (External site, opens in a new tab) explains court filing |
| Threat to enforce a non-compete or non-solicitation clause | Get legal advice promptly if you need an urgent court decision | Union, Het Juridisch Loket or employment-law adviser; Rechtspraak: urgent non-compete proceedings (External site, opens in a new tab) |
| Coercion, passport withheld, threats or labour exploitation | Move to safety and preserve evidence only if safe | Labour Authority; call 112 in acute danger |
Keep the signed contract and CAO version, amendments, schedules, time records, payslips, bank statements, emails and letters. Record when each document arrived. If the employer disputes an oral promise, evidence of how both sides actually worked can matter.
Choose the guide that matches your next question:
- Author
- By Inburgering.org team
- Reviewer
- Reviewed by Kirill Svavolia
Official Sources
- Rijksoverheid: what is included in an employment contract? (External site, opens in a new tab) - oral and written employment agreements and the information the employer must provide in writing within 1 week and within 1 month
- Business.gov.nl: employment contract (External site, opens in a new tab) - the expanded written-information duties for predictable and unpredictable work, and terms on leave, dismissal, training and side work
- Rijksoverheid: when does a temporary contract become permanent? (External site, opens in a new tab) - the current chain rule, gaps, successor employers, CAO variations and statutory exceptions
- Staatsblad (Dutch law gazette) 2026, 205: Wet meer zekerheid flexwerkers (External site, opens in a new tab) - the enacted text on the future 36-month chain break, bandwidth contracts, agency contracts and equivalent employment conditions
- Staatsblad 2026, 206: commencement decision (External site, opens in a new tab) - the commencement dates of 31 December 2026, 1 January 2027 and 1 January 2028
- Rijksoverheid: types of on-call contract (External site, opens in a new tab) - preliminary agreements, zero-hours and min-max contracts, call notice, minimum pay per call and the fixed-hours offer after 12 months
- Rijksoverheid: right to fixed working hours (External site, opens in a new tab) - the legal presumption based on the average hours worked over 3 months
- Rijksoverheid: employment conditions for agency workers (External site, opens in a new tab) - the agency as employer, equal treatment, the ban on placement fees and written workplace information
- ABU: CAO for agency workers 2026–2028 (External site, opens in a new tab) - the May 2026 English text, including equivalent employment conditions from 1 January 2026 where the agreement applies
- Business.gov.nl: payrolling (External site, opens in a new tab) - payroll employment, equal conditions and legal position, pensions and dismissal protection
- Business.gov.nl: collective labour agreements (External site, opens in a new tab) - minimum and standard CAOs, universal binding effect and priority over conflicting individual terms
- Rijksoverheid: how to find the applicable CAO (External site, opens in a new tab) - how a company CAO, employer membership and universal binding can make a CAO apply
- Business.gov.nl: trial period (External site, opens in a new tab) - written form, maximum durations, equal duration for both parties and limits on a repeat trial
- Business.gov.nl: non-compete clause (External site, opens in a new tab) - written acceptance, the age rule and the compelling-interest requirement in a fixed-term contract, including non-solicitation clauses
- Rijksoverheid: current non-compete rules (External site, opens in a new tab) - current non-compete rules and the planned reform that is not yet law
- Parliamentary record: mandatory training under Burgerlijk Wetboek (Civil Code) article 7:611a (External site, opens in a new tab) - the employer’s training duty and the exception for initial professional qualifications
- Staatsblad 1998, 107: Burgerlijk Wetboek article 7:613 (External site, opens in a new tab) - the enacted balancing test for a written unilateral-change clause, and amendments to penalty clauses
- Staatsblad 1996, 406: Burgerlijk Wetboek article 7:650 (External site, opens in a new tab) - the enacted written-form, destination, cap and court-moderation rules for employee penalties; read with the 1998 amendments
- Business.gov.nl: copyright (External site, opens in a new tab) - the default copyright position for work an employee creates for the employer
- Government.nl: minimum wage amounts (External site, opens in a new tab) - the hourly minimum wage of €14.99 for workers aged 21 and over from 1 July 2026 and the youth rates
- Business.gov.nl: holiday allowance (External site, opens in a new tab) - the 8% rule, CAO and high-income exceptions, payment timing and the 5-year claim period
- Business.gov.nl: holiday entitlement (External site, opens in a new tab) - the statutory leave minimum, expiry rules and payout when employment ends
- Rijksoverheid: requesting holiday (External site, opens in a new tab) - approval of holiday requests, the 2-week objection period and longer protection when leave could not be taken
- Business.gov.nl: Arbeidstijdenwet (Working Hours Act) (External site, opens in a new tab) - maximum and average working hours, schedule notice, rest and the fact that statute does not set an overtime premium
- Business.gov.nl: sick pay (External site, opens in a new tab) - continued wage rules, the 2-year maximum, fixed-term expiry and reintegration duties
- Rijksoverheid: sick-pay waiting days (External site, opens in a new tab) - the rule that 1 or 2 waiting days apply only if the contract or CAO says so
- Business.gov.nl: notice period (External site, opens in a new tab) - employee and employer notice periods and the interim-clause requirement for fixed-term contracts
- Rijksoverheid: notification before a fixed-term contract ends (External site, opens in a new tab) - the 1-month written notification duty, compensation and exceptions
- Rijksoverheid: dismissal routes (External site, opens in a new tab) - UWV and subdistrict-court routes and employee options after dismissal
- Rijksoverheid: summary dismissal (External site, opens in a new tab) - urgent cause, immediate communication and the 2-month challenge period
- Rijksoverheid: dismissal by mutual consent (External site, opens in a new tab) - written settlement and the 14-day or 21-day written revocation period
- Rijksoverheid: transition payment amount (External site, opens in a new tab) - entitlement from day 1, the one-third formula and the 2026 cap of €102,000 or 1 annual salary if higher
- Rechtspraak: employee dismissal proceedings (External site, opens in a new tab) - the 2-month deadlines for dismissal and notification-payment requests and the 3-month transition-payment deadline
- IND: employing a foreign national (External site, opens in a new tab) - EU, EEA and Swiss free movement and the TWV, GVVA and residence-permit routes for other nationals
- Netherlands Labour Authority: report unfair or unsafe work (External site, opens in a new tab) - the reporting route for underpayment, excessive hours, unsafe or illegal work and labour exploitation
- Rijksoverheid: when an employer does not follow the CAO (External site, opens in a new tab) - employer, CAO parties, union, Juridisch Loket, legal adviser and sector dispute routes
- Business.gov.nl: salary and payslip (External site, opens in a new tab) - required payslip items and payment records
- Government.nl: less than the minimum wage (External site, opens in a new tab) - underpayment action, Labour Authority reporting and the 5-year wage and holiday-allowance claim period
- Staatsblad 2022, 277: training and side work (External site, opens in a new tab) - mandatory employer-provided training, repayment nullity, side-work justification and written-information deadlines
- Parliamentary record: justification for restricting side work (External site, opens in a new tab) - the employer must justify a side-work restriction when applying it; advance inclusion in the contract is optional
- Rijksdienst voor Ondernemend Nederland (RVO, Netherlands Enterprise Agency): employee inventions (External site, opens in a new tab) - written patent-ownership agreements, the job-description test and inventions outside the employee’s duties
- Rijksoverheid: employee notice period (External site, opens in a new tab) - calendar-month notice, written extensions up to 6 months and the employer’s doubled period
- Rijksoverheid: entitlement to a transition payment (External site, opens in a new tab) - exceptions for employee conduct, retirement, insolvency, replacement contracts and economic-dismissal CAO provisions
- Rijksoverheid: minimum pay for a short call (External site, opens in a new tab) - the 3-hour pay rule for undefined hours or fewer than 15 weekly hours without fixed times
- Staatsblad 2014, 216: employment-law provisions (External site, opens in a new tab) - chain exceptions, fixed-term notification, settlement revocation and court expiry periods; later amendments apply to other provisions
- UWV: ending employment (External site, opens in a new tab) - mutual-consent settlements, negotiated payments and notice periods affecting unemployment benefit
- Rechtspraak: urgent non-compete proceedings (External site, opens in a new tab) - urgent court proceedings to suspend a non-compete or non-solicitation clause
- Het Juridisch Loket: work and income (External site, opens in a new tab) - employment advice and help with dismissal, contracts and wage disputes
- Rechtspraak: penalty-clause judgment, ECLI:NL:RBOVE:2026:4560 (External site, opens in a new tab) - the current written-form and destination rules, and permitted written exceptions above the minimum wage
- Rechtspraak: change-clause judgment, ECLI:NL:GHARL:2026:771 (External site, opens in a new tab) - the current balancing test for a unilateral change under article 7:613
- Parliamentary answers: dismissal during a trial period (External site, opens in a new tab) - non-discrimination continues to apply during a trial period
- Rijksoverheid: payroll rules for client companies (External site, opens in a new tab) - payroll workers cannot be put on agency-phase contracts or an agency clause
- Staatsblad 2019, 219: on-call and payroll rules (External site, opens in a new tab) - seasonal exceptions to call notice, cancellation pay and fixed-hours offers, the four-day seasonal resignation notice and payroll exclusions
- Parliamentary record: flex-work reform explanation (External site, opens in a new tab) - article 611a(5) is an anti-retaliation provision replaced by general protection, not the household-training exception
- Parliamentary record: electronic employment information (External site, opens in a new tab) - express employee agreement and accessible, storable employment information under article 7:655
- Rechtspraak: written interim notice clause, ECLI:NL:RBROT:2022:6577 (External site, opens in a new tab) - the right to end a fixed-term contract early by notice must be agreed in writing for both parties under article 7:667(3)