Your First Dutch Payslip: Are You Being Paid Correctly?

Step 1: check which period you have been paid for

Look for the start and end dates. A first payment may cover only part of a month, and a payroll cut-off can mean the latest shifts appear in the following payment. Ask payroll to identify the cut-off rather than guessing where those hours went.

Also establish whether you are paid monthly or every four weeks. Four-week pay normally means thirteen regular pay periods across 52 weeks; monthly pay means twelve. They are not interchangeable amounts when planning rent payments.

Compare the period with your own record of shifts, breaks, training and any corrections. If the totals differ, ask which entries were included. A lower figure needs explaining; it should not immediately be assumed to prove either an error or wrongdoing.

Step 2: use the current hourly minimum

The ordinary statutory minimum-wage rates in force from 1 July 2026 include:

These are gross rates, before tax—not promised take-home amounts. The adult rate was €14.71 in the first half of 2026, so an old screenshot is not the correct benchmark for September work. The government’s dated minimum-wage table lists the applicable amounts.

Your contract or collective labour agreement, called a CAO, may provide a higher rate. The legal minimum is a floor, not proof that the employer has met every contractual obligation. Ask which CAO and pay scale apply to your role. WorkinNL’s explanation of collective agreements.

Step 3: calculate the basic pay yourself

The following is an illustrative calculation, not a real employee’s payslip. It assumes an employee aged 21 or over, paid exactly the statutory minimum for 40 paid hours in the relevant period, with no other pay components.

40 hours × €14.99 = €599.60 gross basic pay.

At 8%, the holiday allowance attributable to those wages is:

€599.60 × 0.08 = €47.97, rounded to cents.

If that allowance is paid in the same period, the combined gross amount is €647.57. If it is accrued for later payment, the current gross payment remains €599.60 and the €47.97 is recorded as a reserve. Neither figure is a net-pay prediction.

At the minimum wage, employees are entitled to 8% holiday allowance. It is often paid in May or June, but the relevant payment arrangement should be checked in the contract or CAO. Holiday allowance is taxable. WorkinNL’s holiday-pay guidance.

Step 4: understand the words that change the calculation

Terminology varies between payroll systems, but these are useful starting points:

Do not add a cumulative total to the current period’s wages. Likewise, an accrued amount is not necessarily cash included in this month’s transfer. Use the slip’s payment total, while asking payroll to explain unfamiliar components. WorkinNL’s payslip guide explains the distinction between wages, deductions and net payment.

Step 5: check the tax-credit setting, especially with two jobs

Loonheffingskorting can reduce the tax withheld through payroll. If you have two jobs at the same time, you must not have it applied by both employers. Applying it twice can leave you with tax to pay later. Successive employers during the year are a different situation. Belastingdienst’s guidance for side jobs.

Ask each employer which setting is recorded. Do not assume that a larger transfer from your second job means the payroll arrangement is better.

Even applying the credit to only one income does not guarantee that your eventual tax assessment will be zero: the annual calculation considers your total income. Belastingdienst explains the multiple-income issue.

Step 6: ask for a breakdown of deductions and “all-in” pay

Tax withholding is not the same as a charge for accommodation, and a pension contribution is not an unexplained administration fee. For every unfamiliar deduction, ask what it covers and how it was calculated.

Employer-arranged housing and health-insurance deductions have specific conditions; they are not unrestricted simply because a contract mentions them. Ask for the relevant agreement, any written authorisation and an itemised cost explanation. WorkinNL’s deductions guidance explains the checks and support routes.

If an offer advertises an all-in hourly amount, ask payroll to separate basic wages, holiday allowance and any other components. Compare the basic rate with the applicable minimum and CAO; do not compare a bundled advertising figure with a basic-pay benchmark.

Step 7: raise a discrepancy with evidence

Keep the contract, payslip, schedule, your own hours record and the relevant bank transaction. Then send payroll a specific question: identify the pay period, the hours you believe are missing and the rate you expected. Ask for a written explanation and, if a correction is needed, its payment date.

If that does not resolve the issue, Work in NL information points offer free explanations and advice about wages and contracts. Find a support route through WorkinNL.

Suspected underpayment or unlawful working conditions can also be reported to the Netherlands Labour Authority through its official form or on 0800 51 51; from abroad, call +31 70 333 56 78. Official reporting information.

International students: a correct payslip is not a work permit

If you hold the Dutch higher-education student residence permit covered by IND’s study rules, employee work requires a TWV obtained by the employer. The permitted alternatives are up to 16 hours a week or full-time work during June, July and August—not both arrangements added together. Other residence statuses can have different conditions. Check IND’s study-permit work rules.

Check that route separately from payroll. For the payslip itself, keep the test simple: the right period, the right paid hours, the right rate, an understandable holiday-pay entry and explained deductions. Your first salary should be something you can verify, not merely something you hope is correct.