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Draft translation. The rules concern Dutch employment law; have their application to your situation assessed. About our content
For your work. For your future.

Know where you stand.
Choose your next step.

From your first contract to a difficult departure: understand your rights at work. Explore our guides, use practical calculations and reach your own informed view.

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  • Clear guidance in plain language
  • Your rights as a starting point
  • Clarity and perspective for your situation
  • Informed choices about legal assistance
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What is happening at the moment?

Checking a settlement agreement: payment, WW and conditionsRead a settlement agreement step by step: end date, payment, illness, WW, cooling-off period, full and final settlement and arrangements after leaving.Dismissal: your rights, the procedure and practical first stepsA detailed guide to dismissal through UWV or the court, protection against dismissal, responding, payments and your first steps when your job is at risk.Checking your salary: payslips, deductions and missing paymentsCheck gross salary, worked hours, supplements, deductions and bank payments. Establish the source of a wage discrepancy and the appropriate next step.Illness at work: wages, privacy, the occupational physician and your contractDetailed guidance on reporting sickness, 70% wages, the first and second sickness years, medical privacy, reintegration and leaving employment while ill.Fixed-term contracts: expiry, renewal and early terminationCheck the end date, advance notification, chain rule, illness and final payments for a fixed-term employment contract.
About Employment Law in the Netherlands

An accessible starting point for questions about work in the Netherlands. We link to official sources and help you ask the right questions. This platform is not a law firm.

About our content
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Could I qualify?Your income, assets and the substance of your case.What will I pay?A legal aid grant may include a personal contribution.Am I already insured?Check coverage and waiting periods, and report your case promptly.How do I get help?Start with your documents and a specific question.
Tools & calculations

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Calculations, decision aids and worksheets. With visible assumptions and an overview that you can keep yourself.

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Transition payment

Understand the statutory calculation and identify which pay components or years of service you still need to check.

VSO checklist

Prioritise specific discussion points before signing an employment termination agreement.

Notice period

See the statutory default and a month-end worked example, with separate guidance for different contractual arrangements.

From your first question to your next step

Find guidance for your situation.

Knowledge base

Contracts & terms

Agreements when you start, renew a contract or plan a future departure.

Dismissal & leaving

From the first dismissal discussion to the end date, compensation and final settlement.

Pay & income

Pay, allowances, holiday allowance and amounts you may still be owed.

Sickness & reintegration

Your rights during illness, the occupational physician and steps towards suitable work.

At work

Hours, leave, safety and a workplace where you can set boundaries.

Help & costs

Choose an adviser, discuss costs and prepare a clear case file.

A good start is knowing where you stand

You do not have to work it all out alone.

Start with information that fits your question. Have the agreements and deadlines in your own situation assessed when the stakes are high.

Knowledge base

Read beyond the first answer.

View all articles
Dismissal & leaving

Checking a settlement agreement: payment, WW and conditions

Read a settlement agreement step by step: end date, payment, illness, WW, cooling-off period, full and final settlement and arrangements after leaving.

Dismissal & leaving

Dismissal: your rights, the procedure and practical first steps

A detailed guide to dismissal through UWV or the court, protection against dismissal, responding, payments and your first steps when your job is at risk.

Sickness & reintegration

Illness at work: wages, privacy, the occupational physician and your contract

Detailed guidance on reporting sickness, 70% wages, the first and second sickness years, medical privacy, reintegration and leaving employment while ill.

Contracts & terms

Fixed-term contracts: expiry, renewal and early termination

Check the end date, advance notification, chain rule, illness and final payments for a fixed-term employment contract.

Pay & income

Checking your salary: payslips, deductions and missing payments

Check gross salary, worked hours, supplements, deductions and bank payments. Establish the source of a wage discrepancy and the appropriate next step.

Contracts & terms

Non-compete and relationship clauses: changing jobs without surprises

Check validity, duration, scope, penalties and options for release or judicial review of non-compete and relationship clauses.

Work & rights · practical guides

What is happening at work?

All situations

Start with your situation. These eight practical guides connect explanations, decision points, calculators and sample letters. Work through the steps and take your own overview to a meeting or legal adviser.

01Dismissal & leaving

My employer wants to dismiss me

A meeting, a formal dismissal application and summary dismissal call for different responses. First identify the procedure and the dates. Then check the reasons your employer gives and the help you need.

Open this guide
02Dismissal & leaving

I have received a settlement agreement

A proposal to leave involves more than the amount of compensation. This guide helps you examine the wording, end date and position after departure together before deciding whether to negotiate or sign.

Open this guide
03Pay & income

My wages are unpaid or late

Set out the difference between what appears to be due, what the payslip shows and what reached your bank account. This guide helps you substantiate the shortfall, write a specific request and choose the next step.

Open this guide
04Sickness & reintegration

I am ill and need to return to work

During sickness, pay, medical guidance and work arrangements run alongside one another. Use this guide to clarify roles and agreements and to address a disagreement promptly through the appropriate route.

Open this guide
My fixed-term contract is endingThere is a workplace conflict or unwanted behaviourI am offered a new employment contractI want to leave my job
12 · Sample letters

Turn scattered notes into a clear letter.

Every draft has its own checks, fields, sources and next steps.

Sample lettersDownloads
Opinion

Ideas that further the conversation about work.

All opinion pieces
Editorial position

Time to reconsider dismissal is essential

Editorial opinion: a dismissal settlement deserves understandable documents, independent assessment and time to decide without unnecessary pressure.

Editorial team · Employment Law in the NetherlandsEditorial position

Pay transparency is a start, not a completed task

Editorial opinion: insight into pay differences must go together with verifiable job classification, accessible procedures and actual correction.

Editorial team · Employment Law in the NetherlandsEditorial position

Illness is not a bargaining position

Editorial opinion: medical capacity and reintegration require careful assessment, without financial pressure to force a dismissal settlement.

Editorial team · Employment Law in the Netherlands
About our content

Employment law starts with your situation.

These official sources provide further information. Check the rules and agreements that apply to your situation.

About our contentKnowledge base
Sources (4)

Sources and editorial notes

This overview links to our guides, opinion articles and tools. Each substantive piece lists the sources used for it.

  4. Publisher: Arboportaal · Ministerie van SZWArboportaal: arbeidsomstandighedenarboportaal.nlhttps://www.arboportaal.nl/

The source publications are in Dutch. All language editions cover Dutch law.

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What is happening at the moment?

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My employer wants to dismiss meA meeting, a formal dismissal application and summary dismissal call for different responses. First identify the procedure and the dates. Then check the reasons your employer gives and the help you need.
I have received a settlement agreementA proposal to leave involves more than the amount of compensation. This guide helps you examine the wording, end date and position after departure together before deciding whether to negotiate or sign.
My wages are unpaid or lateSet out the difference between what appears to be due, what the payslip shows and what reached your bank account. This guide helps you substantiate the shortfall, write a specific request and choose the next step.
I am ill and need to return to workDuring sickness, pay, medical guidance and work arrangements run alongside one another. Use this guide to clarify roles and agreements and to address a disagreement promptly through the appropriate route.
My fixed-term contract is endingStart with the complete contract history, rather than only the latest end date. Then examine the notification of continuation, compensation, final pay and income afterwards. This route keeps those questions separate.
There is a workplace conflict or unwanted behaviourA warning, disagreement about work and report of harassment are different issues. Organise what is happening, what you need and which route fits. This guide helps you prepare a factual, careful account.
I am offered a new employment contractA new contract concerns your future work and restrictions after leaving. Compare the offer, collective agreement and attachments before focusing only on salary. This guide helps structure your questions and your first period at work.
I want to leave my jobA new job, conflict or personal change may prompt you to leave. First check whether and when you can resign and how this affects income, restrictive clauses and final pay.

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