Fixed-term contracts: expiry, renewal and early termination

Fixed-term contracts: expiry, renewal and early termination

A fixed-term employment contract provides work for a specified period or an objectively defined assignment. The end may seem clear, but previous contracts, early termination terms and continued work can change your position. Do not only check the final page showing the end date. Your complete contract history determines which questions to ask your employer and what income to expect.

A valid fixed-term contract generally ends automatically, without notice.

Advance notification concerns clarity beforehand; its absence does not automatically extend the contract.

The adopted legislation on security for flexible workers introduces future rules from 2028; assess the chain under the rules currently in force.

1. The agreed end date or event

A contract may cover six months, a year or a project. With a calendar date, you can usually immediately identify the end. For a project, the ending event must be sufficiently ascertainable. Wording allowing only the employer to decide at will that the work is finished needs extra scrutiny. Keep the assignment description and any changes too.

Ask beforehand for written confirmation of the end date being used and its basis. Planning a new project is not the same as renewal. Conversely, the label “fixed-term” does not establish that the contract legally remains temporary. If the chain rule has been exceeded, indefinite employment may already exist while the employer still describes a fixed-term agreement.

2. Written advance notification for six months or more

For a fixed-term contract of at least six months with a calendar end date, the employer generally must state in writing at least one month beforehand whether it will renew and, if so, on which terms. This is the aanzegplicht, or advance notification duty. In some circumstances, notification can already appear in the contract. Check the wording before concluding nothing was communicated.

Missing or late notification can entitle you to an advance notification payment of up to one month’s salary, proportionate to the delay. It does not automatically continue the contract. To enforce payment in court, the application generally must arrive within two months after the contract ends. Keep the date and content of every communication.

End date, renewal notification and notice address different issues

Term

What does it mean?

What should you check?

Automatic expiry

A valid fixed-term contract reaches its agreed end date.

Failure to give renewal notification does not automatically extend the contract.

Renewal notification (aanzegging)

Written information about whether certain fixed-term contracts will continue.

Contract duration, timely receipt and the consequences of late notification.

Early termination

Leaving before the agreed end date.

Whether there is a valid early termination clause and which procedure and notice period apply.

Successive contracts rule

Successive fixed-term contracts may result in a permanent contract.

All contracts, breaks, employers and applicable exceptions.

Changes to flexible work legislation do not all take effect on the same date. Assess the rules applicable at the relevant time.

Dutch government: fixed-term and permanent contracts — https://www.rijksoverheid.nl/documenten/vraag-en-antwoord/arbeidsomstandigheden/wat-is-het-verschil-tussen-een-tijdelijk-contract-en-een-vast-contract

3. Examine the entire contract chain

The current main rule produces indefinite employment after more than three successive fixed-term contracts or when three years are exceeded. Gaps of no more than six months generally count within the chain. Successive employment can matter if you first worked through an agency and then directly for the same work. Comparing only the names of contracting parties is therefore insufficient.

Cao variations and statutory exceptions can change matters, for example for certain training arrangements, young employees working limited hours or particular replacement work. Make a table of starts, ends, hours, employers and gaps. The Wet meer zekerheid flexwerkers was adopted in July 2026, but the government states 1 January 2028 for the new security provisions. Do not apply future gap rules prematurely to today’s assessment.

4. Leaving or being dismissed before the end

Early notice is usually possible only if that right has been agreed in writing for both parties. Even then the employer must follow the normal dismissal rules: an early termination clause does not permit dismissal without a ground. You may need to observe a notice period and agreed termination date. Check before promising a new employer a start date.

Without an early termination clause, you can negotiate mutual termination or discuss another legal route. Simply stopping work may lead to a damages claim. A VSO before the original end date can also cause WW problems if the contract was not terminable early. Have that benefit risk calculated before signing, even if the employer calls the arrangement “standard”.

5. Renewal and working beyond the end

On renewal, record the period, hours and applicable conditions. A new salary offer does not automatically remove old restrictions. Recheck non-compete clauses, probation and training costs, for example. A second probationary period is generally prohibited if the work stays the same; a role requiring clearly different skills or responsibilities may be an exception.

Continuing work after the end with the employer’s agreement but without a new arrangement can create tacit renewal. Its duration and conditions require assessment of the previous contract and circumstances. Rotas, access passes and paid hours are relevant evidence, but a unilateral wish to keep working is insufficient. Request written confirmation as soon as you are scheduled beyond the end date. Also ask how you will be informed about permanent vacancies. Rijksoverheid identifies an information duty; for agency work it rests with the hirer. A vacancy notice is not a promise that you will obtain that role.

Example: a fourth contract for the same role

You worked three consecutive years under three contracts, without a relevant gap, and receive another three-month contract. Its temporary label is not decisive: have the chain checked for an existing indefinite contract before accepting the supposed expiry.

6. Illness during a fixed-term contract

The usual wage continuation and reintegration rules generally apply while the contract runs. The employer does not have to renew a valid fixed-term contract because you are ill. It can expire on the agreed date, after which sickness benefit may follow. This differs from giving early notice because of illness. Record the first sick day and end date separately.

With longer sickness absence, a reintegration report and notification of leaving employment while ill may be needed. Ask who handles these and which documents you receive. The maximum two-year sickness period does not restart when the contract ends. Do not agree to earlier termination for administrative convenience without assessing whether you surrender wages or benefit rights.

7. The final payment and what follows

Check final wages, outstanding leave, holiday allowance, supplements and any bonus. If non-renewal is at the employer’s initiative, a transition payment is often due, even after short service. An advance notification payment and transition payment are different entitlements with different legal bases and deadlines. Request a final statement that does not quietly offset one against the other.

Prepare for WW if available for work and potentially eligible. UWV states that you can apply from one week before the first day of unemployment and no later than a week afterwards. Keep contracts, notification and payslips before portal access ends. If ill, ask about the appropriate sickness scheme. If money is missing, do not wait until another payroll cycle to have your deadlines checked.

Put all contracts and gaps in one overview.

Check the cao, calendar end date and early termination clause.

Keep written advance notification and its receipt date.

Have continued work or renewal confirmed in writing.

Compare final payments, compensation and any benefit application.

Must I resign on the end date?

A valid fixed-term contract that expires automatically generally does not require your resignation. Check whether it has become indefinite or other arrangements apply. Resigning yourself may unnecessarily cause a dispute over payment or WW.

Does missing advance notification automatically give me a permanent contract?

No. Missing written notification can create a payment entitlement. Continued or indefinite employment depends on other rules, such as the chain rule and actual continued work with agreement.

Do I receive a payment if my contract is not renewed?

Often a transition payment is due when the employer does not renew and the conditions are met. An advance notification payment comes from a different rule. Have both assessed separately and protect their correct court deadlines.

Can I move to a new job during the contract?

That depends on a valid early termination clause and the applicable notice period. Without a clause, you cannot simply leave. Also check non-compete and relationship clauses before making binding arrangements for a new start date.

Sources and editorial notes
Sources current as of: October 17, 2026
1. Rijksoverheid: fixed-term and indefinite contracts
Publisher: Rijksoverheid
https://www.rijksoverheid.nl/documenten/vraag-en-antwoord/arbeidsomstandigheden/wat-is-het-verschil-tussen-een-tijdelijk-contract-en-een-vast-contract
2. Rijksoverheid: current chain rule and future legislation
Publisher: Rijksoverheid
https://www.rijksoverheid.nl/themas/werk/hervormingen-arbeidsmarkt/passende-contractvorm/vraag-en-antwoord/arbeidsovereenkomst-en-cao/wanneer-verandert-mijn-tijdelijke-arbeidscontract-in-een-vast-contract
3. UWV: early termination and WW
Publisher: UWV
https://www.uwv.nl/nl/ontslag/werknemer-ontslaan
4. Rechtspraak: advance notification and transition payment applications
Publisher: Rechtspraak
https://www.rechtspraak.nl/onderwerpen/ontslag/verzoekschriftprocedure-werknemer
5. Rijksoverheid: illness under a fixed-term contract
Publisher: Rijksoverheid
https://www.rijksoverheid.nl/themas/werk/arbeidsovereenkomst-en-cao/vraag-en-antwoord/ziekteverzuim-van-het-werk/krijg-ik-met-een-tijdelijk-contract-ook-loon-doorbetaald-als-ik-ziek-ben
The source publications are in Dutch. All language editions cover Dutch law.