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Draft translation. The rules concern Dutch employment law; have their application to your situation assessed. About our content
Work & rights · practical guides · Contracts & terms

My fixed-term contract is ending

Start 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.

Sources (21)View the sources usedSources current as of:
Your route in three steps

Choose your next step

Check whether the contract really ends

List the start, end and gaps between all successive contracts. Include agency work and a change of employer for the same work. Check the applicable collective agreement and exceptions before treating the description “fixed term” as decisive.

Check the notification and amounts

Keep the written continuation notification and date of receipt, and read any notification already included in the contract. Then check possible aanzegvergoeding and transition payment separately. Asking the employer for payment is different from applying to the court in time.

Arrange the period after the end

Check wages, unused holiday and holiday allowance in the final settlement. Investigate the appropriate WW or sickness-at-contract-end route before expiry. If you continue working with the employer’s consent, record those circumstances and request confirmation of the terms for continued work.

A practical example

Three years is not the only question

You receive another fixed-term contract and count only time with your current employer. Earlier agency work in the same role may also matter. Include that contract and the intervening periods in the assessment.

My workbook

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Questions about this route

Must I resign on the end date?

A valid fixed-term contract generally ends by operation of law. First check whether a permanent contract or continuation already exists; unnecessary resignation can complicate your position.

Am I always entitled to one month’s aanzegvergoeding?

No. Check whether the notification duty applied, whether it was met in time and the extent of any delay. An earlier written notification in the contract may also matter.

What if I am ill when the contract ends?

Illness does not automatically extend a valid fixed-term contract. Check the sickness-at-contract-end notification and documents needed for a possible Sickness Benefits Act payment.

Sources (21)

Sources and editorial notes

This preparation guide is our own editorial work. The primary sources below support the linked in-depth articles. Check the stated source date and obtain an assessment of any agreement or procedure for your own situation.

Sources current as of:

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

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