Minimum wage in the Netherlands 2026: EUR 14.99 an hour

Who the EUR 14.99 rate covers

Since January 1, 2024 the law sets one hourly minimum for every employee aged 21 and over, whatever their contracted week. A 32-hour and a 40-hour contract carry the same hourly floor. Before 2024 the minimum was a monthly amount for a full working week, which is why older figures in the history table below are monthly and are not directly comparable.

Workers aged 15 to 20 get a youth minimum wage that is a fixed percentage of the adult rate and moves with it. From July 1, 2026 a 20-year-old must get at least EUR 11.99 an hour and an 18-year-old EUR 7.50. Sector collective agreements (CAOs) often set higher scales, and where a CAO applies to your employee, its scale is the real floor.

The government indexes the rate twice a year, on January 1 and July 1. The full list of youth and earlier 2026 rates follows.

Other minimum wage rates in Netherlands

Netherlands minimum wage history

What EUR 14.99 an hour pays per month and per year

There is no statutory standard week in the Dutch rules we read, so the monthly figure depends on the hours in the contract. The formula is hourly rate x weekly hours x 52 / 12:

• 40 hours: EUR 14.99 x 40 x 52 / 12 = EUR 2,598.27 a month, or EUR 31,179.20 a year.
• 36 hours: EUR 14.99 x 36 x 52 / 12 = EUR 2,338.44 a month.

The 8% holiday allowance (vakantiebijslag) is owed on top of these amounts. On a 40-hour minimum wage that is EUR 207.86 a month, or EUR 2,494.34 a year. The allowance rule has one limit: on pay above three times the minimum wage, the parties may agree in writing to less.

How the rate has moved, and the next change

The adult hourly minimum stood at EUR 13.27 in January 2024. It rose to EUR 13.68 in July 2024, EUR 14.06 and EUR 14.40 in 2025, then EUR 14.71 and EUR 14.99 in 2026. That is a 12.96% increase in two and a half years, and the July 2026 step alone was 1.90%.

The next indexation is due January 1, 2027. No 2027 amount had been published on the government pages we read on October 18, 2026, although business.gov.nl says the youth minimum is scheduled to rise from that date. One warning if you read the official sources yourself: business.gov.nl's July 2026 amendment page lists January 1, 2026 in its summary box but July 1, 2026 in the headline and text. The Rijksoverheid rate table confirms EUR 14.99 from July 1.

What a minimum-wage employee costs you on top

Dutch employee insurance premiums are paid by the employer, not split with the worker. The rates below assume a written permanent contract (which qualifies for the low unemployment premium) and the 2026 sector average for the Whk premium. Premiums are charged on wages plus holiday allowance, up to EUR 79,409 a year.

A fixed-term or on-call contract pays the high unemployment premium of 7.74% instead of 2.74%, which adds 5 points. Two costs sit outside this table. You must keep paying at least 70% of wages for up to two years of illness, topped up to the minimum wage in the first year. And a mandatory sector pension fund may apply. Use the international employee cost calculator to run other salaries, or compare countries in the employer cost index.

How to pay the Dutch minimum wage without a local entity

If you have no Dutch entity, the usual route for a first hire is an employer of record. The EOR becomes the legal employer, applies the right CAO, pays the holiday allowance and files the premiums. Published list prices run from $99 (Native Teams) to $699 per employee per month (see EOR pricing compared). Deel lists $599 per employee per month (checked October 16, 2026), and Oyster lists $699.

Plan for exit costs too. Every Dutch employee earns a transition payment of one-third of a month's salary per year of service from day one, capped at EUR 102,000 in 2026, or one year's gross salary if that is higher. Our Netherlands EOR guide covers notice, probation and the full premium breakdown, and our EOR rankings compare providers. For the national picture, see the average Dutch salary and minimum wages across countries in 2026.