Average Salary in the Netherlands 2026: What Common Jobs Pay, Gross vs Net

Whether you already live in the Netherlands or are weighing up a move, it helps to know what a normal salary actually looks like. This guide uses the latest official figures from CBS (Statistics Netherlands) to show average and median pay, what common jobs earn per hour, how a gross salary turns into take-home pay, how holiday allowance works and what the 2026 minimum wage is. All figures are in euros and are gross unless stated otherwise.

Average vs Median Pay: The Headline Figures

CBS publishes two kinds of figures that people often mix up. The average annual wage counts every employee job, including part-time jobs, which are very common in the Netherlands. The median hourly wage is the middle point: half of employees earn more and half earn less. The median is usually the better guide to what a typical worker earns, because a small number of very high earners pull the average up.

• Average annual wage (2025): around €40,900 per employee job, according to CBS. This does not include special payments such as holiday allowance and bonuses, which added roughly €6,600 on average.
• Median gross hourly wage (2025): €26.90, from the CBS occupation table published in October 2026. A quarter of employees earned €19.90 or less and a quarter earned €36.40 or more.
• Rough full-time equivalent: a full-time employee on the median hourly rate would typically earn somewhere around €4,200 to €4,650 a month before holiday allowance, depending on whether the contract is 36, 38 or 40 hours.

Because so many people work part-time, the average annual wage looks lower than many expect. If you are comparing a full-time job offer, the hourly figures below are more useful.

What Common Jobs Pay per Hour

The table shows CBS median gross hourly wages for 2025 by occupation group. The figures exclude holiday allowance, bonuses and overtime, so the real annual package is usually higher. Multiply by your weekly contract hours and by roughly 4.33 to get a rough monthly figure.

Remember that these are medians across all ages and experience levels. A junior developer will usually start below the figure shown, and an experienced one well above it. Lower medians in hospitality and retail partly reflect the large number of young workers on youth minimum wage rates.

Pay by Sector

Which sector you work in matters as much as your job title. CBS figures for 2025 show annual wages per employee job were highest in mining and quarrying (delfstoffenwinning), at about €78,600, and lowest in hospitality (horeca), at about €16,900. The hospitality figure is low mainly because many jobs are part-time and filled by students. Financial services, energy and ICT also sit well above the national average.

Gross vs Net: How Your Take-Home Pay Is Worked Out

Your employer deducts wage tax (loonheffing) every month. In 2026 the box 1 income tax rates for people below state pension age are 35.75% on income up to €38,883, 37.56% up to €78,426 and 49.50% above that. The first band includes national insurance contributions.

Two tax credits (heffingskortingen) then reduce the tax you owe. The general tax credit (algemene heffingskorting) is up to €3,115 in 2026 and shrinks as income rises. The labour tax credit (arbeidskorting) is worth up to roughly €5,700 for people in work and also shrinks at higher incomes. Your employer usually applies both automatically, but only at one job, so tell them if you have a second job.

A worked example

This is a simplified estimate for a single employee with no other income. Many employers run a pension scheme, and your share of the contribution will lower your net pay. Holiday allowance is taxed at a special rate, so the payment in spring is noticeably less than 8% of your annual salary once tax is taken off. For an exact figure, check your payslip (loonstrook) or the tax tools on belastingdienst.nl.

Holiday Allowance (Vakantiegeld) Explained

Dutch employees are entitled to holiday allowance (vakantiegeld) of at least 8% of their gross annual salary. Most employers pay it in one lump sum in May or June, though some spread it across each payslip. Some collective labour agreements (cao) and contracts pay more than 8%, and senior contracts sometimes include it in an all-in salary, so read your offer carefully.

Separate from the allowance, full-time employees are entitled by law to at least four times their weekly working hours as paid holiday each year, which equals 20 days on a five-day week. Many employers give more.

The 2026 Minimum Wage

The Netherlands has a statutory hourly minimum wage (wettelijk minimumloon), updated every 1 January and 1 July. There is no fixed monthly minimum any more, because monthly pay depends on your contract hours.

At €14.99 an hour, a 40-hour week works out at roughly €2,598 gross a month, and a 36-hour week at roughly €2,338. Holiday allowance of 8% comes on top. If you are 21 or over and paid less than these rates per hour, your employer is breaking the law.

What Pushes Your Salary Up

• Your cao: Many sectors have a collective labour agreement (cao) with fixed pay scales and annual rises. Ask which cao applies and which scale you are in.
• Education level: CBS data shows a clear step up at each occupation level, from a median of €16.90 an hour at the lowest level to €36.90 at the highest.
• Dutch language: English-only roles exist, but speaking Dutch opens far more jobs, especially in healthcare, education and government.
• Scarce skills: Technical, ICT and healthcare skills are in steady demand, which strengthens your hand in negotiations.
• Extra benefits: A 13th month, an end-of-year bonus or a good pension scheme can be worth thousands a year, so compare total packages, not just monthly pay.

Mistakes to Avoid

• Comparing gross with net: Dutch salaries are quoted gross. Always estimate your net pay before comparing offers or signing a lease.
• Forgetting holiday allowance: Check whether a salary is quoted with or without vakantiegeld. An 'all-in' figure can look higher than it really is.
• Trusting random salary sites: Many publish unverified averages. CBS figures and your sector's cao scales are more reliable.
• Cash-in-hand and payslip scams: Be wary of offers paying cash without a payslip, or employers who ask for an upfront fee for a job or housing. Unregistered work leaves you without insurance, pension or protection.
• Agency deductions: Some employment agencies (uitzendbureaus) deduct housing and transport from wages. Get every deduction in writing and check your net pay against the minimum wage rules.

Final Thoughts

A typical Dutch employee earned a median of around €26.90 an hour in 2025, with big differences between hospitality and retail at the bottom and management, ICT, healthcare and finance at the top. Once you understand the 8% holiday allowance, your tax credits and your cao, you can judge any offer with confidence. Use official figures, ask for a full breakdown and calculate your take-home pay before you say yes.

Frequently Asked Questions

Disclaimer: This article is general information only and is not tax or financial advice. Salary figures come from CBS and are medians or averages; your own pay will depend on your employer, cao, experience and hours. Tax rates, credits and the minimum wage change regularly, so always check rijksoverheid.nl, belastingdienst.nl and your payslip for current figures.