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Work and employment in the Netherlands

Dismissal, sick leave, final pay and settlement agreements. Each answer cites the article or section it rests on.

19 questions

  1. How do I calculate my Dutch transition payment?One third of a monthly salary per year of service, pro rata for the rest. What counts as salary, the cap, two worked examples, gross and net, and when there is no right to it.
  2. What is the statutory notice period in the Netherlands?Employee: one month. Employer: one to four months by length of service. Plus the rules for fixed-term and zero-hours contracts, probation, and the notional notice period on a settlement.
  3. Can I go on holiday while on sick leave in the Netherlands?Yes, but employed you arrange it with your employer and the company doctor, and on the Ziektewet you report it to the UWV first. Accrual, lapsing and falling ill on holiday, explained.
  4. Can I resign while on sick leave in the Netherlands?You may always resign, sick or not. But resign while ill and you usually lose sick pay, the Ziektewet benefit and WW. Here are the routes that do work.
  5. Free Dutch settlement agreement review: where expats and English-speakers can get legal help in the NetherlandsA VSO review need not be expensive — union, legal-expenses insurance, Juridisch Loket, and often a Dutch employment firm that bills the employer.
  6. Non-compete clause in a Dutch settlement agreement: when is it enforceable, when can a court invalidate it?A non-compete in a VSO is negotiable; art. 7:653(4)–(5) BW limits enforcement when the ending is attributable to the employer.
  7. Refusing a Dutch settlement agreement: can my employer fire me anyway, and is fighting smarter?Signing closes the file; refusing is not a ground for dismissal — the employer must still go through UWV or the subdistrict court.
  8. Sick leave in the Netherlands and being asked to sign a settlement: your rights and what you loseYou can sign, but you give away the art. 7:670 BW dismissal ban — with risk to sick pay, Ziektewet and WW. Revoke first if you already signed.
  9. Cooling-off period for a Dutch settlement agreement: how to revoke in writingAfter signing a Dutch settlement agreement you have 14 days to revoke it in writing, or 21 days if the cooling-off right is missing from the document — art. 7:670b BW.
  10. Can my employer refuse my vacation request?Can my employer refuse my vacation request?
  11. Am I a false self-employed (schijnzelfstandige)? ZZP vs employee rulesShort conclusion
  12. What happens to my residence permit if I lose my job?Short answer. Under Dutch immigration law, a residence permit that was issued on the condition that you work (a so‑called verblijfsvergunning regulier voor
  13. Is my employer required to pay the 8% holiday allowance (vakantiegeld)?Short answer: Yes. Under Dutch law, an employer is required to pay every employee at least 8% holiday allowance (vakantiebijslag / vakantiegeld) over the
  14. My employer is not paying my salary — what can I do?Short answer
  15. Should I sign this settlement agreement (vaststellingsovereenkomst)?Before signing a Dutch settlement agreement: your 14-day cooling-off right, WW pitfalls, the transition payment, and what every VSO must contain.
  16. Can I be fired while on sick leave in the Netherlands?Dutch law blocks dismissal during the first two years of sickness — but not in probation, for urgent cause, or if you refuse reintegration.
  17. Is my non-compete clause enforceable in the Netherlands?When a Dutch non-compete (concurrentiebeding) is enforceable, how courts annul or limit it, and the reform that would cap it at 12 months.
  18. My employer fired me on the spot (ontslag op staande voet) — is that legal?When ontslag op staande voet is legal in the Netherlands, how to challenge it within two months, and what pay you can still claim.
  19. How many temporary contracts before I must get a permanent one?In the Netherlands a fixed-term chain becomes permanent after more than 3 contracts or 36 months, with gaps of 6 months or less. Rules and exceptions.