Minimum wage in the Netherlands

The Netherlands has had a legal minimum wage (minimumloon) since November 1968. Nowadays, the minimum wage is based on an employee’s age and applies to all workers aged 15 and over. Here’s what you need to know about the minimum wage in the Netherlands. 

Minimum wage in the Netherlands in 2025

As of January 1, 2025, the minimum hourly wage in the Netherlands for workers aged 21 and over is 14,06 euros. 

Based on a 40-hour work week, that’s the equivalent of approximately 2.250 euros per month, before tax. 

Youth minimum wage

For employees aged between 15 and 20, the youth hourly minimum wage applies, as follows: 

Age	Minimum page (per hour)
21+	€14,06
20	€11,25
19	€8,44
18	€7,03
17	€5,55
16	€4,85
15	€4,22

If you are paid the youth minimum wage, your wages should increase each year on your birthday. There is no minimum wage for employees under the age of 15. 

Weekly & monthly minimum wages

On January 1, 2024, the Netherlands introduced a statutory hourly minimum wage, setting out the minimum wage rates per hour, before tax. There are no longer fixed minimum monthly, weekly and daily wages. 

The new system was designed to be fairer and more transparent. Under the old system, two employees could be paid the same monthly minimum wage, even if their monthly working hours were different. As of 2024, all employees on minimum wage will earn the same gross hourly wage. 

What you make per week or month when you earn the minimum hourly wage depends on your working hours. Working hours include:

• The hours you worked
• The hours you were on holiday leave
• The hours you were sick leave

This means that as some months have more working days than others, your salary may differ per month. 

Who is entitled to minimum wage in the Netherlands? 

The minimum wage applies to all employees in the Netherlands over the age of 14. This includes:

• Employees on permanent or fixed-term contracts (including foreign employees with a work permit) 
• On-call employees
• Posted workers
• Agency workers
• Staff employed by contractors or subcontractors
• Employees who have passed state pension age

However, you are not entitled to minimum wage if:

• You are self-employed (some exceptions - see below)
• You are an intern or an apprentice (although students in secondary vocational education - mbo - are entitled to their own bbl minimum wage) 
• You are a volunteer 
• You receive a benefit under the Work and Employment Support (Young Disabled Persons) Act

Working under a contract for services

Generally speaking, self-employed people are not entitled to the minimum wage if the Belastingdienst regards you as a business taxpayer. However, certain categories of self-employed people, primarily those who work under a “contract for services” (overeenkomst van opdracht) and other types of contract for payment, are entitled to a minimum wage, for example:

• People who deliver post and packages
• Lawyers
• Notaries
• Bailiffs
• Auditors
• Debt collectors
• Architects
• Real estate agents
• Vets
• Auctioneers 

What is included in your minimum wage?

According to the Dutch government, the following payments can count towards your minimum wage:

• Your basic wage, as shown in your employment contract
• Pay for extra hours or overtime
• Allowances and bonuses
• Commission
• Tips, if you and your employer agree to this 

Added together, the above amounts must equal more than the minimum hourly wage. 

Your minimum wage does not include:

• Your holiday allowance
• Reimbursements for work-related expenses
• End-of-year allowances
• Profit distributions
• Sporadic extra payments, for instance occasional commission on sales
• Payments you may receive later under specific conditions, for instance from a pension or savings scheme that your employer contributes to 

Adjustments to the Netherlands’ minimum wage

The Netherlands’ minimum hourly wage is adjusted every six months on January 1 and July 1. 

The Dutch government adjusts the minimum wage based on the wider development of salaries in the Netherlands, in both the public and private sectors. This is done according to a formula but together by the Central Planning Bureau (CPB). 

What to do if you are being underpaid

If you receive less than the minimum wage, you are being underpaid. You should first address this with your employer and ask them to increase your wage and compensate you for previous underpaid hours. 

If they refuse, you can report your employer to the Netherlands Labour Authority using their reporting form. If they find that you are being underpaid, your employer will be fined and asked to pay you all of the wages you are owed within four weeks. 

You have a legal right to recover any lost earnings from being underpaid up until five years after you received them.