How salary works for trainees in the Netherlands

Dutch payslips confuse almost everyone at first. The headline 'gross' figure is not what you take home — taxes, social contributions and pension come off, but you also gain holiday allowance and, sometimes, tax advantages.

Holiday allowance and the 8% rule

On top of your salary, Dutch employers pay 8% holiday allowance ('vakantiegeld'), usually in May. So your annual pay is higher than twelve monthly slips suggest.

Use Bixter's salary calculator to see your real net pay for a given role and city before you accept — including housing costs, which vary a lot between regions.