Werk en inkomen: jobs, pay and benefits
Know how contracts, payslips and benefits work and which organisation helps with what.
A2 and B110 minLesson 2 of 9
After this lesson you can
- Explain the difference between bruto and netto pay and read a loonstrook
- Know when to go to the UWV, the gemeente or the Belastingdienst
- Describe the normal steps of applying for a job
- Know what to do about discrimination or illness at work
Finding work
Most jobs are found through vacancies (vacatures) on websites, through your network, or via a temp agency (uitzendbureau). The normal steps:
- Read the vacancy carefully.
- Send a CV and a sollicitatiebrief (application letter), often by email or an online form.
- If they like you, you are invited for a sollicitatiegesprek (job interview). Be on time and prepare questions.
If you want to start your own business, you register it with the KVK (Kamer van Koophandel).
Contracts
Your employment contract (arbeidsovereenkomst) is a written agreement with your employer. Important words:
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| tijdelijk contract | fixed-term contract, ends on a set date |
| vast contract | permanent contract (voor onbepaalde tijd) |
| proeftijd | trial period; both sides can end the contract quickly. Not allowed in very short contracts, and limited to a maximum length |
| cao | collective agreement for a whole sector, with rules on pay and hours |
| minimumloon | legal minimum wage; your employer may not pay less |
| vakantiegeld | holiday allowance, usually paid in May or June |
After several temporary contracts in a row, the law can turn your contract into a permanent one (the ketenregeling). The exact rules have been under discussion, so check the government website for the current version.
Your payslip
Every month (or every four weeks) you get a loonstrook (payslip). It shows:
- brutoloon: pay before tax and premiums;
- deductions (inhoudingen) such as loonheffing (wage tax) and pension premium;
- nettoloon: what you actually receive in your bank account.
Check it. If something is wrong, ask your employer or the salary department first.
Getting ill
If you are ill, you report sick yourself to your employer (ziekmelden), before your work starts, following the company rules. Your employer usually keeps paying (part of) your wage for a long time and may send you to the bedrijfsarts (company doctor).
Losing your job or having no income
| Situation | Where to go |
|---|---|
| You lose your job as an employee | UWV: apply for WW (unemployment benefit) |
| You cannot work for a long time due to illness | UWV (e.g. WIA after about two years) |
| You have no income and no other benefit | gemeente: bijstand (social assistance) |
| Taxes, toeslagen | Belastingdienst |
WW is temporary and you must keep looking for work. Bijstand is the safety net: the gemeente checks your income and savings and usually expects you to look for work or take part in activities.
Taxes
Your employer deducts wage tax every month. Many people also file an income tax return (aangifte inkomstenbelasting) with the Belastingdienst, usually before 1 May for the previous year. You can do this online with DigiD. Working without paying tax (zwartwerken) is illegal and leaves you without insurance or rights.
Discrimination at work
An employer may not treat you differently because of origin, religion, gender, sexual orientation, age, disability or a similar reason. This applies to job applications too. If it happens:
- Write down what happened (date, who, what).
- Talk to your manager, HR or a vertrouwenspersoon (confidential adviser).
- Report it to an antidiscriminatievoorziening (local anti-discrimination office) or the College voor de Rechten van de Mens. A trade union (vakbond) can also help members.
Exam logic
- Lost job → UWV. No income at all → gemeente. Taxes and allowances → Belastingdienst.
- Ill → call your employer yourself, early.
- Unfair treatment → it is not allowed and you can report it.
Useful Dutch
- de werkgever / de werknemerthe employer / the employee
- de vacaturethe job vacancy
- solliciterento apply for a job
- het sollicitatiegesprekthe job interview
- de loonstrookthe payslip
- bruto / nettobefore / after deductions
- zich ziekmeldento report sick
- de uitkeringthe benefit payment
- de WWunemployment benefit (via UWV)
- de bijstandsocial assistance (via gemeente)
- het uitzendbureauthe temp agency
- de vakbondthe trade union
Worked example
Fired after the contract ends: where do you go?
Who? Lina is an employee who has worked for a year. What? Her job ends and she has no income from work. Which organisation? For employees who lose their job, the unemployment benefit (WW) comes from the UWV, so B is correct. A would be right if she had no right to WW and no other income: then she could ask the gemeente for bijstand. C is for taxes and allowances, not for unemployment benefit.
Common mistakes
- Confusing WW (UWV, after losing a job) with bijstand (gemeente, when you have no other income).
- Thinking brutoloon is the amount you receive; you receive the nettoloon.
- Reporting sick to the huisarts or gemeente instead of to your own employer.
- Believing cash work without a contract is fine if both sides agree; it is illegal zwartwerk.
Check yourself
Answer all three to mark this lesson as done.
1. Omar wil een eigen bedrijf beginnen. Hij wil schilderwerk doen voor klanten. Waar schrijft hij zijn bedrijf in?
2. Sevda solliciteert naar een baan. De manager zegt: 'Wij nemen geen vrouwen met een hoofddoek.' Wat is waar?
3. Jan heeft al lang geen werk. Hij heeft geen WW meer en geen spaargeld. Hij kan zijn huur niet betalen. Waar vraagt hij hulp?