So, you found a side-job or internship and you cannot wait to get started! Before you do, please have a look at the practicalities that you'll need to take care of.
Things to arrange before you start a job
Does your job or internship pay you a salary? Then it’s important to have a Dutch bank account to arrange all your finances.Â
Your employer will need your BSN-number (Burgerservicenummer - Dutch citizen service number) to let you start with your job / internship. The BSN-number is a unique registration number for every citizen which is used in contacts with any government service.
You will receive your BSN-number upon registration at the City Hall.
As an international student, you are obliged to take out Dutch public health insurance when:
- you start a (side)-job during your studies in the Netherlands.
- you’re doing an internship as part of your Dutch study programme, with a compensation of more than € 150 per month.
Is one of these two options applicable to you? Then keeping your private international student insurance is not enough. This requirement also goes when you have a European Health Insurance Card (EHIC). The obligation to get basic public health insurances applies to all working students, regardless of the amount of hours they work.
If you do not take out basic public healthcare insurance you can get a fine.
As soon as your employment terminates, you can switch back to your student insurance.
→ See below for a possible compensation of the costs for insurance.
For questions on healthcare in the Netherlands, contact Zorgverzekeringslijn.
Things to arrange after you started your job
To help you cover the insurance costs of Dutch public health insurance, there is a compensation available for which you might be eligible. This compensation is called ‘Zorgtoeslag’ in Dutch.
How to apply?
The application process for healthcare allowance is difficult for persons who do not speak Dutch fluently, as the Dutch tax authorities (Belastingdienst in Dutch) communicate only in Dutch.Â
- To start with, you need your personal DigiD. You can apply for one on this website: www.digid.nl/en/
- Go to mijn.toeslagen.nl and login with your DigiD details.
- Click on ‘Toeslag aanvragen’ below ‘Wijziging Doorgeven’ on the right.
- Click on ‘Ik wil zorgtoeslag aanvragen’ in order to apply for the healthcare allowance.
- You have to answer a few questions, such as the starting date of the healthcare allowance. This date should correspond to the starting date of your employment.
- After confirming the filled in details, the application will be sent to the Tax Authority automatically. A provisional calculation will be made within eight weeks and in the same period the first payment will take place.
Change of income?
If your income changes or your employment terminates, you have to inform the Tax Authority. If you don’t inform the Tax Authority about this change in your situation, it is possible that you receive too much healthcare allowance which you’ll have to pay back afterwards.
You can inform the Tax Authority about changes by logging into mijn.toeslagen.nl, selecting ‘Actuele Berekening’ on the top, proceed to ‘Zorgtoeslag’ and then ‘Ik wil mijn zorgtoeslag stopzetten’.
More about healthcare allowance on the Study in Holland website.
Income tax (inkomstenbelasting in Dutch) is automatically deducted from your salary each month. Amongst other things, this covers your social security (see next item).
At the end of the year, you need to file your taxes. It might be possible that you can get some of these taxes refunded.
Make sure to closely look into this by:
- Calling the Dutch tax authorities (Belastingdienst in Dutch) for individuals at 0800-0543 (this telephone number is not available from abroad);
- If you have questions about your taxes you can also contact Limes International.Â
Extra information:
- Please bear in mind that scholarships may also be seen as income and might be added to your total income. This means that, if you have a scholarship that is taxed as well as a part-time job, in the worst-case scenario you may receive less money than if you would only have a scholarship. Call the Dutch tax authorities for more information.
- According to Dutch law, a person is only obliged to pay income tax in one country. This means that if you receive a scholarship from abroad and your country has signed a tax treaty with the Netherlands (NL), it is possible that your scholarship will not be taxed in NL. We have tax treaties with many countries, including all EU member states. For more information about this complex issue, we advise you contact your employer’s human resources department.
More detailed information can be found on the Belastingdienst website.
Photo: Institutenlaan at Woudestein Campus.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Depending on your income you might be eligible for a compensation to help you cover the costs of your Dutch public health insurance. This compensation is called ‘Zorgtoeslag’ in Dutch (healthcare allowance or benefit), and you can read more about it on the website of the Dutch tax authority.Â
The minimum wage depends on your age.
Your employer will withhold taxes and social insurance (look under 'Things to arrange after you started your job - Income and taxes') contributions from your gross wage. The net amount you receive will depend on how much is withheld.
Yes, if you receive income from a job in the Netherlands you need to file a tax return every year.Â
Social security contributions will be automatically deducted from your gross pay. These deductions support the systems that provide disability pay and unemployment benefits. This means that, as an employee, you will be insured against the consequences of any work-related accident. So this is a good thing!
Your employer is obliged to deduct these social security contributions from your pay before you get it. These deductions can easily take up a third of your gross pay. Looking for more details? Your employer’s human resources department can provide a detailed explanation of this and other elements of your payslip.Â