Independent platform; we are not a government body or recruitment agency.4 October 2026
NL Worker Compass
Tools · 2026

Compare two job offers

Compare guaranteed hours, estimated net income and your housing, insurance and travel costs.

Last verified: 4 October 2026Official Dutch sources

Tools

2026 · EUR
Offer A
Check the CAO for this offer

Choose your CAO

This is the client company (inlener), not your employment agency. Ask the agency for the conditions of a comparable employee at that company.

Look for the CAO name in your employment contract or ask your employer. A sector or job title alone does not establish which agreement applies.

Agency work: the client’s conditions are a comparison reference. Equal value can involve compensation between components; the selected client CAO is not automatically your complete pay package.

A selection helps you explore conditions. It does not establish that an agreement legally applies to your employment. Rijksoverheid

Use the general calculator with your own contract figures. Automatic CAO rules are not available for this selection.

Offer B
Check the CAO for this offer

Choose your CAO

Look for the CAO name in your employment contract or ask your employer. A sector or job title alone does not establish which agreement applies.

A selection helps you explore conditions. It does not establish that an agreement legally applies to your employment. Rijksoverheid

Use the general calculator with your own contract figures. Automatic CAO rules are not available for this selection.

Both offers use the same tax assumptions. Costs are your inputs, not market averages. A higher hourly rate does not guarantee a higher income. Compare guaranteed hours and housing conditions.

Pension and costs: empty means €0. Enter amounts if they apply to your situation.

Enter your own details to see an outcome. No amounts or surcharges have been entered in advance.

An estimate, not an official payroll calculation. Model for an employee below AOW age, resident and socially insured in the Netherlands all year, with no other income.

The monthly average includes holiday allowance if selected; the transfer in an ordinary month may be lower.

Excludes the 30% ruling, AOW, ET arrangements, foreign income, other deductions and special contributions. A partial year can change the result. Rent, insurance and transport are subtracted after net pay. We do not assess whether a deduction is lawful.

Methodology

The short answer

Start with the gross base rate and the guaranteed hours. A headline such as “€600 a week” is incomplete unless you know whether it is gross or net, how many hours it assumes, and whether holiday allowance or housing costs are included.

Dutch employers withhold wage tax and national-insurance contributions. Your net wage also depends on pension contributions, tax credits and personal circumstances. Money left after rent and insurance is a budget result, not a different legal definition of net salary. A quoted four-week payment is paid 13 times in a 52-week comparison, while a monthly payment is paid 12 times.

Compare the offer in three layers

Start with guaranteed gross pay, then estimate payroll deductions, then subtract actual living costs. This keeps tax separate from an agency’s rent or transport charge. Put optional overtime and performance bonuses in another line so an attractive best-case figure does not become your essential household budget.

Use a full pay cycle

Ask when the first wage arrives and whether pay is weekly, every four weeks or monthly. Request a sample payslip using your own guaranteed hours. Check whether the advertised amount includes holiday allowance, reimbursements or a conditional tax arrangement. Revisit the comparison when the assignment or accommodation changes.

What to do next

  1. Ask for the base hourly or monthly gross amount and the number of guaranteed paid hours.
  2. Check whether vakantiegeld is additional or already included, and whether overtime is guaranteed or merely possible.
  3. Record the pay period and each housing, insurance or transport charge before comparing offers.
A practical example

At €16 per hour and 40 hours per week, base gross pay is €640 per week, €2,560 per four weeks and about €2,773.33 per average month. These are conversions before holiday allowance and tax, not a promise of the actual monthly payslip.

Explore this topic

Questions people ask

Which figure is most useful for choosing an offer?

Compare guaranteed gross pay and hours first, then the estimated net result and unavoidable costs. Keep optional earnings separate.

Should I include housing and transport?

Yes, as separate real costs. This reveals spending money without changing the legal meaning of net salary.

Can I compare weekly net pay with monthly gross pay directly?

No. Convert periods and establish what is included before entering comparable gross figures and costs.

What if one offer depends on overtime?

Create a guaranteed-hours comparison first. Treat optional overtime as a separate scenario, not money needed for fixed bills.

Can the tool decide which employer is trustworthy?

No. Verify the contract, employer, housing agreement and promises independently. The tool compares entered figures, not employer conduct.

Sources

Last verified: 4 October 2026. Sources are in Dutch or English.