The short answer
The Dutch legal minimum is an hourly gross amount. There is no single statutory monthly minimum. The age on the work date and the applicable rate period matter. A collective agreement can require a higher wage than the statutory floor.
From 1 July 2026, the ordinary minimum for employees aged 21 or over is €14.99 an hour. From January to June it was €14.71. Employees aged 15–20 have youth rates. Special BBL learning-and-working rates are outside this checker. Paid leave and paid sickness hours can also count in the relevant working time.
Check the wage floor and the wage scale
The legal minimum and a contractual or CAO wage scale are different checks. First establish the correct ordinary hourly minimum for age and work date; then ask whether the job’s classification requires a higher amount. A calculator’s positive result does not validate housing deductions, unpaid hours or a wrong job classification.
Keep an auditable calculation
Record paid hours by work date and retain schedules and approvals. Where a payroll period crosses a birthday or rate change, ask for the split. Keep gross wages separate from the amount reaching your bank after tax or other deductions. If the explanation remains unclear, take the documents to an independent information point.
What to do next
- Choose the date the hours were worked, not simply the date the money reached your account.
- Check your age for the period, base rate, paid hours and the applicable CAO wage scale.
- If the rate looks too low, keep the contract, time records and payslip, and ask payroll for a written breakdown.
At the July adult rate, 40 hours × €14.99 is €599.60 gross for those hours. Multiplying by 52 / 12 gives €2,598.27 as a comparison average, not a fixed legal monthly amount.
Explore this topic
- Minimum wage under 21: age, birthdays and BBL
Use the worker’s age and work date, and check whether a special apprenticeship rate applies.
Questions people ask
Does the same hourly floor apply to foreign workers?
The statutory minimum protects employees working in the Netherlands, including foreign employees. Your contract or CAO may provide more. Different arrangements, such as BBL, require their own check.
Does the rate change on my birthday?
Age affects the applicable youth rate. Ask payroll to apply the correct age to the relevant work dates.
Is the agency or the customer my first contact?
Start with the legal employer in your contract. Include the customer’s approved time records where they support your claim.
Can a foreign worker receive a lower rate for being foreign?
Nationality is not a reason to pay below the applicable Dutch statutory minimum. Age and the lawful employment arrangement are separate factors.
Can I complain without speaking Dutch?
Work in NL information points can help explain routes and documents. Ask about available language support.
Sources
Last verified: 4 October 2026. Sources are in Dutch or English.