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NL Worker Compass
Tools · 2026

Shift allowance calculator

Calculate a shift premium using the percentage in your contract or CAO.

Last verified: 4 October 2026Official Dutch sources

Tools

2026 · EUR

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

Your CAO choice is remembered on this device. Salary entries are not saved.

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

Enter the premium from your contract or CAO. 50% means 150% total pay; there is no universal premium.

The calculator does not determine which hours are legally overtime. First determine the hour category and the payment moment.

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

Methodology

The short answer

Record the hours you actually work and compare them with your roster and payslip. Paid hours, breaks, travel time and overtime can be treated differently, so check the applicable agreement rather than assuming all time at the workplace is paid in the same way.

For the general adult regime, the maximum is 12 hours per shift and 60 per week. You cannot normally work 60 every week: the averages are generally at most 55 over four weeks and 48 over sixteen weeks. The four-week rule can have CAO exceptions. Young workers, pregnancy, night work and certain professions have separate rules.

Record actual time across the working week

Keep start and finish times, breaks and schedule changes, including work for another employer. Maximum hours in one week do not replace limits averaged over longer periods or required rest. Night work and young workers need additional checks, so a general adult daytime summary is not a universal rota approval.

Check payment separately from permitted hours

A shift can be within working-time limits while its pay is still wrong. Compare normal hours, overtime and premiums with the contract and CAO. For on-call work, keep the original call and cancellation timestamps because they can affect payment even where no work was ultimately performed.

What to do next

  1. Keep your own dated record of starts, finishes, breaks and roster changes.
  2. Check daily and weekly rest as well as the total hours; the general daily rest is 11 consecutive hours, with limited exceptions.
  3. Look up the night-work or sector rules when they apply, and ask for the contractual overtime percentage.
A practical example

A 60-hour week may fit a single-week maximum but still make a longer-period average unlawful. The overtime calculator only calculates pay for entered hours; it does not certify that a roster is legal.

Explore this topic

Questions people ask

Where do I find the shift-premium percentage?

Use the relevant contract, CAO or employer’s shift table for the dates and hours worked. Do not assume every night or weekend has the same rate.

Should I enter all paid hours?

Enter the hours eligible for the specific premium. Split different time bands into separate calculations where rates differ.

What is the difference between extra premium and total pay?

The extra premium is the addition to base wages. Total pay combines the base amount and that addition for the entered hours.

Can overtime and shift premiums always be added together?

Not automatically. The applicable agreement determines whether premiums stack, replace each other or use another calculation.

Does working on a public holiday always earn double pay?

No universal double-pay rule applies to every job. Check the actual contract and CAO provisions.

Sources

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