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Nurse salary in the Netherlands after tax: what verpleegkundigen actually take home in 2026
Dutch nurses are paid according to the CAO Ziekenhuizen (hospital collective agreement) using the FWG (Functiewaardering Gezondheidszorg) scale. The system is complex but nationally negotiated — and the 2025 CAO brought a 3.5% increase that took effect from January 2025.
Dutch nurse pay scale: gross vs net 2026
The FWG scale assigns nurses to grades based on role complexity. Most registered nurses (BIG-registered verpleegkundige niveau 5) fall in FWG 45–50. Specialist nurses (IC/CCU, oncology) often sit at FWG 55. Nurse practitioners (NP, HBO+) at FWG 60–65.
| FWG Scale / Role | Gross/Month (2026) | Net/Month (approx.) |
|---|---|---|
| FWG 40 (verpleegkundige MBO, starting) | €2,510–€2,720 | €1,900–€2,060/mo |
| FWG 45 (HBO verpleegkundige, starting) | €2,780–€3,100 | €2,100–€2,340/mo |
| FWG 45 (mid-scale, ~5 yrs) | €3,200–€3,650 | €2,415–€2,750/mo |
| FWG 55 (IC/specialist nurse) | €3,600–€4,200 | €2,715–€3,165/mo |
| FWG 60 (Nurse Practitioner) | €4,100–€5,000 | €3,085–€3,735/mo |
| FWG 65 (Senior NP / Manager) | €5,000–€6,200 | €3,735–€4,560/mo |
Dutch income tax works via two brackets: 36.97% applies to income in Box 1 up to €75,518/year; 49.5% above that. Most nurses fall entirely within the first bracket. Two tax credits significantly reduce the effective rate: the arbeidskorting (employment credit, up to €5,053) and the algemene heffingskorting (general credit, €3,362 for incomes up to ~€24,000, phasing out above that).
How the Dutch system compares to the UK
A Dutch FWG 45 nurse at mid-scale (€3,200/month gross, €38,400/year) takes home approximately €2,415/month. A UK Band 5 nurse (£32,073/year, £2,673/month gross) takes home approximately £2,154/month.
Converting at mid-2026 rates (€1.17 = £1): the Dutch nurse's €2,415/month converts to approximately £2,063 — slightly below the UK net. However, the Dutch nurse has no separate pension contribution (pension is included within their gross remuneration structure or funded through a mandatory Pensioenfonds sector-wide scheme at low employee cost), and the Netherlands' healthcare system uses a zorgtoeslag (health allowance) of up to €1,890/year for lower-income earners, which partially compensates.
The vacation money: 8% vakantiegeld
All Dutch employees by law receive 8% of annual gross salary as holiday pay (vakantiegeld), typically paid in May. For a nurse on €38,400/year gross, this is €3,072 gross (approximately €2,330 net) in a single month. Monthly take-home figures above don't include this — annual net is 11 × monthly net + one higher month. For budgeting purposes, spreading the vakantiegeld across 12 months adds roughly €175–€200 to the effective monthly figure.
Night and weekend supplements
Dutch hospital nurses working irregular hours receive supplements under the CAO:
- Night work (00:00–06:00): +50% of hourly rate
- Sunday work: +50% of hourly rate
- Saturday afternoon (13:00–18:00): +25%
- Public holiday work: +100%
A nurse working 4–6 nights per month can add €250–€400 gross/month in irregular-hours supplements — approximately €190–€300 net after the 36.97% marginal rate applies.
Frequently asked questions
What is the average nurse salary in the Netherlands in 2026?
The average gross salary for a registered nurse (verpleegkundige HBO, FWG 45) is approximately €3,200–€3,800/month, depending on experience and employer. Net take-home is approximately €2,415–€2,860/month, excluding the 8% vakantiegeld that's paid annually in May.
Do nurses in the Netherlands pay a lot of tax?
At typical nursing salaries, the effective income tax rate is 25–30% — not as high as the headline 36.97% bracket rate, because two significant tax credits (arbeidskorting and algemene heffingskorting) reduce the actual tax paid. A nurse earning €38,400/year gross ends up paying approximately €8,200 in net tax (21.4% effective rate), with the credits bringing the tax burden down substantially from the bracket rate.
Is it worth moving to the Netherlands to work as a nurse from the UK?
From a pure take-home perspective, the Netherlands and UK are broadly comparable for nurses at equivalent career stages. Dutch advantages: lower working hours (maximum 36 hours/week in most hospital contracts), generous night/weekend supplements, strong employment protections, and the zorgtoeslag healthcare allowance. UK advantages: NHS pension scheme (defined benefit, very generous), slightly higher starting salaries in London, and no language barrier. Both countries face acute nursing shortages and actively recruit internationally.