From Wednesday, July 1, a fresh batch of Dutch rules kicks in, and your wallet will feel several: a minimum wage rise, more expensive parcels from outside the EU, and another social housing rent hike.
Every January and July, the Dutch government rolls out new laws and tax tweaks.
This summer’s changes offer a mixed bag, so here’s what may affect your wallet this time round.
Firstly, the minimum wage goes up
The gross minimum wage rises from €14.71 to €14.99 per hour for everyone aged 21 and over, NOS reports.
You could argue it’s not life-changing, but over a full-time month it adds up. And every little helps in this economy.
Pensions and benefits rise too
Because Dutch benefits are tied to the minimum wage, they climb alongside it.
The AOW (the Dutch state pension) for people living alone goes from €1,558.15 to €1,581.55 net per month. Benefits like bijstand (social assistance), WIA and Wajong also rise.
Rents climb again for those of us in social housing
Social housing rents can go up by a maximum of 4.1% from July 1, and your landlord may take advantage of this.
Housing corporations certainly will, according to NOS, they have said they’ll raise rents by 3.6%, bringing the average rent to €666.
If you earn a high income, your increase could be steeper, either €50 or €100 extra depending on what you make.
Note: Social housing involves properties that cost no more than €932.93 in basic rent.
Parcels from outside the EU cost more
Your Temu and Shein habit is about to get pricier. Parcels from outside the EU under €150 used to arrive free of import charges. From July 1, you’ll pay €3 per type of product.
This means if you order two bottles of moisturiser, it’ll cost you an extra €3 in postage, but those moisturisers plus the latest labubu will set you back an extra €6.
Next-day post needs a pricier stamp
Posting a letter is changing too. From July 12, PostNL is allowed two days to deliver domestic mail. Want it there the next day? A standard stamp won’t cut it.
You’ll need a so-called priozegel (priority stamp), which costs €3.95.
A home charging point could land you on a waiting list
While this change may not cost you directly, it could throw a spanner in your plans to cut costs.
In parts of the country, the electricity grid is full. Until now, only large businesses faced waiting lists for power connections.
From July 1, however, households and small businesses can land on those lists too.
For example, if you apply for a higher-capacity connection to install a home charging point or heat pump.
In Noord-Brabant and much of Utrecht province, it’s already clear that new requests will be put on hold.
Which of these stings the most for you? Tell us in the comments.
