Calculation & Editorial Methodology

How calculations are produced

The salary calculator uses the 2026 rates and tax-credit parameters published by the Dutch Tax Administration. It estimates Box 1 payroll tax, national-insurance contributions, tax credits, the approved 30% ruling, and holiday-pay withholding.

Published salary examples are generated through the same calculation functions used by the interactive calculator. Automated regression tests check representative salaries, threshold behavior, package conversions, and published examples.

The Box 3 calculator follows the Belastingdienst’s provisional 2026 notional-return method. It is separate from the salary calculator and does not replace the actual-return calculation in an income-tax return.

Salary bands and housing leftovers

Salary-band labels (tight / typical / comfortable / high) are planning ranges for full-time packages including 8% holiday allowance. They are not official CBS income classes.

City housing figures used in the affordability module and related pages are illustrative planning inputs for a single adult. They are not city averages, live listings, or a full cost-of-living budget. We check their relative order and broad range against the Pararius Q2 2026 unregulated-sector report, but that report measures new-tenant rent per square metre. Replace our default with an actual listing before making a housing decision. Default rents and leftover labels live in the shared affordability configuration and should be refreshed when market notes are updated.

What the calculators do not include

Employer pension contributions, company-car additions, sector-specific deductions, unpaid leave, foreign tax relief, personal deductions, and other employer-specific payroll items can change the actual result. Affordability leftovers subtract housing only.

Editorial process

Volatile figures are checked against primary sources such as the Belastingdienst and Rijksoverheid. Tax guides display a last-verified date and link to their principal sources. We use practitioner and expat publications to understand common questions, not as the final authority for tax rates.

The editorial team does not claim professional tax-adviser status. Content and calculators are educational estimates. For personal decisions, use your payslip, assessment, employer payroll team, the Belastingdienst, or a qualified adviser.

Main sources

• Belastingdienst: income-tax rates and credits
• Belastingdienst: 30% facility
• Belastingdienst: 2026 Box 3 provisional assessment
• Rijksoverheid: holiday allowance

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