From 31 December 2026: employment contracts with an hourly rate below €38
The legal presumption of an employment contract for an hourly rate below €38 will come into force on 31 December 2026. What does this mean for you as a client or company?
The introduction of the legal presumption does not mean that every contractor working at an hourly rate below €38 is automatically employed by the company. It does, however, mean that the presumption of an employment relationship is accepted. The contractor may rely on this presumption, but the company has the option to demonstrate that no employment contract exists.
If the company fails to prove this, the contractor is entitled to all the protection afforded by employment law. This includes continued payment during holidays and sick leave, and protection against dismissal
The contractor may rely on the legal presumption, but it has effect only under civil law. This means that the UWV, the Tax and Customs Administration and the Labour Inspectorate will not assess this legal presumption. They will continue to carry out their own investigations based on the elements of work, pay and a relationship of authority.
The legal presumption will come into force immediately on 31 December 2026. Do you have a contractor who is already carrying out work for you before 31 December 2026 at an hourly rate of less than €38? And will that contractor still be doing so from 31 December 2026 onwards? If so, from 31 December 2026 there will be a presumption that this contractor is employed by you.
The legal presumption of an employment contract for an hourly rate below €38 will come into force on 31 December 2026. What does this mean for you as a client or company?
Het rechtsvermoeden van een arbeidsovereenkomst bij een uurtarief onder € 38 treedt op 31 december 2026 in werking. Wat betekent dit voor jou als opdrachtgever of opdrachtnemer?
De Eerste Kamer heeft op 16 juni 2026 ingestemd met het wetsvoorstel Verduidelijking beoordeling arbeidsrelaties en rechtsvermoeden (Vbar). Dit betekent dat vanaf een nog nader te bepalen datum bij werkzaamheden tegen een uurtarief onder € 38 een rechtsvermoeden bestaat voor de aanwezigheid van een arbeidsovereenkomst.
Minister Thierry Aartsen van Werk en Participatie heeft de Tweede Kamer op 9 april 2026 geïnformeerd over een “zzp-koers van meer rust en duidelijkheid”. Wat betekent dat?