Prinsjesdag 2026 decoded: what the 2027 Dutch budget means for your taxes, health insurance and benefits

Every year on the third Tuesday of September, the Dutch King rides in a carriage through The Hague to read out the government's plans for the coming year. This is Prinsjesdag (Prince's Day). On the same day the finance minister hands parliament the budget, known as the Miljoenennota, together with a package of tax bills.

In 2026 that day was 15 September. Within hours, English-language media for internationals were running headlines about higher taxes, cheaper long-haul flights and changes to allowances. Read side by side, though, the numbers do not always match. And much of what was announced is still a proposal that parliament can change.

This guide starts from The Hague International Centre's explainer, Prinsjesdag unpacked: what it means for internationals, and checks it against reporting from IamExpat, NL Times, DutchReview, Expatica and ACCESS, and against primary sources: the central government (Rijksoverheid), the benefits agency (Dienst Toeslagen) and the CPB, the Netherlands Bureau for Economic Policy Analysis. We leave the politics aside and focus on what changes for people living here, sorted into four groups: confirmed, proposed, postponed and scrapped.

Main sources for this guide

• The Hague International Centre, "Prinsjesdag - Budget Day plans for 2027" (16 September 2026)
• Rijksoverheid news releases on the Belastingplan 2027 and on healthcare (15 September 2026)
• Dienst Toeslagen, "Vermogensgrens gaat omlaag en partnerbegrip wordt eenvoudiger" (7 October 2026)
• CPB, "September projection 2026 (MEV 2027)"

1. How Prinsjesdag and the budget work

Before getting into the numbers, it helps to know what is published in September and how it becomes law. That alone takes the edge off many alarming headlines.

On Prinsjesdag, the King reads the Troonrede (Speech from the Throne), and the budget and tax bills are published at the same time. As ACCESS explains, the speech is normally held in the Ridderzaal, but takes place in the nearby Koninklijke Schouwburg theatre while the parliament buildings are renovated. An English version of the 2026 speech is on Government.nl.

Only the bills that parliament passes have legal force. Figures from speeches and press releases are best read as the government's proposal.

From proposal to law

The government's own release states that the plans become final only after both chambers agree. The House can amend the tax bill; the Senate cannot amend, but can pass or reject it as a whole. You can follow its progress on the Senate's page for bill 37022.

The timeline shows why the next three months matter: parliament is still debating while practical deadlines — insurance premiums, allowance letters — arrive regardless of the vote.

The Hague International Centre and NL Times both stress that the coalition holds a majority in neither chamber. In a year like this, numbers are more likely to move during negotiations than when a government can rely on its own votes.

2. The big picture: confirmed, proposed, postponed, scrapped

Coverage of the budget tends to mix four kinds of items. Separating them is the single most useful thing you can do when reading the news.

Confirmed means already set in law or by government decision. Proposed means new in the 2027 budget and still under debate. Postponed means planned before but delayed. Scrapped means planned before but dropped.

Here is the same picture as a table, with timing and legal basis.

Anything marked "proposed" can still change before the Senate vote. The two "confirmed" items will apply whatever happens in the budget debate.

3. Income tax (Box 1): up or down?

No topic produced more contradictory headlines than income tax on wages. Some outlets wrote that rates were coming down; others that they were going up.

Why "0.06 points lower" and "higher rates" are both true

The government release lists, as part of its purchasing power package, a 0.06 percentage point cut to the first and second bracket rates. The Hague International Centre and IamExpat reported this cut.

NL Times, meanwhile, reported the first bracket rising from 35.75% to 36.23% and the second from 37.56% to 38.16%. These are the combined result of the 0.06-point cut and increases that had already been scheduled, partly to fund compensation for health insurance premiums. IamExpat notes that the cut is offset by those scheduled increases.

In 2026 the first bracket runs to €38,883 and the second to €78,426 (Rijksoverheid). For 2027 the bill puts the first bracket limit at €39,247, while NL Times rounds it to about €39,200. The top rate threshold is reported to stay frozen at €78,426, without the usual inflation adjustment.

The labour tax credit goes up

What offsets the higher rates for working people is the arbeidskorting (labour tax credit), which reduces the tax you pay on earned income. The government raises it by €173. Trade press reports the maximum rising from €5,685 to €5,929.

The last two rows look like competing figures but measure different things. The €750 million is the effect of freezing the top bracket on higher earners; the €5.8 billion adds up the extra burden on everyone in work. They cannot be compared to decide which is "right".

What this means at different incomes

IamExpat estimates that internationals earning more than €80,000 gross can expect purchasing power to fall by about 0.2%. That is an average. Your own result depends on your pay rise, household and whether you use the expat ruling. The first payslip of January is the most reliable check.

4. The 30% ruling: the cut to 27% is already law

For many people who came to the Netherlands for work, the most important tax item is the 30% ruling, officially the expatregeling. It lets qualifying skilled migrants receive part of their salary as a tax-free allowance.

Decided in 2024, not in this budget

The Hague International Centre presents the drop to 27% from 1 January 2027 as part of the previous budget's plans. The government's business portal Ondernemersplein confirms that it was enacted through the Belastingplan 2025 (Staatsblad 2024, 434). In other words, it is law, and the current budget debate does not decide it.

The phased reduction once proposed (30% → 20% → 10%) will not happen, as The Hague International Centre also points out.

Three groups, depending on when your ruling started

Rijksoverheid's page on the scheme sets out the rules by start date.

You can check which row applies from the date on the Belastingdienst decision granting your ruling. If your employer applied on your behalf, ask HR for a copy.

Salary thresholds and the cap

The 2027 thresholds are indexed, so the actual figures will be higher than those in the table. The Belastingdienst publishes them around the turn of the year.

Sources disagree on the under-30 threshold: Ondernemersplein says €38,388, while IamExpat and the payroll journal Salaris Vanmorgen say €38,338. We use the government figure here. If your salary is close to the line, wait for the indexed amount.

The threshold applies after the allowance

IamExpat makes an important point: the threshold applies to your taxable salary after deducting the tax-free allowance. A gross salary just above the threshold may not let you use the full 27%. Your employer's payroll provider can tell you how much room you have.

Watch out for outdated calculators

Expatica's salary and tax calculator page says the rate will be 27% from 2027, but still describes a "30/20/10" step-down for new applicants (checked 21 October 2026). That does not match the current rules. Before relying on any online calculator, check that its assumptions are up to date.

5. Health insurance: €400 deductible, premiums around €169

Everyone registered as living in the Netherlands must take out basic health insurance (basisverzekering). This is where the 2027 budget most directly touches every household.

The deductible rises from €385 to €400

The eigen risico is the amount you pay yourself each year before insurance covers most care; GP visits are exempt. The health ministry plans to raise it from €385 to €400 in 2027, in line with inflation.

Earlier in 2026 the government had planned an extra €60 on top. The explanatory memorandum to that bill, in June, assumed €395 plus €60, or €455. In the budget, that extra step was postponed to 2028, as IamExpat and The Hague International Centre both report.

For 2027, the increase is limited to €15. But the postponed €60 is likely to come back in the 2028 discussion, so two increases in a row are possible.

Premiums and the healthcare allowance

The 2026 premium in the table is worked back from the ministry's 2027 estimate and increase. Premiums are set by insurers, not the state, and are published by 12 November.

Here too, figures differ slightly. The government says +€12.50 a month; The Hague International Centre and IamExpat say "about €12"; NL Times also cites a figure of about €171.50 a month. The ministry's number is an estimate. Your actual premium is whatever your insurer announces.

Review your policy before 31 December

You can switch basic insurance every year until 31 December. Once premiums are out, consider whether a voluntary higher deductible (vrijwillig eigen risico) makes sense for you, and whether you still need your supplementary cover (aanvullende verzekering). A higher voluntary deductible lowers your premium, but costs more in a year with a lot of care. People with chronic conditions or a baby on the way should compare carefully.

6. Allowances (toeslagen): what the budget changes

The Netherlands pays income-related toeslagen (allowances) towards health insurance, rent, childcare and the cost of children. For how the system works and how to apply, see our guide to Dutch allowances (toeslagen). Here we stick to what changes in 2027.

Asset limits fall sharply

The largest change is a lower asset limit for the healthcare allowance and the kindgebonden budget (child-related budget). Dienst Toeslagen, the benefits agency, says the limits drop by roughly €27,000.

"Couple" here means you have a benefits partner (toeslagpartner). Assets are measured on 1 January. Specialist sites report that a later drop in savings does not restore eligibility for the rest of the year. Savings and investments abroad count too, as they did before.

Dienst Toeslagen will write to people expected to exceed the new limit at the end of November, and asks everyone to update their asset estimate in Mijn toeslagen, preferably by 8 December 2026. Specialist sites estimate that 40,000 to 50,000 households could lose their allowance entirely.

Other allowance changes

The partner rule change matters for blended families and for people who move in with someone who has children. Dienst Toeslagen says it often leads to a higher allowance.

7. Minimum wage and work

Changes reach salaried workers, students and partners with side jobs, and the self-employed in different ways.

Adult minimum wage

The Dutch minimum wage is set per hour and indexed twice a year, on 1 January and 1 July. According to Rijksoverheid, it was €14.71 an hour for workers aged 21 and over from January 2026 and €14.99 from July. The January 2027 figure had not been published when we checked.

Higher youth minimum wages (already decided)

In April 2026 the government announced that youth minimum wages will rise from 1 January 2027, as a share of the adult rate.

Families with teenagers working in supermarkets or cafés will notice this. Euro amounts follow once the adult rate for January 2027 is set.

Part-time minimum wage earners may net slightly less

NL Times reported a calculation by payroll provider Youforce: people on the minimum wage working 24 to 32 hours a week could take home €5.16 to €11.83 less per month, while a 40-hour worker would gain €17.17. The cause is the adjustment of tax credits.

That calculation excludes the January indexation of the minimum wage. If gross pay rises with indexation, net pay may still go up. Treat it as an indication, not a verdict.

Commuting, perks and the self-employed

Three sources describe the starter's deduction in three ways. The Hague International Centre says it is "scrapped completely"; NL Times says it drops from €2,123 to €10 in 2027 and disappears the year after; the government release says it ends in 2028. Read together: almost nothing left in 2027, gone in 2028.

8. Housing: rent, buying and supply

Housing is one of the budget's main themes, but little in it changes rent for tenants right away.

Rent

The maximum rent increase for July 2027 is normally announced early in the year and is not in the budget. Rent allowance amounts for 2027 are expected at the end of November.

Buying and investing

The lower rate for non-owner-occupiers matters if you are buying a home you will not live in yourself. The higher price cap for first-time buyers comes from NL Times; we could not find it in the government's release. If you are buying, confirm with a notary or tax adviser before signing.

New supply

Rijksoverheid's housing page lists €7 billion to speed up construction, €500 million for private investors in rental housing and €635 million for care homes for older people. The Hague International Centre adds that exempting housing corporations from EU anti-tax-avoidance rules frees up €6 billion in loans for social housing. These are medium-term measures; they will not change rents or availability in 2027.

9. Savings, pensions and everyday costs

Box 3 is postponed

The new system for taxing savings and investments (Box 3) is on hold in the Senate until spring 2027, after disagreement about taxing unrealised versus realised gains (The Hague International Centre, IamExpat). The current system is expected to continue in 2027.

Reports differ on the 2027 tax-free allowance. NL Times gives about €61,000 for a single person and €122,000 for partners; some Dutch personal finance sites give €60,098, and others report proposals for a much larger cut. Wait for the Belastingdienst's figures before planning around a specific amount.

Pensions and benefits

The faster rise in the state pension (AOW) age has been scrapped, as has the cut to the daily cap on maternity and disability benefits — the "maternity penalty", in The Hague International Centre's words. Cutting the maximum duration of unemployment benefit (WW) from two years to one is delayed to 2029, and scrapping compensation for employers' transition payments to 1 January 2028.

Consumption, energy and travel

If you fly home often on long-haul routes, the lower flight tax helps. On flowers, IamExpat lists the VAT increase without a date, while the government release puts it in 2028.

Students and researchers

Cuts to recruiting international talent have been reversed, and €80 million a year is set aside to help researchers win European funding. The basic grant for students living away from home rises by €50 a month from 2028. The Hague International Centre calls this group "non-resident students", while IamExpat says "students living away from home". The Dutch term uitwonend means living away from your parents, so it is not a measure for students living outside the Netherlands.

10. The household view: what the CPB expects

What do all these measures add up to? The independent CPB answered that in its September projection.

CPB says the budget measures improved its August draft (−0.3%) by 0.2 points. Lower inflation than in the draft is mainly due to extending the diesel excise cut.

A −0.1% change is close to flat. But it is an average: everyone pays more for health insurance, while the lower asset limits hit a smaller group hard. Rijksoverheid's purchasing power page expects the number of people in poverty to stay the same and child poverty to fall by 0.1%.

11. Where the sources disagree

Here are the discrepancies we found, in one place. Most are not errors but differences in what is being measured or when.

Summaries are useful, but opening the relevant official page once is more reliable than rereading several summaries. The sources list at the end has the pages we used.

12. Who is affected how

The same measure lands differently depending on your situation. This table maps the main changes to common profiles of people who move to the Netherlands.

For people with family abroad, one practical point: savings held in another country count towards Dutch allowance asset limits. If relatives back home manage an account for you, you may need their help gathering statements.

13. Three example households (fictional)

To make this concrete, here are three fictional households. They are composites, not real people.

Case A: a skilled migrant who arrived in 2025 (single, 30s)

Her ruling started in 2025, so from January 2027 she gets at most 27%, with the new, higher threshold. Her taxable salary after the allowance is close to the line, so she asks HR whether she can still use the full 27%. She rarely sees a doctor and considers a higher voluntary deductible.

Case B: a dual-income family with two children

Both parents work and the children go to daycare two days a week. The childcare allowance rises less than planned, but the government's own example for a similar family shows about €700 more a year. Their joint savings are just above €158,748, so they expect to lose the healthcare allowance and child-related budget in 2027 and update their estimates before 8 December.

Case C: a partner working part-time

He works 24 hours a week close to the minimum wage. Youforce's calculation suggests a few euros less net per month, but the January indexation may cancel that out. He will check his first payslip.

14. What to do before the end of the year

You do not have to wait for the final vote to prepare. In order:

1. After 12 November: check your insurer's 2027 premium, compare it with others, and switch by 31 December if it makes sense
2. During November: ask HR or payroll how your 30% ruling will be applied in 2027 (27% or 30%, and which threshold)
3. End of November: read any letter from Dienst Toeslagen. If none arrives but your assets are near the new limit, check yourself
4. By 8 December (recommended): update your 2027 income and asset estimates in Mijn toeslagen
5. December: follow news of the Senate vote and note anything that changed from the proposal
6. First payday in January: check tax, credits and any expat allowance on your payslip

For step-by-step help with allowances, see our toeslagen guide.

15. Mistakes to avoid

With allowances in particular, receiving too much leads to a repayment demand later. A lower asset limit is a classic way to lose eligibility without noticing.

16. Summary

• Most of the 2027 budget is still a proposal; it becomes final if the Senate passes it in December
• The 30% ruling's cut to 27% on 1 January 2027 is already law, with three groups depending on your start date
• Income tax includes a 0.06-point cut but rates rise overall; a higher labour tax credit offsets part of it
• Health insurance: €400 deductible and premiums around €169 a month expected; the extra €60 is postponed to 2028
• Allowances: asset limits fall by about €27,000; watch for letters in late November and update by 8 December
• Youth minimum wages for ages 16–20 rise from 1 January 2027 (already decided)
• When sources disagree, check what is being measured and when, then confirm with the official page

Sources

Media for internationals

• Prinsjesdag - Budget Day plans for 2027 — The Hague International Centre: measures relevant to internationals; postponed and scrapped items (starting point)
• Prinsjesdag 2026: What's proposed, postponed & scrapped in new budget — IamExpat: purchasing power, deductible, VAT
• 30% ruling changes in 2027: what employers and expats should know — IamExpat: rules by start date, threshold test
• Two dozen ways the 2027 budget could impact Dutch household wallets — NL Times: tax rates, transfer tax, premiums
• Part-time workers on minimum wage will have take home pay reduced — NL Times: Youforce net pay calculation
• Full text of King Willem-Alexander's Prinsjesdag 2026 speech in English — NL Times: speech text
• These are the Dutch budget changes coming in 2027 — DutchReview: healthcare allowance, childcare, housing
• What is Prinsjesdag? — ACCESS: the day and its venue
• Netherlands Income Tax/Salary Calculator — Expatica: example of outdated 30% ruling assumptions

Government, agencies and statistics

• Belastingplan 2027 — Rijksoverheid: main tax proposals, when they become final
• Kabinet zet in op gezondheid — Rijksoverheid: deductible, premium, healthcare allowance
• Prinsjesdag: Zorg — Rijksoverheid: healthcare figures
• Prinsjesdag: Koopkracht — Rijksoverheid: purchasing power, childcare example, energy fund
• Prinsjesdag: Wonen — Rijksoverheid: housing budget
• Prinsjesdag — Rijksoverheid: overview of themes
• Soorten inkomstenbelasting — Rijksoverheid: 2026 rates and brackets
• Expatregeling — Rijksoverheid: 30% ruling by start date
• Vergoeding 30%-regeling expats wordt 27% — Ondernemersplein: enacted law and thresholds
• Bedragen minimumloon 2026 — Rijksoverheid: 2026 minimum wage
• Hoger minimumjeugdloon vanaf 2027 — Rijksoverheid: youth minimum wage shares
• Vermogensgrens gaat omlaag — Dienst Toeslagen: asset limits, partner rule, deadlines
• Belastingplan 2027 — Belastingdienst: tax authority notice
• September projection 2026 (MEV 2027) — CPB: purchasing power, inflation, unemployment
• Miljoenennota 2027 — Rijksfinanciën: the budget documents
• 37022 Belastingplan 2027 — Eerste Kamer: Senate progress
• Speech from the Throne 2026 — Government.nl: official English version
• Prinsjesdag — Business.gov.nl: changes for entrepreneurs

Specialist press

• Prinsjesdag 2026: Toeslagen onder druk — FiscAlert: child budget and child benefit changes

All pages were checked on 21 October 2026. The budget may still change before the Senate vote in December, and final premiums, allowance amounts and the January minimum wage are published between November and January. Check the official sites before acting.

Original article

Prinsjesdag unpacked: what it means for internationals — The Hague International Centre