Dismissed in the Netherlands? UWV, court, settlements and the 2-month deadline

It usually starts with a meeting invitation that has no agenda. Your manager and someone from HR explain that your role is "no longer needed", slide a document across the table and ask you to sign it within a week. The document is called a vaststellingsovereenkomst, and you have never seen the word before.

Dutch dismissal law protects employees in a way that surprises many people who have worked elsewhere. Most dismissals need permission before they happen, from either the UWV (the Employee Insurance Agency) or a subdistrict court judge (kantonrechter). Many contracts end through a negotiated agreement instead, and that agreement can decide whether you get unemployment benefit. And if you want to fight a dismissal, the clock is short: two months.

This guide starts from DutchReview's "Unfair dismissal in the Netherlands: What you need to know [2026 guide]", published on 20 October 2026 and written by an employment lawyer at GMW lawyers as sponsored content. Because it comes from a law firm, each point was checked against Book 7 of the Dutch Civil Code (Burgerlijk Wetboek), the government, the UWV, the IND (immigration service) and Juridisch Loket (free legal advice), and compared with seven other expat outlets. All figures were checked on 24 October 2026. This is general information, not legal advice for your situation.

Main sources for this guide

• DutchReview, "Unfair dismissal in the Netherlands: What you need to know [2026 guide]" (20 October 2026, sponsored by GMW lawyers)
• Dutch Civil Code Book 7, Title 10, Section 9 on ending employment (version in force from 8 October 2026)
• UWV pages on dismissal procedures, WW eligibility and the 2026 maximum daily wage
• IND page on the highly skilled migrant permit, including the 22 May 2026 change to the search period

The rest of the guide takes these one at a time, with the legal source next to each figure.

1. What changed in 2026

The basic structure of Dutch dismissal law dates from the Work and Security Act (WWZ) of 2015 and the Balanced Labour Market Act (WAB) of 2020. In 2026, the changes were in the amounts and in immigration rules rather than in the procedures themselves.

The six-month search period is the change that matters most for international workers. It comes from the Netherlands implementing the revised EU Single Permit Directive (2024/1233), which the IND announced in its business newsletter of 28 May 2026.

In February 2026, NL Times reported that companies were speeding up layoffs, and that the UWV had received 355 reorganisation notifications the previous year, the most in a decade (NL Times). In July, the same outlet reported a rise in disputes over sick leave (NL Times). These are press figures; the underlying UWV statistics were not checked for this guide.

2. Four ways an employer can end your contract

Before you look at any document, work out which route your employer is taking. Each one comes with its own rules on permission, money, benefits and deadlines, and the paperwork often does not say which route it is.

The table below sets the same routes side by side. The last two columns are the ones people most often get wrong.

Two documents that both "end your job" can leave you in very different positions.

Fixed-term contracts and probation

A fixed-term contract that simply runs out is not a dismissal and needs no permission. If the employer decides not to renew, you are still entitled to the transition payment (7:673(1)(a)(3°)). Ending a fixed-term contract early is only possible during probation, if the contract allows it, by agreement, or through the court (UWV). During probation either side can end the contract at any time. Our guide to Dutch employment contracts covers probation and fixed-term rules in detail.

When dismissal is prohibited

Even with a valid reason, there are periods when an employer cannot give notice. The main ones are illness and pregnancy (7:670).

The exception in the first row catches people out. Illness that begins after the UWV has received a dismissal application does not stop the dismissal (7:670(1)(b)), and the same applies after a court has received a dissolution request (7:671b(7)).

3. The nine legal grounds (a to i)

An employer may only end a contract if there is a "reasonable ground" and it is not possible, or not reasonable, to move you to another suitable job within the company, with training if needed (7:669(1)). The grounds are listed in paragraph 3 of the same article.

The split between the UWV and the court is set by 7:671a and 7:671b. The DutchReview article describes ground b as 104 weeks of illness with no recovery expected within six months, which matches the "two years" and "26 weeks" in the law.

The redeployment test

For every ground, the employer must look at redeployment first, including jobs you could do after training. The exception is ground e: where you are at fault, redeployment is considered unreasonable. For business-economic dismissals, the order of who goes is also regulated. Within each group of interchangeable jobs, the employer selects by age group, starting with the shortest service (afspiegelingsbeginsel, the reflection principle). Expatica summarises this as close to "last in, first out". If you were selected, ask which job category and age group you were compared with.

Ground i and the extra payment

The combination ground was added by the WAB in 2020. Before that, an employer had to prove one ground completely. Now the court can dissolve a contract when several grounds are each not quite enough, but together make continuation unreasonable. In return, the court can award an extra payment of up to half the transition payment on top of the normal amount (7:671b(8)). This is what DutchReview calls the "cumulation ground".

Performance problems and improvement plans

Ground d requires the employer to have told you about the problem in time and given you a real chance to improve. If the problem comes from a lack of training or poor working conditions provided by the employer, the ground fails (7:669(3)(d)). In practice this means a performance improvement plan (PIP), for which the law sets no fixed length. Check that the goals are measurable and keep your own notes of every review.

4. The UWV route

Dismissal for business-economic reasons (ground a) or long-term illness (ground b) requires a dismissal permit (ontslagvergunning) from the UWV. From the employee's side, the process looks like this.

The timings come from the UWV's own explanation; a second round pushes the total to around seven weeks. The UWV continues even if you do not respond, so never ignore the copy of the application.

When a permit is granted, the employer's statutory notice period (one month under five years of service, rising to four months at 15 years) is shortened by the time the UWV procedure took, counted from the complete application to the decision. At least one month must remain (7:672(6)). The longer you have worked there, the more of your notice the procedure eats up.

You cannot object to the UWV decision itself, but you can ask the court to restore the contract or award fair compensation if the legal grounds are not met (7:682(1)). The deadline is two months after the contract ends. If the UWV refuses the permit, the employer can go to court within two months instead (7:671b(1)(b) and 7:686a(4)(d)).

5. The court route

For grounds c to i, the employer asks the kantonrechter to dissolve (ontbinden) the contract. The process starts with a written request (verzoekschrift), and the hearing must begin no later than the fourth week after the week the request was filed (7:686a(5)). You can file a written defence and speak at the hearing.

The first row is the one DutchReview stresses most: the employer carries the burden of proof. Your job is to collect material that contradicts the employer's story, such as review records, emails and the history of any improvement plan.

Court proceedings involve a court fee (griffierecht) that depends on the claim and your income, with a reduced rate for people on low incomes; current amounts are on Rechtspraak.nl. You do not need a lawyer at the subdistrict court, but proceedings are in Dutch. Juridisch Loket, your union and legal expenses insurance (rechtsbijstandverzekering) are the usual first stops.

6. Settlement agreements

In practice, many Dutch contracts end without the UWV or a judge, through a settlement agreement (vaststellingsovereenkomst or beëindigingsovereenkomst). It saves the employer time and uncertainty, which is why employers often offer more than the legal minimum.

The 14-day cooling-off period

A termination agreement is only valid in writing (7:670b(1)). You can dissolve it within 14 days of the agreement, in writing and without giving a reason. If the agreement does not mention this right, the period becomes three weeks. The right cannot be excluded by contract, but it only works once: a second agreement signed within six months of using it has no cooling-off period.

A related route is notice with your written consent (instemming). Here too you can withdraw within 14 days, extended to three weeks if the employer does not point out this right in writing within two working days (7:671(2)–(3)).

Wording that protects your benefit

The UWV says you can usually get WW after a settlement, as long as the agreement states that the employer proposed the termination and that you did nothing wrong (UWV). It also matters when the contract ends: if the agreed end date ignores the statutory notice period, the UWV applies a "fictitious notice period" and your WW starts later.

The first three rows decide your WW. The rest are negotiable. IamExpat notes that settlements often exceed the transition payment, and recommends checking holiday pay, bonuses, the non-compete and legal fees (IamExpat).

How to judge an offer

Compare the offer with what you would get if the employer took the formal route and won: the transition payment plus pay for the notice period. Then weigh how strong the employer's ground really is. A law-firm partner article on DutchNews gives the same advice. If you reject the offer, the employer can still start the formal procedure.

7. Summary dismissal

Summary dismissal (ontslag op staande voet) ends the contract on the spot, with no notice and no permission. The law allows it only for an urgent reason, given immediately, with the reason communicated immediately (7:677(1)).

DutchReview lists the same three requirements. Article 7:678 gives examples of urgent reasons, including false certificates when hired, theft or fraud, drunkenness after a warning, and violence or threats. The government's own examples include theft, fraud and refusing work without good reason (Rijksoverheid).

The consequences are heavy. Pay stops that day, the transition payment is usually not due and WW is usually refused. If you caused the urgent reason on purpose or through your own fault, you may even owe the employer compensation equal to pay for the notice period (7:677(2)–(3)).

If you disagree, object in writing straight away and say you are available to work. Juridisch Loket warns that you can lose your right to WW if you do not object (Juridisch Loket). You then have two months from the end of the contract to ask the court to annul the dismissal or award compensation (7:681 and 7:686a(4)(a)).

8. Transition payment and fair compensation

Two types of money come up in dismissals, and they work very differently. The transition payment (transitievergoeding) is a statutory amount based on a formula. Fair compensation (billijke vergoeding) is awarded by a judge when the employer has behaved badly.

The transition payment formula

The transition payment is due when the employer ends the contract, from the first day of employment. It is one third of the monthly salary per year of service, with a proportional amount for shorter periods (7:673(2)). The 2026 cap is €102,000, or one year's salary if you earn more than that. The "monthly salary" includes holiday allowance and other fixed elements such as a guaranteed year-end bonus; the government's calculator asks for these (Rijksoverheid).

The amount grows in a straight line. For extra months, add 1/36 of the monthly salary per month. With €5,400 a month and three years and four months of service, that is €5,400 for the three years plus €600 for the four months (€5,400 × 4/36): €6,000 in total.

When there is no transition payment

For settlements, the third row is key: if the amount is not in the agreement, you do not get it. IamExpat notes that the payment is taxed as income. Late payment carries statutory interest from one month after the contract ends (7:686a(1)), and a claim must reach the court within three months of the end date (7:686a(4)(b)).

Fair compensation

Fair compensation is a separate amount the court can award when the employer is guilty of "seriously culpable acts or omissions" (7:681, 7:682). Juridisch Loket gives discrimination and dismissal during a prohibition period as examples.

The law sets no formula. In the New Hairstyle ruling of 30 June 2017 (ECLI:NL:HR:2017:1187), the Supreme Court said judges should weigh factors such as the income you would have earned, whether you found other work and how serious the employer's conduct was. In that same case, the amount eventually confirmed was €4,000 gross. Fair compensation is not an automatic jackpot, and DutchReview's article does not put a figure on it either. If a lawyer suggests a large claim, ask to see comparable rulings.

9. The deadlines that matter

Dutch dismissal deadlines are expiry periods (vervaltermijnen). Unlike limitation periods, they cannot be paused or extended. Miss one and the right is gone.

Everything counts from the end of the contract except the cooling-off period.

DutchReview's "two months from the dismissal" matches the law. The three-month deadline for the transition payment is not in the article. In practice, start getting advice within the first month, because collecting documents and finding a lawyer takes longer than people expect.

10. Unemployment benefit (WW)

WW is an insurance benefit paid by the UWV and funded by premiums. Nationality does not matter: if you were employed and insured in the Netherlands, you may qualify.

Sources: UWV eligibility, UWV duration, UWV amount, maximum daily wage and the government's duration page. The WW monthly wage is the daily wage times 21.75, so the ceiling is €6,740.54 a month. That puts the maximum benefit at roughly €5,055 gross a month for the first two months and €4,718 after that.

Why newcomers often get three months

The "4 out of 5 years" condition is the one that hits people who moved recently. If you arrived two or three years ago, you may meet the weeks condition but not the years condition, which leaves you with three months of benefit. Whether work abroad counts towards your work history is something to check with the UWV for your own case.

After only a few years in the country, plan for three months.

How each route affects WW

WW starts after the statutory notice period (UWV). Juridisch Loket advises that you can apply from one week before your last working day and should apply within one week of becoming unemployed (Juridisch Loket). Late applications can lead to a temporarily lower benefit, so set up your account on werk.nl as soon as the end date is fixed.

11. If your residence permit depends on your job

For many international residents, the bigger worry is not money but the right to stay. A highly skilled migrant permit (kennismigrant) is tied to working for an IND-recognised sponsor. Losing that job does not end your permit overnight: the IND gives a search period (zoekperiode) that starts on the day the contract ends (IND).

The IND states that if you became unemployed before 22 May 2026, the maximum stays at three months even if you have held the permit for two years or more. If no new employer has registered you by the end of the search period, the IND can revoke the permit. For EU Blue Card holders the media disagree: ACCESS says up to six months, IamExpat says six months after two years. Check the IND page for your permit type.

The next job has to qualify too

The new job must normally be with a recognised sponsor and meet the salary threshold. For 2026 the IND requires a gross monthly salary of €5,942 at age 30 or older, €4,357 under 30, and €3,122 under the reduced criterion for recent graduates, all excluding holiday allowance (IND). The IND publishes a public register of recognised sponsors, which is worth filtering before you apply anywhere.

The 30% ruling has its own three months

If you use the 30% ruling (expatregeling), there is a second three-month window. The Belastingdienst (tax authority) says you can keep the ruling with a new employer outside your group if you start working there within three months of your last working day, and apply within four months of starting (Belastingdienst).

The trap is the starting point. If your old employer puts you on garden leave (non-actiefstelling), the 30% window starts on the first day of garden leave. The IND search period, by contrast, starts on the day the contract ends. A settlement with three months of garden leave followed by the end date can therefore look generous for your permit, while using up most of your 30% window before you have even left.

Put all three clocks on one calendar before you agree an end date or a garden leave period.

Does claiming WW affect your permit?

The Hague International Centre warns that claiming benefits can affect your right to stay. The IND's concern is mainly "public funds": municipal social assistance (bijstand) under the Participation Act (IND). WW is premium-funded insurance, and the IND even counts it as income for some permits. Rules still differ by permit (the orientation year permit bars public funds), so check yours first.

12. Where expat guides disagree

Dismissal is a topic where law-firm content dominates and old articles rank well. Comparing the guides used for this article with the current law shows that most differences come down to dates.

Check the update date, and whether the article predates the 2020 WAB. Claims that employers "almost always" pay legal fees describe negotiation, not law.

13. Three example situations

These are fictional examples, not real people or companies. Amounts use the 2026 rules.

Case 1: department closure, settlement on the table

She earns €5,400 a month including holiday allowance. The employer offers €6,000, matching the transition payment, plus two months of garden leave. Having held her permit for three years, she has up to six months to search, but the garden leave starts her 30% clock early. She should negotiate shorter garden leave or extra money instead, and check the three WW clauses.

Case 2: performance, fixed-term contract

Without an early termination clause, the employer cannot end the contract early alone, and ground d needs a warning and a real chance to improve. Pay for the rest of the term is a reasonable starting point for negotiation.

Case 3: summary dismissal over expenses

Permanent residence removes the permit risk, but WW and the transition payment (about three months' salary after nine years) are at stake. He should object in writing the same day, say he is available for work, and collect evidence of unclear expense rules.

14. What to do in the first week

1. Do not sign anything in the meeting. Ask for a copy and say you will respond after taking advice.
2. Email HR a summary of the meeting the same day. "As discussed today, you told me that…"
3. Identify the route. UWV application, court request, settlement or summary dismissal.
4. Write the deadlines in your calendar. 14 days, two months, three months, and your search period.
5. If you use the 30% ruling, add its three-month clock and note whether garden leave starts it early.
6. Save your contract, payslips, reviews and key emails about yourself to a personal device.
7. Get advice. Juridisch Loket, your union, legal expenses insurance or an employment lawyer.
8. Check any settlement against the clause table in section 6, especially the three WW clauses.
9. Prepare your werk.nl account so you can apply for WW on time.
10. Filter the IND sponsor register for your next job and check the salary threshold.

15. Mistakes to avoid

16. Summary

• Dutch employers mainly end contracts through UWV permission, the court, a settlement agreement or summary dismissal, and each route changes your money and benefits
• The legal grounds are a to i in Civil Code 7:669; grounds a and b go to the UWV, c to i to the court, and redeployment must always be considered
• A settlement must be in writing and can be cancelled within 14 days; check for employer initiative, no fault and correct notice
• The transition payment is one third of a month's pay per year of service, capped at €102,000 in 2026, and only part of a settlement if written in
• Deadlines are two months to challenge a dismissal and three months to claim the transition payment
• WW pays 75% then 70%, but newcomers often get three months
• Highly skilled migrants have three months, or six after two years (from 22 May 2026), and the 30% ruling clock may start earlier

Sources

Dutch Civil Code, Book 7 (wetten.overheid.nl)

• Article 7:669 — grounds a to i and redeployment
• Article 7:670 — dismissal prohibitions
• Article 7:670b — written settlement and 14-day cancellation
• Article 7:671 — permission or consent required
• Article 7:671a — UWV permission
• Article 7:671b — court dissolution and ground i payment
• Article 7:672 — notice periods
• Article 7:673 — transition payment and 2026 cap
• Article 7:677 — summary dismissal
• Article 7:678 — examples of urgent reasons
• Article 7:681 — annulment and fair compensation
• Article 7:682 — remedies after a UWV permit
• Article 7:686a — two- and three-month deadlines

Government and agencies

• When can an employee be dismissed — UWV: routes and permission
• After the dismissal application — UWV: 14-day defence, timing
• Transition payment — UWV: overview
• WW after dismissal — UWV: settlements, summary dismissal, fictitious notice
• About the unemployment benefit — UWV: eligibility in English
• WW duration — UWV and WW amount — UWV
• Maximum daily wage 2026 — UWV: €309.91
• Transition payment amount — Rijksoverheid: calculator
• Summary dismissal — Rijksoverheid: examples and consequences
• WW duration — Rijksoverheid: 24 months and the 38-month top-up
• What changes on 1 January 2026 — Rijksoverheid
• Summary dismissal — Juridisch Loket, settlement agreements — Juridisch Loket, WW timing — Juridisch Loket
• Highly skilled migrant — IND: search period of three or six months
• Required amounts — IND: 2026 salary thresholds
• Benefits from public funds — IND
• Business newsletter 28 May 2026 — IND: search period and Single Permit Directive
• 30% ruling with a new employer — Belastingdienst: three and four months
• Court fees — Rechtspraak
• ECLI:NL:HR:2017:1187 — Hoge Raad: New Hairstyle ruling on fair compensation

Expat media

• Unfair dismissal in the Netherlands — DutchReview: source article (20 October 2026)
• Losing your job in the Netherlands — DutchReview
• IND extends job search period — IamExpat (11 August 2026)
• Termination of employment — IamExpat (updated April 2025)
• 5 things to know about settlement agreements — IamExpat
• Termination and redundancy — Expatica (updated December 2024)
• How to lose your job in the Netherlands — DutchNews (partner content, 2021)
• Dutch companies accelerate layoffs — NL Times
• Sick leave disputes are rising — NL Times
• Highly skilled migrant about to lose my job — ACCESS
• Reorganisation and redundancy — ACCESS
• What are your rights if you're dismissed — Xpat.nl
• Social security — The Hague International Centre

All sources were checked on 24 October 2026. Rules and amounts change, so check the official pages before you act, and talk to Juridisch Loket or an employment lawyer about your own situation.

Original article

Unfair dismissal in the Netherlands: What you need to know [2026 guide] — DutchReview