From July 2028 your employer can no longer deduct rent from your minimum wage — what changes, and what doesn't

In short: On 10 September 2026 the Dutch government announced that from 1 July 2028 employers may
no longer deduct housing costs from the minimum wage. Today this is allowed up to 25% of the gross
minimum wage (with written consent, for certified housing). The ban comes as part of the Wet passende
huurcontracten (appropriate rental contracts act), which is still before parliament. What does not
change: the employer can still provide housing — you just pay for it separately, under the rental
agreement. This article explains what that means for you now and in 2028.

What exactly was decided?

Social Affairs Minister Vijlbrief told the Tweede Kamer (lower house) in a letter that the 25%
housing deduction from the minimum wage, currently allowed under the Wet aanpak schijnconstructies,
will be abolished. The start date is 1 July 2028 — the same day the Wet passende huurcontracten
is scheduled to take effect. The two were deliberately linked: the rental agreement is already a
separate document (since 2023), and from 2028 the money moves separately too.

The government’s reasoning has three parts: many workers are too dependent on their employer for
housing; in practice the deduction runs at the maximum even when the housing is poor; and the Labour
Inspectorate can check more easily whether the minimum wage was actually paid if nothing can be
taken out of it.

Instead of the phased reduction planned in 2023 and later postponed, this is now a one-off, complete
ban — the government’s announcement mentions no transitional steps*¹.

What changes for you from 1 July 2028

• No “inhouding huisvesting” line on your payslip for the minimum-wage part. The full minimum wage
  arrives in your account.
• You pay the rent yourself according to the rental agreement — by transfer, to the housing
  provider (which may be the same company as your employer, or a different one).
• Housing quality and price remain separate questions: SNF/AKF standard, Wet goed verhuurderschap,
  municipal reporting point — none of that changes (details in our housing article).

What the announcement does not say, and what’s worth watching: whether the deduction of the
health-insurance premium (also allowed from the minimum wage today) stays — the statement only covers
rent*².

What changes for the agency — and why that matters to you

The deduction was convenient for the agency: the rent came in for certain before the wage went out.
From 2028 the agency has to collect rent like any other landlord. Two likely reactions to prepare for:

• Housing may get more expensive, because the agency prices in the collection risk. The Wet
  passende huurcontracten promises rent protection — but how much for worker housing, the final text
  of the law will decide.
• Fewer agencies will offer housing, and more will say “find your own”. That’s freedom and burden
  at once — market rents in the Netherlands are high.

Not a reason to panic, but a reason to know right now what you pay for housing and how much of your
wage is left. Whoever keeps the numbers in their head today won’t be surprised in 2028.

What’s the status — how certain is this?

The ban is part of a bill that went through online consultation over the summer and that the
Tweede Kamer has not yet voted on. A parliamentary majority has been pushing for years to end the
deduction, and the government has now joined — so the political will is there, but the date and details
can still change in the parliamentary debate. We’ll update this article when the law passes.

What to do now

1. Check your payslip for today’s “inhouding huisvesting” amount — from 2028 that sum is your
   responsibility, not the agency’s.
2. Ask for your rental agreement if you don’t have it in hand yet: from 2028 it will be the only
   basis on which you pay rent.
3. If an offer after 2028 still comes with housing, ask: “How do I pay the rent, and what happens
   if my wage is late?” — the answer shows whether the agency is prepared.

Related listings: Current listings on jobSCAN →
The “Housing” field on a listing shows whether the advertiser offers housing and, if stated, at what price.

* Notes — where no exact or citable figure exists:
*¹ The Rijksoverheid statement of 2026-09-10 gives a single date (2028-07-01); whether there will be a transitional rule for contracts already running will follow from the text of the law.
*² Neither the Rijksoverheid statement nor the NL Times article addresses the health-insurance deduction; this article therefore does not claim that it stays or goes.

Sources: Rijksoverheid — Werkgever mag geen huur meer inhouden op minimumloon arbeidsmigrant (2026-09-10) · NL Times — Government set to ban employers from deducting rent from migrant workers’ wages (2026-09-10) · NOS — Kabinet schrapt loonkorting arbeidsmigranten: ‘Werkt uitbuiting in de hand’ (2026-09-10) · Rijksoverheid — Welke kosten voor huur en zorgverzekering mag ik inhouden op het minimumloon? (2026)