Which costs more to hire in: the Netherlands or Belgium?

Netherlands employer on-costs (~22-25%) run slightly below Belgium's ONSS (~25-27%). Both require annual holiday pay: Dutch 8% vakantietoeslag vs Belgian ~7.67% dubbel vakantiegeld. EOR fee is the same $599 in both markets.

Do I need a Works Council if I hire in the Netherlands?

Yes, at 50 employees in the Netherlands. Belgium's Conseil d'entreprise triggers at 100. Companies with 50-99 Benelux employees can delay the Works Council obligation by hiring in Belgium.

How does the Dutch 30% ruling work for an EOR employee?

Qualifying employees recruited from abroad receive up to 30% of gross salary tax-free for up to five years. Teamed files for the ruling as the Dutch employer of record. The allowance reduces employee income tax, not the EOR fee or employer contributions.

What are Belgian notice periods and how long are they?

Belgian notice periods follow the Claeys formula, based on seniority. No government permit required: give notice or pay in lieu. Five-year employee: approximately nine weeks. Ten-year employee: approximately 20 weeks. Exact figures require individual calculation.

What is Teamed's EOR fee in the Netherlands and Belgium?

$599 per employee per month in both countries. FX absorbed at zero markup. Statutory contributions passed at cost. No setup or offboarding fees. Refundable deposit equal to one month's salary to start.

Can Teamed move me from EOR to my own Dutch BV or Belgian BV/SRL?

Yes. Teamed sets up Dutch BVs and Belgian BV/SRLs via GEMO. Existing EOR employees transfer on the same system with no re-onboarding. Teamed models the crossover point and flags it proactively.

Netherlands vs Belgium

Hiring in the Netherlands vs Belgium, the practical employer guide

Both are Benelux markets with deep talent pools, well-established employment law, and EOR access without a local entity. The Netherlands runs lower employer on-costs (~22-25% vs Belgium's ~25-27%), offers the well-known 30% ruling for qualifying international hires, and requires a Works Council from 50 employees. Belgium delays that obligation to 100, runs a seniority-based notice formula, and has its own expat tax regime. The choice usually turns on where your hire lives, not which regime looks better on paper.

Talk to an expert about your Benelux hire Model the employer cost

1,000+ companies advised on global hiring

~22-25%
Dutch employer on-costs above gross salary. Statutory, passed at cost by any EOR.: ~25-27%
Belgian ONSS employer contributions above gross salary. Statutory, passed at cost by any EOR.: 4.8
Teamed rated 4.8 on G2. Real HR and legal experts for Dutch and Belgian employment law on every plan.

Last reviewed 17 June 2026By Tom Price-Daniel, Co-founder, Teamed

Netherlands or Belgium, which should you choose for your next hire?

At a glance

Netherlands

Employer on-costs: ~22-25%

Best for: companies hiring internationally mobile talent who may qualify for the Dutch 30% ruling, want lower employer on-costs, and prefer a single national wage framework without regional tier variation.

Belgium

Employer on-costs: ~25-27%

Best for: companies whose hire is already based in Flanders, Wallonia or Brussels, or who have 50-99 employees and want to delay the Works Council obligation to the 100-employee threshold.

Shared by both: Teamed owns entities in both countries · $599 EOR fee in either market · real HR and legal experts on both sides

Where it matters	Who leads	Why
Total employer on-costs above gross salary	Netherlands	Dutch employer contributions run ~22-25% (ZVW, AWF/WW, Aof, childcare financing). Belgian ONSS contributions run ~25-27% for most employers. Both are statutory and passed at cost by any EOR. Netherlands is marginally lower before sector-specific Belgian reductions.
Annual holiday pay obligation	Draw	Netherlands: mandatory 8% vakantietoeslag on annual gross, paid in May. Belgium: mandatory dubbel vakantiegeld for white-collar employees (~7.67% of previous year's gross annual salary). Roughly comparable in magnitude for most salary levels.
Expat tax incentive for international hires	Netherlands	The Dutch 30% ruling allows qualifying employees recruited from abroad to receive up to 30% of gross salary tax-free for up to five years. The Belgian new expat tax status (2022) provides a similar structure but requires individual eligibility assessment and has a EUR 90,000 annual cap.
Works Council obligation threshold	Belgium	Belgium requires a Conseil d'entreprise only at 100 employees. The Dutch Ondernemingsraad triggers at 50. For companies with 50-99 employees, hiring in Belgium defers this governance obligation.
Termination process and predictability	Draw	Netherlands: redundancy dismissal requires a UWV permit (four to six weeks); every dismissed employee receives a transitievergoeding from day one. Belgium: no government permit needed; give notice under the Claeys formula or pay in lieu. Different processes, both calculable with good employment-law support.
Labour relations and sectoral rules	Netherlands	Belgium operates through joint committees (paritaire comités) with sector-specific wage and working-time rules. Different rules apply in Flanders, Wallonia and Brussels. The Netherlands has a single national statutory minimum wage and sector-level CAO agreements with fewer regional variations.

Netherlands on G2

Who Netherlands is for

This comparison is for fast-growing companies with an international footprint deciding where in the Benelux to hire their next employee, or comparing costs across both markets as they scale. If you have a candidate who is flexible on location, this guide walks you through the employment-law, cost and tax differences that should inform that decision.

Not the right fit if

Already know your jurisdiction?. Read the Netherlands guide (/compare/best-eor-in-netherlands) or contact Teamed for a Belgium-specific employer-cost model. The EOR is the same either way.

Find your pick in 20 seconds

If you are…	Start with	Why
Internationally mobile candidate who may qualify for the 30% ruling	Netherlands	The 30% ruling is one of the most competitive expat incentives in Western Europe. If the hire qualifies, the Netherlands usually wins on net-of-tax take-home.
Hire already based in Belgium with no relocation	Belgium	An EOR removes the entity barrier, but it can't move the person. Hire where your candidate is.
Company with 50-99 employees trying to delay Works Council obligations	Belgium	Belgium's Conseil d'entreprise triggers at 100 employees. The Dutch Ondernemingsraad triggers at 50.
Scaling team that wants the simpler single national wage framework	Netherlands	A single Dutch statutory minimum wage and sector CAO structure. Belgium's three-region system and paritaire comités add layers as you scale.

What is the Netherlands vs Belgium hiring comparison?

An Employer of Record (EOR) legally employs your people in a country through its own entity or a vetted local partner, so you can hire compliantly before you have a registered entity there. You direct the work; the EOR issues the contract, runs payroll, remits income tax and statutory contributions, and carries the obligations of the local employer. Teamed owns entities in both the Netherlands and Belgium, so your hire in either country is employed directly by a Teamed entity.

The Netherlands and Belgium are frequently the same decision for a Benelux hire. Both sit in the Benelux, both offer large talent pools in finance, technology and professional services, and both allow EOR access without a local entity. But they differ enough in employment law that the choice is worth thinking through. Dutch employer on-costs run roughly 22 to 25% of gross salary; Belgian ONSS contributions run roughly 25 to 27%. The Dutch 30% ruling is one of Western Europe's most accessible expat tax incentives; Belgium's revised expat status (2022) covers similar ground with a different structure. The Netherlands requires a UWV permit for redundancy dismissals and a day-one transitievergoeding; Belgium replaces the UWV process with a notice-period formula based on years of service. Works Councils are mandatory in the Netherlands at 50 employees, in Belgium at 100. For most buyers, the answer is simple: hire where your candidate lives. If they're truly flexible on location, this guide walks you through what each jurisdiction costs and where the obligations sit.

The real cost of a Benelux hire

Both countries pass statutory employer contributions at cost, so the Teamed EOR fee ($599) is the same regardless of which country you choose. What differs is the statutory burden on top. Dutch employer on-costs run ~22-25% of gross salary; Belgian ONSS contributions run ~25-27%. Both countries also require annual holiday pay: the Dutch 8% vakantietoeslag is a single May payout; the Belgian dubbel vakantiegeld for white-collar employees is approximately 7.67% of the previous year's gross, paid by the employer. Model the full employer cost, including holiday pay and any sector-specific premiums, before you commit to either market.

Detail	Netherlands	Belgium
Employer social contributions	~22-25% of gross salary (ZVW, AWF/WW, Aof, childcare financing). Statutory, passed at cost.	~25-27% of gross salary (ONSS/RSZ). Statutory, passed at cost. Varies by sector and target-group reductions.
Annual holiday pay	8% of annual gross salary (vakantietoeslag), paid in May. Predictable, single annual outgoing.	Dubbel vakantiegeld: ~7.67% of previous year's gross annual salary for white-collar employees, paid by the employer. Blue-collar: via sectoral holiday fund.
EOR fee	$599 per employee per month, flat. FX absorbed at zero markup.	$599 per employee per month, flat. FX absorbed at zero markup. Same fee in both markets.

Quick model: EUR 70,000 gross

For a EUR 70,000 gross salary, Dutch employer on-costs add roughly EUR 15,400 to EUR 17,500 per year, plus EUR 5,600 vakantietoeslag (8%). Belgian ONSS adds roughly EUR 17,500 to EUR 18,900, plus approximately EUR 5,370 dubbel vakantiegeld (~7.67%). The total Belgian bill is about EUR 1,370 to EUR 1,800 higher per year before Belgian target-group reductions are applied. Use the Teamed employer-cost calculator to model your specific salary.

Termination: UWV route vs Belgian notice periods

The Netherlands requires a UWV permit for redundancy dismissals, a process that typically takes four to six weeks. Every dismissed Dutch employee is entitled to a transitievergoeding from day one: one-third of a monthly salary per year of service. Belgium has no UWV equivalent: the employer gives notice under the seniority-based Claeys formula or pays in lieu. For shorter-tenure employees, Belgian obligations are sometimes shorter than the Dutch transitievergoeding; for longer-tenure employees, they run to several months. Neither country is categorically more expensive at termination: ask Teamed to model both for your specific hire before you decide.

Detail	Netherlands	Belgium
Government permit to dismiss	UWV ontslagvergunning required for redundancy dismissal. Process takes roughly four to six weeks via the national employment authority.	No government permit. The employer gives notice or pays in lieu of notice under the Claeys formula.
Termination payment	Transitievergoeding from day one: one-third of a monthly salary per year of service. Applies to all dismissals other than serious misconduct.	Notice calculated under the Claeys formula (2014 unified statute, seniority-based). For five years' service: approximately nine weeks. For ten years: approximately 20 weeks. No additional severance above the notice obligation in most cases.
Performance dismissal route	Performance-related dismissal goes to the Subdistrict Court (kantonrechter), not the UWV, and can be faster. The transitievergoeding still applies.	Performance dismissal follows the same Claeys notice procedure. No separate court route is required. Notice or pay in lieu of notice.

When speed of exit matters

If you're exiting a non-performing employee and speed matters, Belgium's Claeys process can be faster than the Dutch UWV route: give notice and pay in lieu, without a four-to-six-week government procedure. If cost predictability matters, the Dutch transitievergoeding formula is cleaner from day one. Both countries require a real HR or legal expert to navigate correctly. Ask Teamed to model both scenarios for your specific hire's seniority and salary before you commit to either jurisdiction.

Attracting international talent: 30% ruling vs Belgian expat status

Both countries have tax incentives for internationally mobile talent, but the Dutch 30% ruling is more widely known and more straightforward to put in an offer letter. A qualifying Dutch hire can receive up to 30% of gross salary as a tax-free allowance for up to five years. Belgium's new expat tax status (2022) provides a similar benefit with a different structure and a EUR 90,000 annual cap, but requires individual eligibility assessment before you can quantify it for a specific hire. If your candidate is internationally mobile and likely to qualify for the Dutch 30% ruling, the Netherlands often wins the talent competition on net-of-tax take-home.

Detail	Netherlands	Belgium
Expat tax incentive	30% ruling: up to 30% of gross salary tax-free for qualifying employees recruited from abroad. Up to five years. One of the most competitive in Western Europe.	New expat tax status (2022): up to 30% of gross salary as a tax-free cost-of-living allowance, capped at EUR 90,000 per year (as of 2024). Individual eligibility assessment required.
Eligibility criteria	Recruited from outside the Netherlands, earning above the statutory salary threshold, specific expertise scarce on the Dutch labour market. The EOR files jointly with the employee.	Foreign executives, researchers or specialists recruited or seconded from abroad. Criteria require per-individual assessment; the Belgian tax authority decides. The EOR coordinates the application.
How Teamed handles it	Teamed, as the Dutch employer of record, files for the 30% ruling alongside the employee as part of onboarding. The ruling reduces the employee's income tax, not the employer's contributions.	Teamed coordinates the Belgian new expat status application with the relevant authorities as part of Belgium onboarding. Confirm individual eligibility with a tax adviser before using it in an offer.

When to use the 30% ruling in your offer

If the hire is eligible, include a projected net-of-tax take-home in the offer. On a EUR 100,000 gross salary, EUR 30,000 is free of Dutch income tax, typically adding EUR 12,000 to EUR 15,000 to annual net-of-tax income. The Belgian cap and individual eligibility criteria mean the Belgian expat status needs assessment before you can put numbers in an offer. Confirm eligibility in both cases with a tax adviser. Teamed's real HR and legal experts coordinate the filings.

Works Councils: where the 50 vs 100 threshold changes your governance

The Dutch Ondernemingsraad is mandatory from 50 employees. Belgium's Conseil d'entreprise is mandatory from 100. If your total headcount sits between 50 and 99, the country where you have employees matters for Works Council timing. Works Councils carry real co-determination rights in both countries: over dismissals, working-time changes, social policies and remuneration systems. Ask any EOR whether it has real HR and legal experts with jurisdiction-specific Works Council credentials who handle consultations directly, or routes those questions to a generalist queue.

Detail	Netherlands	Belgium
Mandatory Works Council threshold	50 employees. Mandatory Ondernemingsraad with consultation and co-determination rights under the Wet op de ondernemingsraden (WOR).	100 employees. Mandatory Conseil d'entreprise with comparable co-determination rights under Belgian social law.
Who counts toward the threshold	All employees of the Dutch legal entity. EOR employees are employed by the EOR's Dutch entity and do not count toward your own entity's threshold until you have a Dutch BV of your own.	All employees of the Belgian legal entity. EOR employees are employed by the EOR's Belgian entity and do not count toward your own entity's threshold until you have a Belgian BV/SRL.
What co-determination covers	Major dismissals, changes to working time, social policies, and remuneration systems. Consultation is required before a decision is implemented.	Similar scope: major decisions on employment, working conditions and restructuring. The Conseil d'entreprise must be consulted before implementation.

Why the threshold difference matters

If you have 55 employees with Dutch hires, you already need an Ondernemingsraad. If those employees were in Belgium instead, you would not yet. The Works Council is not a reason to avoid either country, but it is a material governance obligation and a trigger for restructuring plans and mass-dismissal procedures. Know the threshold in every country before you cross it. Teamed's real HR and legal experts track this for you and flag the trigger before it lands as a surprise.

Scaling to your own entity when EOR is no longer the right model

EOR is the right structure at a small headcount. As your team grows in one country, the cumulative EOR fee approaches the fixed cost of running your own local entity. In the Netherlands, that means a Besloten Vennootschap (BV). In Belgium, a Besloten Vennootschap / Societe a Responsabilite Limitee (BV/SRL). Teamed models the crossover point per country, helps you set up the entity via Global Entity & Employment Operations (GEMO), and can keep managing it for you on the same system, with no re-onboarding. Because Teamed earns on both EOR and entity management, the advice isn't tied to keeping you on EOR.

Detail	Netherlands	Belgium
Entity type	Besloten Vennootschap (BV). Established single-tier private company structure.	Besloten Vennootschap / Societe a Responsabilite Limitee (BV/SRL), under the 2019 Companies Code reform. Both Flemish and French names are valid in the respective regions.
Teamed entity-management coverage	GEMO available. Teamed sets up and manages your Dutch BV on the same system, with no re-onboarding of existing EOR employees.	GEMO available. Teamed sets up and manages your Belgian BV/SRL on the same system, with no re-onboarding of existing EOR employees.
When the crossover makes sense	At roughly five or more full-time employees in the Netherlands, the monthly EOR fees typically approach the fixed cost of a registered BV. Exact crossover is salary-specific.	Similar crossover logic applies in Belgium. Factor in the three-region structure and sector-specific CAO obligations when modelling the fixed costs of a Belgian BV/SRL.

The entity crossover question

Teamed monitors the crossover point and flags it proactively. The rough guide: at five or more employees in a single jurisdiction, run the numbers. EOR fees can exceed the fixed cost of a local entity plus local accounting and legal services at that headcount. For a Benelux hire that might reach ten employees over three years, model the BV or BV/SRL crossover from year one. Teamed can initiate the GEMO engagement without disrupting your existing EOR employees.

Why the comparison matters

Behind every line item is a real person, in a real place.

The fee, the FX and the support model are not abstractions. They decide whether the person you hired in Barcelona or Rome is paid right, on time, by someone who knows their employment law. That is the comparison worth running.

What each stakeholder evaluates

Criterion	Legal	Finance	People Ops	Security
Total employer cost: budget the full bill before you decide	Ask the EOR to model the full employer cost in both jurisdictions: gross salary plus statutory contributions, holiday pay, and any sector-specific obligations under the applicable CAO (Netherlands) or paritaire comité (Belgium). The on-cost gap is real, ~22-25% in the Netherlands vs ~25-27% in Belgium, and it compounds across a growing team.	On a EUR 70,000 gross salary, Dutch employer contributions add roughly EUR 15,400 to EUR 17,500 per year; Belgian ONSS adds roughly EUR 17,500 to EUR 18,900. Factor in the Dutch 8% vakantietoeslag (EUR 5,600 annual) and the Belgian dubbel vakantiegeld (~7.67% of previous year's gross) to get the full employer bill. Use the Teamed employer-cost calculator to run both side by side before you hire.	Both markets offer strong talent in technology, finance and professional services. The Belgian talent market has higher union-density and more sector-specific rules. The Dutch market has a clearer single-tier minimum wage and well-understood WAB permanent vs flex rules.	GDPR applies equally in both countries. Both are EU member states. Employment data residency and processing are governed by the same regulation. Choose your EOR on its data-residency and security controls, not the country of hire.
Termination: model the exit cost before you hire	Netherlands: redundancy dismissal requires a UWV permit (typically four to six weeks). Every dismissed employee receives a transitievergoeding from day one: one-third of a monthly salary per year of service. Belgium: no UWV equivalent. The employer gives notice under the Claeys formula or pays in lieu. Ask Teamed to calculate the Belgian notice period before you hire in Belgium; long-serving employees carry multi-month obligations.	A Dutch transitievergoeding for a five-year employee on EUR 80,000 is roughly EUR 13,300 (five-thirds of a monthly salary). A Belgian five-year employee's notice period under the Claeys formula is approximately nine weeks, payable as notice or pay in lieu (~EUR 13,800 indicative). Neither country is categorically more expensive at termination; the comparison depends on seniority and salary.	Strong employee protections apply in both countries. Dutch employees have a day-one transitievergoeding entitlement. Belgian notice periods increase with seniority and are non-waivable in most circumstances. The EOR is the legal employer in both cases and carries the termination obligation. Teamed's real HR and legal experts handle the procedure with maker-checker approval so nothing moves without your sign-off.	A termination in either country must follow statutory process. With Teamed, real HR and legal experts with Dutch or Belgian employment-law credentials handle documentation, notice calculations, and UWV or Claeys formula compliance before anything executes.
Expat talent: which jurisdiction attracts internationally mobile candidates?	Both countries have expat tax incentives, but the Dutch 30% ruling is more widely known internationally and more straightforward to administer. Confirm individual eligibility for either incentive with a tax adviser before using it in an offer letter. The EOR, as the legal employer, coordinates the filing but does not provide tax advice.	The 30% ruling is one of the most competitive expat incentives in Western Europe. For a EUR 100,000 gross salary, a qualifying Dutch hire receives EUR 30,000 as a tax-free allowance, materially improving net-of-tax compensation without changing the employer's gross cost. The Belgian cap (EUR 90,000 per year) and individual eligibility criteria mean the Belgian expat status needs assessment before numbers go in an offer letter.	Candidates who qualify for the Dutch 30% ruling often know it and may actively prefer Amsterdam or Rotterdam over Brussels. If your hire is internationally mobile and the role qualifies, the Netherlands can win the talent competition on net-of-tax take-home. If the hire is already Belgian-resident, the 30% ruling is not available, and Belgium's new expat status may apply instead.	The 30% ruling is administered by the Dutch tax authority (Belastingdienst) and requires a joint application by employer and employee. Teamed, as the Dutch employer of record, files on behalf of the employee as part of the Dutch EOR onboarding.

How Teamed sets up your first Benelux hire

Teamed owns entities in both the Netherlands and Belgium, so your hire in either country is employed directly by a Teamed entity. The workflow is the same on both sides of the border.

Step 1
Choose the jurisdiction
Where does your hire actually live? If they're already in the Netherlands or Belgium, that decides it. If they're internationally mobile, this guide helps you compare. Teamed's real HR and legal experts can model the full employer cost in each jurisdiction before you decide.
Step 2
Issue the employment contract
Teamed issues a Dutch or Belgian compliant employment contract under the relevant national employment law. For the Netherlands: WAB-compliant flex or permanent terms, transitievergoeding disclosure, and 30% ruling filing if eligible. For Belgium: contract type, Claeys formula notice disclosure, and applicable paritaire comité terms.
Step 3
Run payroll and contributions
Teamed runs payroll in the local currency, remits income tax and statutory contributions (Dutch social charges or Belgian ONSS), and pays the mandatory holiday allowance. FX is absorbed at zero markup on the Teamed fee, with the applied rate shown against the mid-market reference on every invoice.
Step 4
Scale from EOR to your own entity
When the crossover makes sense, Teamed models it and sets up your Dutch BV or Belgian BV/SRL via Global Entity & Employment Operations (GEMO). Your existing EOR employees transfer to your own entity on the same system, with no re-onboarding.

Dyke Yaxley · UK chartered accountancy

100% audit capacity added. Zero entity setup.

Audit capacity in 2024: +100%
Compliance issues across the engagement: 0
International hires, both retained: 2
Entity setup required: None

Challenge

Dyke Yaxley, a UK chartered accountancy with over a century of history, was turning down audit work in 2024. Local UK talent supply for qualified auditors hadn't kept pace with client demand. Cross-border hiring felt too legally involved for a firm whose brand sits on compliance discipline.

Approach

Dyke Yaxley partnered with Teamed to hire two qualified audit professionals via EOR. Teamed handled the employment-law side end-to-end: compliant contract, local payroll, statutory tax obligations, and onboarding logistics. No entity setup, no local legal counsel on retainer, no permanent-establishment exposure. The same model applies to any Benelux hire: Teamed owns the Dutch and Belgian entities, so the legal structure is already in place.

Result

Both hires exceeded expectations on technical work, client satisfaction, and cultural fit. Audit capacity doubled in 2024. Zero compliance issues across the engagement. The firm went from declining new audit work to confidently taking on additional clients.

Read the full case study →

Interactive tool

Model your Benelux employer cost

Enter a Netherlands or Belgium salary and the employer-cost calculator models the full on-cost: gross salary, statutory contributions, holiday pay and the Teamed EOR fee in one number. Run both jurisdictions side by side before you decide.

Open the employer-cost calculator

Decision checklist

Choose the Netherlands if your hire is internationally mobile and likely to qualify for the Dutch 30% ruling. Up to 30% of gross salary tax-free for five years is one of the strongest expat incentives in Western Europe and materially improves net-of-tax take-home without adding to your employer cost.
Choose the Netherlands if lower employer on-costs matter at scale. Dutch statutory contributions (~22-25%) run below Belgian ONSS (~25-27%) before sector-specific reductions, and the gap compounds across a growing Benelux team.
Choose the Netherlands if you want a single national wage framework without regional tier variation. Belgium's three-region structure (Flanders, Wallonia, Brussels) and sector-specific paritaire comités add layers that the Dutch CAO system avoids.
Choose Belgium if your hire already lives in Flanders, Wallonia or Brussels and relocation isn't on the table. An EOR removes the entity barrier, but it can't move the person. Hire where your candidate is.
Choose Belgium if you have between 50 and 99 employees and want to delay the Works Council obligation. The Dutch Ondernemingsraad triggers at 50; Belgium's Conseil d'entreprise triggers at 100.
Choose Belgium if your hire is a senior executive or researcher for whom the Belgian new expat tax status (2022), assessed individually, delivers better net-of-tax results than the Dutch 30% ruling for their specific package.
When in doubt, call Teamed. Real HR and legal experts with Dutch and Belgian employment-law credentials will model the full employer cost, the exit cost and the lifecycle path in both countries before you hire.

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Honest take

When Belgium is the better choice

Your hire is already based in Flanders, Wallonia or Brussels and isn't willing to relocate. An EOR removes the entity barrier but it can't move the person. Hire where your candidate lives.
Your total headcount is between 50 and 99 employees and avoiding an early Works Council obligation matters. Belgium's Conseil d'entreprise triggers at 100 employees; the Dutch Ondernemingsraad triggers at 50.
Your hire is a senior executive or researcher for whom the Belgian new expat tax status (2022) delivers stronger net-of-tax results than the Dutch 30% ruling after individual eligibility assessment.
Your sector's primary talent and client relationships sit in Belgium. Brussels is the capital of the EU and a major hub for law, public affairs, financial services and EU-facing consultancy. Some sectors skew Belgian regardless of cost comparison.

Teamed owns entities in both the Netherlands and Belgium. The $599 EOR fee is the same in both markets. The choice between jurisdictions is about employment law, talent location and tax incentives, not about which EOR you use.

Questions to ask any EOR before you sign

1What deposit or pre-funding do you require, and which setup, offboarding, minimum-term, termination or admin fees are in the contract? Read it line by line before you sign.
2Where does my candidate actually live, and are they willing to relocate?
3Does my hire qualify for the Dutch 30% ruling or the Belgian new expat tax status?
4What is the full employer cost, including statutory contributions and holiday pay, in each country on my candidate's expected salary?
5What are the termination obligations (transitievergoeding or Claeys notice period) for my hire's expected seniority at three to five years?
6Does my sector have a strong paritaire comité in Belgium that sets minimum wages above the national floor?
7At what headcount does it make sense to set up my own BV (Netherlands) or BV/SRL (Belgium) rather than continuing on EOR?
8Do I need a Works Council in either country now, or will I need one in the next 12 months?
9What data-residency and GDPR-compliance controls does my EOR offer in each jurisdiction?

Frequently asked questions

Which costs more to hire in: the Netherlands or Belgium?
The Netherlands is marginally lower on employer social contributions: Dutch on-costs run roughly 22 to 25% of gross salary vs Belgium's ~25-27% ONSS rate. Both countries also require annual holiday pay: the Dutch 8% vakantietoeslag is paid in May; Belgium's dubbel vakantiegeld for white-collar employees is approximately 7.67% of the previous year's gross. The EOR fee is the same ($599 flat) in both markets, and FX is absorbed at zero markup in either country. Run the employer-cost calculator with your actual salary to compare the full bill.
Do I need a Works Council if I hire in the Netherlands?
Yes, once you reach 50 employees in the Netherlands you are required to establish an Ondernemingsraad (Works Council). It carries consultation and co-determination rights over dismissals, working-time changes, social policies and remuneration systems. In Belgium, the equivalent Conseil d'entreprise is mandatory from 100 employees. If your total Benelux headcount will push you into the 50 to 99 range, the country choice affects when you cross that governance threshold.
How does the Dutch 30% ruling work for an EOR employee?
The 30% ruling allows a qualifying employee recruited from abroad to receive up to 30% of their gross salary as a tax-free cost-of-living allowance for up to five years. The employee must have been recruited from outside the Netherlands, earn above the statutory salary threshold, and have specific expertise that is scarce on the Dutch labour market. Teamed, as the Dutch employer of record, files for the ruling jointly with the employee as part of onboarding. The tax-free allowance reduces the employee's Dutch income tax; it does not reduce the EOR fee or the employer's social contributions.
What are Belgian notice periods and how long are they?
Belgian notice periods are calculated under the seniority-based Claeys formula, introduced by the 2014 unified statute (wet eenheidsstatuut). There is no government permit equivalent to the Dutch UWV process: the employer gives notice or pays the equivalent in lieu. Notice periods increase with seniority. For five years' service, the notice period is approximately nine weeks. For ten years, approximately 20 weeks. For 20 years, it can run to 48 weeks or more. The exact figure requires individual calculation per the statutory formula. Ask Teamed to model the notice obligation for your hire before you commit to Belgium.
What is Teamed's EOR fee in the Netherlands and Belgium?
$599 USD per employee per month in both countries, flat. FX is absorbed at zero markup on the fee in either jurisdiction, with the applied rate shown against the mid-market reference on every invoice. Statutory employer contributions (Dutch social charges or Belgian ONSS) are passed at cost, as with all EOR providers. There are no setup fees and no offboarding fees. A refundable deposit equal to one month of salary is required to start any EOR engagement.
Can Teamed move me from EOR to my own Dutch BV or Belgian BV/SRL?
Yes. Teamed helps you set up your own entity via Global Entity & Employment Operations (GEMO) in 100+ countries, including both the Netherlands and Belgium. The entity is set up on the same system as your EOR, so existing employees transfer with no re-onboarding. Teamed models the crossover point (the headcount at which your own entity becomes more cost-efficient than EOR) and flags it proactively. Because Teamed earns on entity management as well as EOR, the advice isn't tied to keeping you on EOR.

Common questions

Is it better to hire in the Netherlands or Belgium for a European team?
For most growing companies, hire where your candidate lives. If the candidate is internationally mobile, the Netherlands has a slight edge on employer on-costs (~22-25% vs Belgium's ~25-27% ONSS), a simpler single national wage framework, and the well-known 30% ruling for qualifying international hires. Belgium offers a higher Works Council threshold (100 vs 50), a direct notice-and-pay termination process without a UWV permit, and a distinct talent pool in Brussels for legal, public affairs and EU-facing roles. Teamed owns entities in both and charges the same $599 EOR fee in either market. The real decision is where your hire lives and whether they qualify for the Dutch 30% ruling.
What employer on-costs should I budget for a Dutch or Belgian hire?
For a Dutch hire, budget roughly 22 to 25% of gross salary in employer social contributions (ZVW, AWF/WW, Aof, childcare financing), plus 8% of annual gross salary for the mandatory vakantietoeslag holiday payment in May. For a Belgian hire, budget roughly 25 to 27% of gross salary in ONSS employer contributions (varying by sector and applicable reductions), plus approximately 7.67% of the previous year's gross for the white-collar dubbel vakantiegeld. Both sets of statutory costs are passed at cost by all EOR providers. The Teamed EOR fee is the same $599 flat in either country.

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