Hiring in the Netherlands vs Belgium, a 2026 compliance and cost guide

1. Step 1

   Agree on market, role, and salary

   Tell Teamed the country, the role, the start date, and the target salary. Teamed sends back the full employer cost model for that market: SS contributions, CLA obligations, FX shown against mid-market, and the total annual cost. No surprises after you sign.

2. Step 2

   Issue the employment contract

   Teamed issues a compliant local employment contract in the correct language. Dutch contracts can be bilingual; Belgian contracts must be in the language of the region where the employee works (Dutch for Flanders, French for Wallonia and Brussels). Both are reviewed by your team before the employee signs.

3. Step 3

   Run payroll and statutory obligations

   Teamed runs payroll, remits employer SS contributions at cost, and handles sector CLA benefits. The FX applied to the fee is shown against the mid-market reference on every invoice. Dutch vakantiegeld is accrued and paid in May or June; Belgian year-end premiums are paid in December. Teamed handles both on the right calendar.

4. Step 4

   Model the crossover to your own entity

   As your headcount grows, Teamed models the month when your own Dutch BV or Belgian BV gets less costly than EOR. When that point arrives, Global Entity and Employment Operations (GEMO) sets up the entity on the same system with no re-onboarding of existing employees.

Frequently asked questions

• Is it cheaper to hire in the Netherlands or Belgium?+

  The Netherlands is typically lower on employer on-costs. Dutch employer contributions run to roughly 22-25% of gross salary. Belgium's base SS rate is approximately 25%, but when you add the mandatory year-end premium (one month's gross salary in most sectors), meal vouchers (up to EUR 8/workday), and eco-vouchers, total employment cost reaches 30-35%. On a EUR 70,000 gross salary, all-in employer cost is roughly EUR 5,000-7,000 per year lower in the Netherlands. Salary benchmarks vary by role and city, so run a like-for-like model for the specific hire before deciding.
• How do Belgian notice periods compare to Dutch notice periods?+

  Belgian notice periods are materially longer for equivalent tenure. In the Netherlands, employer notice runs from 1 month (under 5 years) to a maximum of 4 months (15 or more years). In Belgium, the post-2014 formula produces approximately 9 weeks at 3 years, 13 weeks at 5 years, and 17-20 weeks at 10 years. Employees hired before 2014 carry a composite calculation that typically extends these further. The difference is most significant for long-tenured, senior employees in Belgium, where the notice obligation can represent a material offboarding cost.
• Does Belgium's year-end premium apply to all employees?+

  In most sectors, yes. The year-end premium (eindejaarspremium / prime de fin d'annee) is mandated by sector collective-labour agreements (CAOs/CCTs). Because the vast majority of Belgian employees are covered by a sector CLA, the year-end premium is effectively standard for most hires. It is typically equivalent to one month's gross salary, paid in December. There are narrow sectors without a CLA-mandated premium, but they are the exception. Teamed checks which CLA applies to each hire's sector before drafting the contract, so the cost is in your budget from day one.
• What is the Dutch 30% ruling and how does it affect EOR hiring costs?+

  The 30% ruling is a Dutch tax facility for qualifying employees recruited from abroad. It allows the employer to pay 30% of the employee's salary tax-free for 5 years, subject to a minimum salary threshold. The employee pays income tax on 70% of their salary. On a EUR 100,000 gross salary, the 30% ruling can save the employee roughly EUR 12,000-15,000 per year in income tax, making the Netherlands significantly more attractive to high-earning international candidates. The ruling does not reduce employer SS contributions, but it lowers the net cost of international recruitment. Teamed handles the 30% ruling application and administration as part of the Dutch EOR service.
• Does Belgium require employment contracts in a specific language?+

  Yes. Belgian employment contracts must be in the language of the region where the employee works: Dutch for Flanders, French for Wallonia and the Brussels Capital Region, and German for the small eastern community. A contract issued in the wrong language creates compliance risk and can be nullified by the employee in certain circumstances. Teamed issues contracts in the correct regional language for every Belgian hire as standard, with a real HR or legal expert confirming the applicable regional language before the contract is drafted.
• Does Teamed cover both the Netherlands and Belgium?+

  Yes. Teamed covers both markets through its network of real HR and legal experts in each country. Both are served at the same $599 per employee per month flat rate, with FX absorbed at zero markup on the fee and the applied rate shown against the mid-market reference on every invoice. Dutch payroll runs in EUR; Belgian payroll runs in EUR. You can run employees in both countries in parallel on the same system, with separate payroll calendars, CLA compliance tracking, and invoice lines per country.
• When should I set up my own entity in the Netherlands or Belgium instead of using EOR?+

  The crossover point depends on headcount and salary mix. As a rough guide, EOR stays less costly than running your own entity below roughly 10-15 full-time employees in either market. Above the crossover, the cumulative EOR per-seat fee approaches the fixed cost of a local director where needed, bookkeeping, annual filings, and employer SS on the entity payroll. Dutch BV setup takes 1-4 weeks with no minimum share capital; Belgian BV setup is more involved and typically takes 4-8 weeks. Teamed models the crossover month and flags it proactively. Global Entity and Employment Operations (GEMO) sets up the entity in either market on the same system, with no re-onboarding of existing EOR employees.

• Netherlands vs Belgium: which country is better for a first European expansion hire?+

  The Netherlands and Belgium are both strong EOR markets in Western Europe, with similar talent depth in many sectors. Key differences: Netherlands employer on-costs are 22-25% of gross salary; Belgium's all-in effective cost runs to 30-35%. Dutch notice periods are capped at 4 months; Belgian notice at 10 years' service runs 17-20 weeks. Dutch employment contracts can be bilingual; Belgian ones must be in the regional language. The Netherlands' 30% ruling is a meaningful draw for international talent at senior salary levels. Belgium's strengths are Brussels EU institutional access and its life-sciences and biotech cluster. The right answer is usually where your hire lives or where your customers are, not which market has lower on-costs.
• Is the Belgian year-end premium mandatory for all Belgian employees?+

  In most sectors, yes. The year-end premium is mandated by sector collective-labour agreements (CAOs/CCTs), and the vast majority of Belgian employees are covered by a sector CLA. It is typically equivalent to one month's gross salary, paid in December. The obligation is created by the CLA rather than directly by statute, so sectors without a CLA technically have no mandatory premium. But those are the exception rather than the rule. An EOR provider like Teamed checks the relevant CLA for each hire's sector before drafting the contract, so the cost is visible in your budget before you sign.