Freelancing in the Netherlands
Working for yourself here comes with paperwork that nobody explains to you: registering, invoicing, tax, insurance. This page collects the official sources, sorted by the question you are actually trying to answer.
What this is, and what it is not
We are not tax advisers or lawyers, and nothing here is advice about your situation. These are the official sources we point nannies to. Rules change — always check the source itself, and get professional advice before making a decision that costs you money.
Start here if you are completely new
- Check that you are allowed to work here
EU, EEA and Swiss citizens may work freely. Otherwise, look at the back of your residence card and at what the IND says about your permit.
- Register with KVK
One appointment at the Chamber of Commerce makes you a registered self-employed person. The tax office follows on its own.
- Set your rate and learn to invoice
Your rate has to cover tax, holidays and quiet weeks. Your invoices have to carry a few fixed details to be valid.
- Arrange your own insurance
Nobody does this for you. Liability cover first, then think about what happens if you cannot work.
- Consider a VOG
A certificate of conduct is not required for private nannies, but it reassures families and it earns the Verified badge on your profile.
Registering as self-employed
Working for yourself in the Netherlands usually starts with one registration at KVK, the Dutch Chamber of Commerce. These pages explain how it works and what all the numbers you receive are for.
- Get started as a freelancer or zzp’erEN
The government’s own starting guide. A "zzp’er" is a self-employed person working without staff — which is what most nannies here are.
- Register your business with KVKEN
What registration costs, what you need to bring, and how to make an appointment.
- Which number is which: KVK, VAT and VAT-IDEN
You are given more than one number and they are not interchangeable. This explains which goes on an invoice and which you may show publicly.
- Registering with the Tax AdministrationEN
After KVK registration the Belastingdienst (the Dutch tax office) contacts you. This is what to expect and roughly when.
- Checklist: working as a zzp’er via an online platformEN
Six things to check when you find work through a platform like ours: registration, income tax, VAT, insurance, your rights, and false self-employment.
- KVK — starting your own businessEN
KVK’s own English pages for starters, with checklists and their contact details.
- OndernemerspleinNL
The Dutch-language government portal for entrepreneurs. It carries more detail than the English site, so it is worth a look if you read Dutch.
Tax, VAT and invoicing
Two taxes matter most: income tax on what you earn, and BTW (the Dutch word for VAT) on what you charge. Whether VAT applies to your work is not obvious — ask the Belastingdienst rather than guessing.
- VAT and income tax for self-employed professionalsEN
The clearest overview there is: when the tax office treats you as an entrepreneur, what you have to file, and why putting money aside for tax from day one matters.
- What a Dutch invoice must containEN
The exact list — invoice number and date, your KVK and VAT numbers, what you did, and the VAT amount. A missing item can cost you later.
- VAT rates and exemptionsEN
The Dutch rates are 21%, 9% and 0%, and some kinds of work are exempt altogether. Check which applies before you agree a rate with a family.
- The small businesses scheme (KOR)EN
If you turn over €20,000 a year or less you can ask to be exempt from VAT and skip VAT returns. There is a trade-off, and it is explained here.
- Filing your VAT returnEN
Most freelancers file online every three months. This is how it works and when it is due.
- Filing your income tax returnEN
The yearly return, plus the deductions self-employed people can claim.
- Belastingdienst — for businessesEN
The tax office itself: the final word on anything tax-related, and where you log in to file.
Permission to work and live here
Before you take on work, be sure your papers allow it. Citizens of the EU, the EEA and Switzerland may work freely. For everyone else it depends on what your residence document says.
- IND — work and residence permitsEN
The Dutch immigration service. The back of your residence card states whether work is freely allowed — in Dutch, "Arbeid vrij toegestaan".
- IND — living in the NetherlandsEN
What your permit allows day to day, and what to do when your situation or your permit changes.
- Citizen service number (BSN)EN
Your BSN is the personal number you need for tax, healthcare and almost everything official. You receive it when you register with a municipality.
- Registering at a BRP registration centreEN
How to register your Dutch address, which is the step that gets you a BSN. Some cities do it at an expat centre.
- Dutch life and personal mattersEN
The practical basics for newcomers: health insurance, a bank account, DigiD, and how Dutch offices tend to work.
Insurance and pension
This is the part freelancers most often postpone. As a self-employed person no employer covers you for illness, accidents or a pension. You arrange it yourself, or you have nothing.
- Insurances for self-employed professionalsEN
An honest overview of what you are not automatically covered for, and the options for each.
- Business liability insuranceEN
Covers damage you cause while working. Working in someone else’s home, with their children, that is worth thinking about early.
- Disability insurance (AOV)EN
If illness or an accident stops you working, no money comes in. This explains how AOV works and the plan to make it compulsory.
- Pension for self-employed professionalsEN
Living in the Netherlands builds up the basic state pension (AOW). Anything on top of that is yours to arrange.
Certificates that help you get hired
Neither of these is legally required to work as a private nanny. Families notice them all the same, and we show both on your profile.
- Certificate of Conduct (VOG) — JustisEN
The Dutch background-check certificate, issued by the government screening body Justis. Explains who can apply, what it costs, and how long it takes.
- Red Cross — first aid for babies and childrenNL
Courses covering choking, burns, high fevers and resuscitation in small children. The pages are in Dutch; ask the organiser whether a course is taught in English.
- Het Oranje Kruis — first aid certificatesNL
The body behind the Dutch first-aid standard, including the "Eerste Hulp aan kinderen" certificate for babies and children.
- Het Oranje Kruis — find a course near youNL
Search recognised first-aid courses by place and date.
Your rate, your rights, your independence
Being independent is more than a word on your profile. It shapes how you agree work, what you charge, and who carries which risk.
- Setting your priceEN
How to work out a rate that also covers tax, holidays, sick days and insurance — not only the hours you are in the house.
- Avoiding false self-employmentEN
Long, fixed hours for one family under their direction can look like employment rather than freelancing. This is where the line sits.
- Dienstverlening aan huis (services in a private home)NL
A separate Dutch rule for people working in a private household up to three days a week. It is a different route from freelancing — the family becomes the employer. The rule is under review, so check the date on the page.
- Doing household work for someone: what can you agree?NL
Plain answers on pay, holidays and sick pay under that rule, written for the worker rather than the household.
- Waadi — the law on job intermediariesNL
Dutch law limits what an intermediary may ask from the worker they place. It is one of the reasons Expat Nannies is free for nannies and will stay that way.
People you can ask
When a page does not answer your question, these are the places to turn to before you pay anyone for advice.
- Support for self-employed professionalsEN
Where to find free advice and coaching, and what help exists if work dries up or money gets tight.
- KVK — information and support for entrepreneursEN
KVK’s English home page, with guides for starters and the contact details for their advice team.
- FNV ZelfstandigenNL
The Dutch trade union branch for self-employed people. Membership is paid, and it includes contract checks and legal help.
Still stuck?
Ask us. Other nannies have been through exactly this, and we can point you to what they did — write to hello@expatnannies.com with what you are stuck on. A community where nannies answer each other directly is opening soon. For your own tax or legal position, speak to a Dutch accountant or adviser.
A link here that no longer works, or a source we are missing? Tell us and we will fix it.