Am I entitled to pay for public holidays in the Netherlands?
As every year in the spring, there are additional days off from work in the Dutch calendar. This is also a period when employment agencies are bombarded with questions from employees: they want to know whether they are entitled to remuneration for public holidays. We know the answer to that!
After reading our post you will know:
- Which days are public holidays in the Netherlands?
- Are you entitled to remuneration for days off work and on what terms?
1. Which days are public holidays in the Netherlands?
The generally recognized public holidays in the Dutch calendar are:
- New year,
- Easter Monday,
- King's Day (April 27),
- Liberation Day 5.05. (day off once every 5 years, in the so-called anniversary year, "lustrumjaar" - the next ones will be in 2025 and 2030)
- Ascension Day (Hemelvaart)
- Second day of Pentecost (Pinksteren),
- Both days of Christmas (25 and 26/12)
Note :
The law does not say anywhere that an employer MUST give his employees a day off on official public holidays. Whether an employee has a day off depends on collective bargaining agreements (CAO) and/or the terms of their employment contract.
2. Are you entitled to remuneration for days off work and on what terms?
If you do not work at your workplace due to a day off and it is officially recognized as a holiday, you are entitled to receive remuneration. This is the actual gross salary, i.e. without allowances (e.g. holiday pay), overtime and additional payments.
In the case of a temporary and part-time employment contract, additional conditions apply, namely:
- An employee has the right to receive remuneration if a public holiday is his or her normal working day,
- If the temporary employment contract does not specify precisely whether the day of the week on which the holiday falls is the employee's regular working day, the 13-week rule applies:
- during the 13 weeks immediately preceding the holiday, the employee worked on a given day for at least 7 weeks,
- if the employee has not yet worked 13 weeks, he has the right to remuneration for a public holiday if in the period actually worked (e.g. 7 weeks) on that day he worked more than half of the weeks (so in this case 4).
Summary
As it is well known - every country is a custom. The regulations regarding the payment of wages on public holidays in the Netherlands are not complicated. If you live and work here, you should know them and be able to defend your interests if necessary. Of course, we hope it won't be necessary!
If you have any doubts or questions related to your employment, contact us and we will help you navigate through the maze of Dutch labor law regulations. And you will only have to develop your professional career without worrying about anything!