Unpaid salary in the Netherlands: what can you do?
Has the agreed payday passed?
For employees in the Netherlands. For agency work, this concerns your own employer/employment agency.
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Detailed explanation, checklist and sources
If your employer has not paid your salary, establish what is missing and request payment in writing. A payslip alone does not prove that the money reached your account.
On this page
1. Check the facts
Compare your contract, collective agreement (cao), hours and bank statements. Make a list for each pay period and separate wages, allowances and expenses. If you work through an agency, check which company is your employer.
2. Take action
Send a dated payment request with the periods and amounts concerned. Ask for a written explanation and keep a copy. Do not stop attending work without advice: a wage dispute does not automatically make refusing work safe.
3. If the problem continues
If payment still does not arrive, discuss a wage claim with a union, legal expenses insurer or legal adviser. If the employer cannot pay its debts, contact UWV promptly about insolvency protection; that route differs from an ordinary dispute.
Only part of my salary was paid. What should I send?
Make a small table for each pay period: amount due, amount received and difference. Keep gross and net amounts separate. Attach the relevant payslip and bank entry to your written request. If the employer disputes the hours, add the roster or approval messages.
Documents to prepare
Prepare your next stepFill in and save · Word
Tick what you have checked or collected. Note what is missing and take your overview to a meeting.
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Item 1 / 3 · Where do you stand with this item?
Employment contract and cao
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View all details, notes and timeline
Your timeline and evidence
List events and contacts. Note where you keep the evidence; no upload is needed.
What goes in my timeline?
Record what happened, when, the response and where to find the letter, message or photo. Mark uncertain dates.
Is my evidence sent?
No. You only note where it is kept. No files are uploaded or sent automatically.
How do I save my timeline?
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Up to 20 events. Choose a different position for an event to change the order.
0 / 3 · Checked or collected
For each event, note the date, what happened and where the evidence is kept. Example: 3 October — letter received — correspondence folder.
Describe the solution you would like, such as an explanation of a deduction and repayment of the outstanding amount.
For example: which document is missing, who can provide it and what should I do first?
Record the date and its source. If unknown, note this and check promptly. This tool does not calculate or monitor deadlines.
After your conversation
These are your own notes. Confirm agreements with the other person; these notes do not prove their agreement.
This is your preparation, not a submitted request, objection or legally reviewed document. A tick records only your own progress. Check the procedure and deadline in the original letter.
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Clear entries
Download anything you want to keep first. Clearing cannot be undone.
- Employment contract and cao
- Payslips and bank statements
- Hours and written payment requests
Draft: request for unpaid wages
For an ordinary missed wage payment by your employer in the Netherlands. First check your contract, collective agreement, payday and amounts. Complete all placeholders; the response date is your proposal, not a general statutory deadline. For lasting payment difficulties, also follow the UWV route. Send it yourself and keep a copy and proof of sending.
Edit your draftWord
Your edits stay on this page and are not automatically saved or sent. Complete every placeholder.
Still unpaid after your written request?
Keep your employment contract, payslips, hours records, bank statements and payment demand. List the unpaid periods and amounts and the payment deadline you gave.
If your employer does not respond or disputes the debt, ask your union, legal expenses insurer or legal adviser whether to bring a wage claim before the subdistrict court. A lawyer is not mandatory there, but have the evidence, costs and risks assessed.
Need income urgently? Ask whether interim proceedings are appropriate. They provide a provisional decision, not guaranteed payment. If the employer cannot pay, investigate the UWV insolvency route.
Sources
Need personal assistance? Request a lawyer through our chat. We explain the next step; submitting a request does not engage a lawyer. The links below support the legal information.
Rechtspraak ↗UWV ↗Sources may be in Dutch. General information about Dutch law, not individual legal advice.