Which collective agreement applies to my work?
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Detailed explanation, checklist and sources
The Dutch collective agreement (cao) that applies depends on your employer, its scope, the relevant period and contractual arrangements. Your job title alone, or no cao name in your contract, is not conclusive. Collect the documents and ask for a reasoned explanation.
On this page
- Start with your contract and employer
- Compare the scope
- Check the legal basis
- Check the relevant period
- Compare the employment condition
- Ask for an explanation and help
- Am I off work or entitled to extra pay on a public holiday?
- Which official dates should I check?
- No cao in my contract: does none apply?
- Documents to prepare
- Sources
1. Start with your contract and employer
Find your employment contract, appendices, staff handbook and payslip. Record the legal employer, your duties and the period you need to check. Ask HR which cao and version they use; employees can inspect the applicable agreement.
2. Compare the scope
Read which businesses and workers fall within the cao. Actual business activities and exclusions matter. A job title or sector label alone does not decide this. For agency work the employer is usually the agency: do not automatically apply the hiring company’s cao.
3. Check the legal basis
A cao may apply because the employer is a party, belongs to a participating employers’ association, or provisions have been declared generally binding (AVV). A reference in your contract may also matter. If unsure, have the applicable basis checked.
4. Check the relevant period
Check both the cao term and the AVV period for the relevant date. For a contractual reference, check whether subsequent agreements are included. Expiry does not automatically remove all terms. Continued effects, exemptions and overlapping agreements need separate assessment.
5. Compare the employment condition
Identify the clause at issue, such as pay, overtime or notice. Check whether it is a minimum or standard arrangement before departing from it. Statutory employment rights still apply without a cao. This preparation does not calculate a wage claim or decide the meaning of a particular clause.
6. Ask for an explanation and help
Ask in writing for the cao name, version, basis and relevant clause. Keep the reply. The cao parties, union or secretariat can explain its scope; the ministry does not assign your individual cao. Seek suitable legal help for disputes. Our preparation sends nothing and does not stop any separate deadline.
7. Am I off work or entitled to extra pay on a public holiday?
An official public holiday is not automatically a day off. The collective agreement, contract or workplace rules determine leave and supplements; night or weekend work alone also gives no statutory right to extra pay. Good Friday is an ordinary working day for many employers. Many employees are off on Easter Monday, Ascension, Whit Monday and King’s Day; civil servants also have role-specific exceptions, such as police, defence and university hospitals. Liberation Day is official every year, but5May is not automatically a statutory day off. Ask for the exact clause and rota. School closure does not automatically give parents leave: check the school calendar separately.
Rijksoverheid — heb-ik-recht-op-extra-loon-als-ik-s-nachts-in-het-weekend-of-op-een-feestdag-werk ↗
Rijksoverheid — is-tweede-pinksterdag-een-vrije-dag ↗
Rijksoverheid — goede-vrijdag-vrije-dag ↗
Rijksoverheid — is-tweede-paasdag-een-vrije-dag ↗
Rijksoverheid — officiele-feestdagen ↗
Rijksoverheid — hemelvaartsdag-vrije-dag ↗
8. Which official dates should I check?
2026: New Year1January; Good Friday3April; Easter5–6April; King’s Day27April; Liberation Day5May; Ascension14May; Pentecost24–25May; Christmas25–26December. 2027: New Year1January; Good Friday26March; Easter28–29March; King’s Day27April; Liberation Day5May; Ascension6May; Pentecost16–17May; Christmas25–26December. If27April falls on Sunday, King’s Day is celebrated Saturday. For payments or legal responses, holidays are a separate deadline issue: check whether the applicable deadline is actually extended; do not infer this from your day off.
Rijksoverheid — heb-ik-recht-op-extra-loon-als-ik-s-nachts-in-het-weekend-of-op-een-feestdag-werk ↗
Rijksoverheid — is-tweede-pinksterdag-een-vrije-dag ↗
Rijksoverheid — goede-vrijdag-vrije-dag ↗
Rijksoverheid — is-tweede-paasdag-een-vrije-dag ↗
Rijksoverheid — officiele-feestdagen ↗
Rijksoverheid — hemelvaartsdag-vrije-dag ↗
Draft question about the applicable cao
Complete the fields and send it yourself to HR or your employer. This asks for information; it is not a wage claim or formal procedure.
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No cao in my contract: does none apply?
Not necessarily. Also check the employer’s obligations, the scope and any AVV for the right period. Ask the employer to explain; a search result does not determine your applicable cao.
Documents to prepare
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- Contract and appendices
- Legal employer and activities
- Duties and contract type
- Relevant period
- Cao version, scope and AVV period
- Disputed clause and employer’s reply
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Rijksoverheid · Cao toepasselijkheid ↗Rijksoverheid · Werkingssfeer en contractverwijzing ↗Ondernemersplein · Cao volgen ↗Rijksoverheid · Wat is een cao ↗Rijksoverheid — heb-ik-recht-op-extra-loon-als-ik-s-nachts-in-het-weekend-of-op-een-feestdag-werk ↗Rijksoverheid — is-tweede-pinksterdag-een-vrije-dag ↗Rijksoverheid — goede-vrijdag-vrije-dag ↗Rijksoverheid — is-tweede-paasdag-een-vrije-dag ↗Rijksoverheid — officiele-feestdagen ↗Rijksoverheid — hemelvaartsdag-vrije-dag ↗Rijksoverheid — koningsdag-27-april-vrije-dag ↗Rijksoverheid — bevrijdingsdag-5-mei-vrije-dag ↗Sources may be in Dutch. General information about Dutch law, not individual legal advice.