Zero-hours contract: which hours and pay should you check?
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Detailed explanation, checklist and sources
No fixed hours does not mean no rights. Compare contract type, calls, cancellations and hours worked with payslips. This Dutch preparation distinguishes payment for each call, a presumption of working hours and an offer of fixed hours.
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1. Identify the contract
A zero-hours contract is fixed-term or permanent employment without agreed fixed hours. Min-max contracts have guaranteed hours; a preliminary agreement works differently. Read contract, collective agreement and payslip; record the start. Fewer calls do not automatically end employment.
2. Keep calls and changes
Normal call-up notice is four calendar days, in writing or electronically. Generally you need not accept shorter notice; a collective agreement can reduce this to at least one day. Some seasonal work has exceptions. Keep the original call and change time: late cancellation or alteration can leave pay due for original hours. Check agreed reference days and hours too.
3. Check each call’s payment
A zero-hours call on which you work generally gives at least three hours’ pay, even for shorter work. Compare called, worked and paid hours and rate. Written exclusion of wages when no work is offered normally lasts only the first six months; collective extensions require specific conditions. Zero hours does not mean uncalled hours can never be paid.
4. Separate three months from twelve
After at least three months, average hours over the preceding three months can create a rebuttable presumption: an employer may show a temporary peak. Separately, if employment continues after twelve months, the employer must offer fixed hours within a month, based on the preceding twelve-month average. You may refuse; another offer follows later. This does not automatically make employment permanent.
5. Check sickness and holiday separately
Sick pay depends on contract, scheduled call period and actual pattern. No further calls do not always exclude sick pay; check the hours presumption and missing fixed-hours offer too. Holiday hours and allowance also accrue. Use existing sickness and resignation guides; resigning does not resolve uncertain wages.
6. Present the discrepancy with evidence
Create one row per shift: call date, scheduled hours, change, worked hours and payment. Add separate three- and twelve-month totals. Ask the employer in writing for the calculation and contract basis; keep the answer. Persistent disagreement can go to your union, legal insurer or our help request. This preparation sends nothing and decides no claim.
Rijksoverheid · Oproepcontracten ↗
Are the three- and twelve-month rules the same?
No. Three months may support a rebuttable hours presumption. Twelve months concerns a separate fixed-hours offer on continuation. Fixed hours do not automatically mean permanent employment.
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Contract, start, collective terms and reference hours
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- Contract, start, collective terms and reference hours
- Original call and change time
- Worked and paid hours per shift
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- Fixed-hours offer, sickness and holiday accrual
- Specific missing pay and employer response
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Rijksoverheid · Oproepcontracten ↗Ondernemersplein · Oproeprechten ↗Rijksoverheid · Oproepkracht ziek ↗Sources may be in Dutch. General information about Dutch law, not individual legal advice.