Prinsjesdag 2025 - Budget Day in the Netherlands
What are the government's plans for businesses in 2026?
The Dutch government announced its Prinsjesdag plans on the afternoon of 16 September. Below you can find the latest news in English about Budget Day announcements that will affect businesses in 2026.
Changes announced on Prinsjesdag 2025
Business taxes
- Reduced motor vehicle tax for zero emission cars until 2030
- Quarter rates motor vehicle tax to be discontinued
- Large consumers will pay more tax on tap water
- VAT on overnight accommodation goes up from 9% to 21% in 2026
- Extra tax on petrol and diesel business lease cars for employees
- Lower taxation on share options for start-ups and scale-ups
- Tariffs on private vehicle and motorcycle tax (bpm) going up
- Consumption tax on beverages with a hint of dairy and sweetened non-alcoholic beverages
- Flight tax on long-distance flights going up
- Property transfer tax on housing investments down to 8% in 2026
- Tax brackets for income tax will change in 2026
- Further reduction of private business ownership allowance
Staff
- Transition payment compensation only for small employers
- No more labour costs compensation (LKV) for older persons
- Zero-hours contracts no longer allowed
- Youth minimum wage to go up from 2027
- Exemption threshold Early Retirement Scheme (RVU) remains in place
- Employer may not keep renewing temporary contracts
- Offering work to people with an occupational disability will be easier
- Remaining labour costs compensation entitlement transfers to new employer
Childcare
Transport
Products, services & innovation
Climate, energy & nature
Business services
It is not yet certain when the legislative changes will come into effect
Entry into force is subject to its passing through the Lower and Upper Houses (Tweede en Eerste Kamer) of parliament. After publication in the Staatsblad or Staatscourant (Government Gazette, in Dutch) the law can take effect.
Prinsjesdag: Budget Day in the Netherlands explained
The third Tuesday in September is known as Prinsjesdag in the Netherlands. On Prinsjesdag, or Budget Day as it is called in many countries, King Willem-Alexander gives the Speech from the Throne. This speech sums up the state of the nation and outlines the government's plans for the coming year. After the Speech, the Minister of Finance presents the chair of the House of Representatives with the National Budget (Rijksbegroting) and the Budget Memorandum (Miljoenennota). These documents describe how the government will carry out its plans, and how much budget is allotted to each plan.
Why Prinsjesdag matters for businesses
Preparation is essential when doing business. The plans announced on Prinsjesdag usually come into effect on 1 January. So businesses have just over 3 months to consider the upcoming changes and adjust their plans and forecasts. Changing tax benefits, incentives, excise duties, and other new measures have a varied impact depending on your situation. The sooner you know what to expect for your business, the sooner you can act.
What can you expect from Business.gov.nl for Prinsjesdag?
The English and Dutch teams from Business.gov.nl and Ondernemersplein read the Prinsjesdag documents published by the Dutch ministries. Our goal is to find all of the proposed legislative changes that affect businesses. We write and publish the details of these changes as amendments. Each new amendment is shown on this page as soon as it is ready. The announcements for 2025 were finished on the afternoon of Wednesday, 17 September.
When is Budget Day information available?
Every Prinsjesdag is different. The first information goes live on our website at the end of Tuesday afternoon. We are usually still busy publishing amendments through Tuesday evening and all of Wednesday. Through all of this, our social media team are busy sharing news, highlights, and videos on LinkedIn and Instagram.
Where to find out more about Budget Day
Ondernemersplein and Business.gov.nl bring you all the factual updates on new laws and amendments announced on Prinsjesdag. To read more on how the proposed changes will affect businesses, visit the KVK Prinsjesdag page, follow them on social media, or sign up for one of their newsletters.
More English-language information about the tradition of Prinsjesdag is available on Government.nl. And finally, the official Prinsjesdag documents are published on Rijksoverheid.nl. These are all in Dutch.
Changes in law and regulations in 2025
Questions relating to this article?
Please contact the Netherlands Enterprise Agency, RVO