Prinsjesdag 2026 - Budget Day in the Netherlands
What are the government's plans for businesses next year?
On Tuesday, 15 September 2026, the Dutch government announced its Prinsjesdag plans for next year. You can find the Budget Day plans that affect businesses in this English overview. The latest amendments and announcements are listed below.
Changes announced during Prinsjesdag 2026
Business taxes
- Lower taxation on share options for start-ups and scale-ups
- Tap water tax (BoL) will go up
- Taxes on waste processing are changing
- VAT on hot-air balloon rides set to rise to 21%
- No property transfer tax if housing associations take over social housing
- New safe harbour rules for the global minimum tax
- Reduction in property transfer tax from 8% to 7%
- Income tax to go up in 2027 and 2028
Business management
- Maximum flat fee innovation box will rise to €100,000
- Co-working partner tax relief to be reduced and then end
- New applications for IOAZ no longer possible
- Tax relief for new companies in case of occupational disability to end
- Tax relief for new companies reduced and abolished
- Discontinuation relief to be reduced and then end
- Random depreciation for starting entrepreneurs to end
- Further reduction of private business ownership allowance
Staff
- Compensation for transition payment to end
- Youth minimum wage to go up from 2027
- Suppliers of personnel must be authorised
- Zero-hours contracts no longer allowed
- Tax-free travel allowance has been increased
- Remaining labour costs compensation entitlement transfers to new employer
- Staff discounts no longer automatically tax-free
- Rules for non-compete clause tightened
- Employment agencies must help migrant workers with BRP registration
- Meat industry no longer allowed to employ agency workers
- Employers may employ asylum seekers after 3 months
Transport
- Reduced excise duty on petrol and diesel extended until 2028
- Temporary reduction in motor vehicle tax for commercial vehicles
- Extra tax on petrol and diesel company cars for employees
- Flight tax on long-distance flights will increase less than planned
- Higher addition for private use of old company car (youngtimer)
- Temporary reduction in truck toll
Hospitality
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.
Highlights
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?
Each year, 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.
When is Budget Day information available?
Every Prinsjesdag is different. In 2026, the first information became available on our website on Tuesday afternoon. Additional amendments were published throughout Tuesday evening and Wednesday morning. Our social media team also shared news, highlights, and videos on LinkedIn and Instagram.
Where to find out more about Budget Day
Ondernemersplein and Business.gov.nl provide 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 2026
Questions relating to this article?
Please contact the Netherlands Enterprise Agency, RVO