Highly skilled migrant salary thresholds in 2026

From 1 January 2026 the highly skilled migrant salary threshold is €5,942 gross per month if you are 30 or older, €4,357 if you are younger than 30, and €3,122 under the reduced criterion for recent graduates of Dutch universities and orientation-year holders. Holiday allowance is not included. The amounts are indexed every January.

what counts towards the threshold

• Gross monthly salary that is fixed, agreed in the contract and paid into your bank account every month.
• Fixed allowances that are paid every month and are in the contract count; a 13th month counts only when it is guaranteed and paid out monthly.
• Holiday allowance (usually 8%), bonuses, overtime, equity and benefits in kind do not count.
• The threshold applies for the whole permit: your salary must stay at or above the amount that applied when the permit was granted, and the age boundary at 30 works in your favour, since crossing it later does not raise your requirement.

the reduced criterion

You qualify for €3,122 a month if you apply within three years of graduating from a Dutch higher-education institution, or from a listed top foreign university, or if you move to the permit from an orientation year (zoekjaar) or a research permit. That gap between €3,122 and €5,942 is why junior roles at sponsors are realistic for graduates and much harder for someone applying from abroad without a Dutch degree.

reading a job posting against the threshold

Dutch postings usually quote a monthly gross figure, sometimes with the words “exclusief vakantiegeld” (excluding holiday pay), which is exactly what the IND measures. When a posting quotes a yearly figure, divide by 12 and then check whether that figure includes holiday allowance; if it does, take 8% off before comparing. Right now 519 English postings on the board state a salary, and 146 of them (28%) clear the 30-plus threshold on the stated minimum. Browse those jobs.