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 and orientation-year holders. Holiday allowance is not included. The amounts are indexed every January.

Rules and figures as of October 2026. Check your own situation with the IND or a qualified adviser before you act on it.

what counts towards the threshold

• Gross monthly salary that is fixed, agreed in the contract and paid into your bank account every month.
• Expense reimbursements and fixed allowances count when they are in the contract and paid monthly into your own bank account. A 13th month counts only when it is spread over the year and paid out monthly.
• Holiday allowance, payments in kind, and uncertain or irregular pay (overtime, tips, bonuses, payments from funds) do not count.
• You must meet the amount every month, it must be paid by the recognised sponsor, and the salary must be in line with the market rate.
• The age is taken on the date of application. If you came in on the under-30 amount, it keeps applying after you turn 30 as long as you stay with the same employer. If you change employers at 30 or older, the 30-plus amount that applies on the new contract's start date is used.

the reduced criterion

The reduced criterion of €3,122 a month applies if your employer applies while you hold an orientation year (zoekjaar) permit, or within 3 years of your graduation, PhD or the end of your research permit, provided you meet the orientation year conditions (whether or not you ever held that permit). That covers Dutch bachelor's and master's graduates and master's or PhD graduates of designated top-200 universities abroad; see the orientation year guide for the exact list. 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, divide by 1.08 (for the usual 8% holiday allowance) before comparing. Right now 462 English postings on the board state a salary, and 84 of them (18%) clear the 30-plus threshold on the stated minimum. Browse those jobs.