You are owed a transition payment (transitievergoeding) when your employer ends your employment contract or does not renew it, from your first day of work. The main exceptions are resignation, dismissal for your own seriously culpable conduct and termination by mutual consent, where the statutory right does not arise.
Under Article 7:673 of the Dutch Civil Code (BW) the payment is one third of a month’s salary for each year of service, with parts of a year calculated pro rata. It is capped at €102,000 gross in 2026, or one year’s salary if that is higher. Our guide to αποζημίωση απόλυσης στην Ολλανδία covers the basic entitlement; this article deals with the situations where the ordinary rule does not apply.
Πότε δεν οφείλεται μεταβατική πληρωμή;
No payment is due if you resign, if you are dismissed for seriously culpable conduct, or if the contract ends because you reach state pension age (AOW age) or on your death. A termination by mutual consent also falls outside the statutory rule.
If you resign, your employer owes nothing, unless the resignation was caused by seriously culpable conduct of the employer. Then you can claim the transition payment and, on top of it, a fair compensation (billijke vergoeding) from the subdistrict court (kantonrechter).
If you are dismissed for your own seriously culpable conduct, the right lapses. That threshold is considerably higher than the reasonable ground needed for a dismissal. A court can still award the payment in whole or in part if withholding it entirely would be unacceptable by standards of reasonableness and fairness.
Τι θα γίνει αν τερματίσουμε τη σύμβαση με αμοιβαία συναίνεση;
Then the statutory right does not arise, and the amount is a matter of negotiation. In practice the transition payment under Article 7:673 BW is the floor from which that negotiation starts.
The termination is usually recorded in a settlement agreement (vaststellingsovereenkomst). Under Article 7:670b BW the employee can dissolve it within fourteen days of signing. What is not in the agreement, you cannot claim later.
Απαιτείται πληρωμή κατά τη λήξη μιας σύμβασης ορισμένου χρόνου;
Yes. A fixed-term contract that expires and is not renewed at the employer’s initiative counts as an ending by the employer under Article 7:673 BW. The law does not require a dismissal; it is enough that the employer chose not to continue the contract.
Τι συμβαίνει μετά από δύο χρόνια ασθένειας;
An employee whose contract ends after two years of illness is entitled to the transition payment like any other employee. The employer can then apply to the UWV for compensation, because it has already paid wages during the two years of illness.
The application must be made no later than six months after the full transition payment was paid. Employers usually lose the compensation by applying late, not by failing to qualify. A separate scheme covers small employers, with an average of no more than 25 employees, who close their business because the owner retires or dies.
Θα παραμείνουν τα συστήματα αποζημίωσης;
Not necessarily. The government has proposed abolishing both schemes. The original target of 1 January 2027 has been postponed; the government’s business portal (ondernemersplein.overheid.nl) now mentions 1 January 2028, and the proposal is not yet law. Until it is, the current schemes apply.
Τι γίνεται με μια αδρανής σύμβαση εργασίας;
Ένας εργοδότης οφείλει καταρχήν να συνεργαστεί με το αίτημα ενός εργαζομένου για τη λήξη μιας αδρανούς σύμβασης εργασίας (slapend dienstverband) και να καταβάλει την μεταβατική αποζημίωση. Το Ανώτατο Δικαστήριο αποφάσισε αυτό στην απόφαση Xella της 8ης Νοεμβρίου 2019 (ECLI:NL:HR:2019:1734).
Some employers used to keep a contract alive after two years of illness, with no work and no pay, to avoid the payment. Under Xella that is in principle contrary to good employment practice, unless the employer has a legitimate interest, such as a realistic prospect of the employee returning to work.
Τι πρέπει να ελέγξετε ως υπάλληλος;
Check how the contract ends, because that decides whether the statutory right exists.
- Check who took the initiative: the employer’s notice, dissolution or non-renewal, or your own resignation.
- Calculate the amount on the basis of your full salary, including holiday pay and fixed allowances.
- In a settlement agreement, negotiate from the statutory amount as the floor.
- After two years of illness, propose ending a dormant contract in writing, citing Xella.
- Claim the payment within three months after the employment ends.
Τι πρέπει να ελέγξετε ως εργοδότης;
Most avoidable costs come from overlooked situations and missed deadlines.
- Remember that not renewing a fixed-term contract also triggers the payment.
- Do not rely on seriously culpable conduct unless the file clearly supports it.
- Apply to the UWV for compensation within six months after paying the full amount.
- Check the status of the abolition proposal before deciding when to end a long-term sick employee’s contract.
- Respond in writing to a request to end a dormant contract, stating any legitimate interest.
What can we do for you with the transition payment?
Our employment work is described on our δικηγόρος εργασίας page; on the transition payment:
- We calculate the transition payment, including the salary components that count.
- We assess whether an exception, such as seriously culpable conduct, applies.
- We review the settlement agreement before you sign.
- We prepare the UWV compensation application within the six-month deadline.
- We file a claim with the subdistrict court within the three-month deadline.
Περίληψη
- Η μεταβατική πληρωμή οφείλεται όταν ο εργοδότης λήξει ή δεν ανανεώσει τη σύμβαση, από την πρώτη ημέρα απασχόλησης.
- Δεν οφείλεται καμία νόμιμη πληρωμή σε περίπτωση παραίτησης, απόλυσης για σοβαρά υπαίτια συμπεριφορά, σε ηλικία κρατικής συνταξιοδότησης ή σε περίπτωση απόλυσης με αμοιβαία συναίνεση.
- Μετά από δύο χρόνια ασθένειας, η πληρωμή οφείλεται· ο εργοδότης μπορεί να υποβάλει αίτηση στο UWV για αποζημίωση εντός έξι μηνών από την καταβολή της, εφόσον το πρόγραμμα υφίσταται.
- Ένας εργοδότης οφείλει καταρχήν να συνεργαστεί για τον τερματισμό μιας αδρανούς σύμβασης εργασίας (Xella, 2019).
- Η αίτηση πρέπει να υποβληθεί εντός τριών μηνών από τη λήξη της απασχόλησης.
Συχνές ερωτήσεις
Ισχύει η μεταβατική πληρωμή κατά τη διάρκεια της δοκιμαστικής περιόδου;
Yes. The right applies from the first day of employment, so a dismissal during the probationary period at the employer’s initiative gives rise to a payment, small though it will be.
Μπορούμε να συμφωνήσουμε σε χαμηλότερο ποσό σε μια συμφωνία διακανονισμού;
Yes, because the statutory right does not arise when the contract ends by mutual consent. Whether it is sensible for the employee to accept less is a different question.
Πόσο καιρό έχω να το διεκδικήσω;
A claim for the transition payment lapses three months after the employment ends (Article 7:686a BW). That is a forfeiture period: once it has passed, the claim is gone, and a letter does not interrupt it.
