Second Job Tax in the Netherlands: Do You Pay More in 2026?

How does second job tax work in the Netherlands?

You do not pay more tax simply for having a second job. The Belastingdienst taxes your total annual income, and the number of jobs makes no difference to the final bill. It adds every euro you earn from work into one Box 1 total. That is the box for income from work and home. It then taxes that total once at the progressive rates.² So two payslips never mean two separate tax bills.

This page is for internationals working in the Netherlands who take on a second employment. It covers second jobs on a payroll, where each employer withholds wage tax (loonheffing). It does not cover freelance or gig income, which follows its own rules.

» More: if your side income is freelance, that counts as income from other work (inkomsten uit overige werkzaamheden). We walk through those rules on its own page.

Meet Nadia. She earns €35,000 in her main job and takes a second job worth €12,000. We follow her through every rule below.

Why does my second job look over-taxed?

Your two employers each withhold tax as if they were your only job. The final bill tracks your total income, but no employer can see the other's payslip. So each one works out wage tax on its own slice, from the bottom of the rate table up. Your second job never knows it sits on top of the first. That is why its take-home can look wrong, even when your annual total is exactly right.² Sequential jobs often over-withhold, so filing brings a refund.

One employer also applies the payroll tax credit (loonheffingskorting), a discount every worker gets on wage tax. You get it at one job, and it lifts your monthly net pay.² Those progressive Box 1 rates decide your real bill, so it helps to see them in full. The 2026 brackets are below.

Where should you apply the payroll tax credit?

Apply the payroll tax credit at one job only, ideally your highest-paying one. You just saw that the credit lowers your monthly wage tax. The rule behind it is simple: one employer may apply it at a time.² Put it on the job that pays the most, so the largest slice of your income gets the discount up front. Your other employer then withholds without it. You set this on the payroll form each employer hands you. Arrived mid-year? The credit still goes on one job. Your part-year filing may need extra care.

For Nadia, that means the credit belongs on her €35,000 main job, not the €12,000 second one. She keeps it where her income is largest. Getting this wrong has a predictable cost, shown below.

Why does the tax on your second job feel so high?

Your second job meets your highest tax rate, not your average one. Even with the credit on the right job, job two can still feel heavily taxed. Its income lands on top of your first job, so it meets the top of your rate band. And as your total climbs, two tax credits begin to shrink.

Take Nadia. Her €35,000 main job sits entirely in the 35.75% bracket. Her second job lifts her total to €47,000. The slice above €38,883, some €8,117, falls in the 37.56% band rather than 35.75%.¹ So the second job carries the higher rate, not the gentle average her first job enjoyed.

Two tax credits deepen the effect. The employment tax credit (arbeidskorting) peaks at €5,685 near €45,592 of work income. Above that it falls by 6.510% of every extra euro.¹ Nadia is €1,408 past the peak, so she loses about €92 of it. The general tax credit (algemene heffingskorting) tapers too, by 6.398% on income above €29,736.¹ Nadia is €17,264 over that line, so it drops by about €1,105. Her second job accounts for about €768 of that drop. As her total income rises, both credits shrink at once. That is the real reason the marginal tax on a second job feels steep. The 2026 credit figures are below.

Second job or freelance work: which rules apply?

This page covers a second job on a payroll, not freelance side income. The line matters, because the two follow different tax rules. A second job means a second employer who runs payroll and withholds your wage tax for you. Freelance or gig income has no employer doing that. It counts as income from other work (inkomsten uit overige werkzaamheden). You settle that yourself in your return.

Want the detail behind the two credits above? We explain the employment tax credit and the general tax credit on their own pages, each with the full tables. This page keeps to how those credits behave across two jobs.

How do you prevent a surprise tax bill?

Put the payroll tax credit on your highest-paying job, then check your withholding. Three moves keep you clear of a payback. First, apply the credit at one job only, the one that pays most. Second, if you expect a shortfall, ask the Belastingdienst for a provisional assessment (voorlopige aanslag). It spreads the extra tax across the year, so nothing piles up. Third, let the annual return do the final maths.

This is where we come in. We file your return across your whole income, both jobs included. We call that a broad view, one picture of everything you earn. For Nadia, that means one filing. Her two payslips, her credit placement and her final bill all line up. No letter from the Belastingdienst catches her by surprise.

How the Dutch tax system treats what you earn is on our overview of work and income.