What is the Wlz contribution (eigen bijdrage)?
The eigen bijdrage is what you pay the CAK for long-term care. The Wlz (Wet langdurige zorg) is the Long-term Care Act. It covers intensive, round-the-clock care, in a care home or at home.
This is not the Wlz premium. The premium is a national insurance everyone pays inside their payroll tax. It funds the system whether you use care or not. Our guide to the Dutch tax brackets and rates shows where it fits. The eigen bijdrage is different. You only pay it once you actually use Wlz care. It is also not the zorgtoeslag, the healthcare allowance. See our healthcare allowance guide if that is what you need.
Take Anna, who moves into a care home this year. What she pays depends on her income and her savings. We follow her through this guide. Anna moved here for work years ago and still keeps savings abroad.
In short
The eigen bijdrage is due only when you use Wlz care, not the Wlz premium.
The CAK works out your contribution and collects it. You pay the CAK, not the care home.
There are two levels, a lage (low) and a hoge (high) contribution.
Your Box 3 assets count too. Savings and investments above the threshold add 4% to the income the CAK uses.
The 2026 amounts run from €212.60 to €1,115.80 a month for the lage, up to €3,061.80 for the hoge.
The CAK looks two years back, so the 2026 contribution uses your 2024 income and assets.
Who works out the bill and who do you pay?
The CAK, the Dutch care-contribution office, calculates your eigen bijdrage and collects it. You pay the CAK directly, not your care home.
You can only use Wlz care if you are insured under the Wlz. Almost everyone who lives or works in the Netherlands is. The CIZ, the office that assesses care needs, decides whether you need Wlz care. After that, the CAK sets your contribution.
You already pay into the Wlz through work, inside the payroll tax on your payslip. For the bigger picture, read our guide to work and income in the Dutch tax system. Your Dutch payslip shows where the premium comes off.
| Figure | 2026 amount |
|---|---|
| Low contribution, per month | €212.60 to €1,115.80 |
| High contribution, per month | up to €3,061.80 |
| Assets addition to income | 4% of Box 3 assets above the threshold |
| Asset threshold, single | €36,952 |
| Asset threshold, with partner | €73,904 |
| Reference year (peiljaar) | two years back, so 2024 for 2026 |
Do you pay the lage or the hoge contribution?
Most people start with the lage (low) contribution. You pay it in your first four months of care.
It also applies while your partner still lives at home. And it applies when you receive care at home. A vpt is a full care package at home, an mpt a modular one. A pgb is a personal budget you use to arrange care yourself. The hoge (high) contribution starts only after those four months in a care institution. It applies when no partner lives at home. Care at home always keeps you on the lage contribution.
In 2026 the lage contribution runs from €212.60 to €1,115.80 a month.¹ The hoge contribution runs up to €3,061.80 a month.² Your care situation decides which one you pay. The worked example below covers the lage contribution only. Ask the CAK for your hoge figure.
How does the CAK calculate your eigen bijdrage?
The CAK starts from your income and adds part of your Box 3 assets. It uses your figures from two years back, the peiljaar. For 2026 that is 2024.
It then adds 4% of your savings and investments, your Box 3 assets, above the asset threshold. In 2026 that threshold is €36,952 for a single person. Together this is your bijdrageplichtig inkomen, the income your contribution is based on. For the lage contribution, the CAK takes 10% of that income and divides it by twelve. People of state-pension age also get an extra deduction. It compensates for the abolished ouderentoeslag, the former tax allowance for older people. Has your income dropped a lot since the peiljaar? You can ask the CAK to use a more recent year, called peiljaarverlegging.
Back to Anna. In 2024 she had €28,000 of income and €200,000 in savings and investments. Her assets above the threshold add €6,522 to the income the CAK counts. Her lage contribution works out at about €288 a month. The table below shows each step.
| Step | Calculation | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Income (2024) | given | €28,000 |
| Box 3 assets above threshold | €200,000 - €36,952 | €163,048 |
| Assets addition (4%) | €163,048 × 4% | €6,522 |
| Income the CAK counts | €28,000 + €6,522 | €34,522 |
| Yearly contribution | €34,522 × 10% | €3,452.20 |
| Monthly contribution | €3,452.20 ÷ 12 | approx. €288 |
“Many people are surprised that their savings can lift the care contribution. The good news: you can see what drives it before care starts.”
Are you still Wlz-insured if you live or work abroad?
Your Wlz insurance can stop when you move abroad. In some cross-border cases it continues, for example as a verdragsgerechtigde, someone covered under a treaty.
The SVB, the Dutch social insurance bank, decides whether you stay insured.³ So check your status before you move, not after. And if you live here with assets abroad, those foreign savings and investments still count for the 4% addition. Read our guide to Box 3 assets to see what falls in. Arrived after the reference year? Ask the CAK for peiljaarverlegging.
What does this mean for you?
You can see what drives your eigen bijdrage before care starts. The CAK offers a rekenhulp (a calculation tool) for your exact figure, which we use as a starting point.
Your contribution sits where your Box 3 assets, your cross-border situation and your care come together. That is one conversation, not three. We do not promise a lower bill. We can also handle it as part of your Dutch income tax return. Want to check a related benefit? See our guide to the zorgtoeslag, the healthcare allowance. Planning care alongside retirement? Start with our pension advice. Ask us if your figures raise any questions. Anna would take her own figures to the rekenhulp first, then to us.
1 hetcak.nl, Berekening lage eigen bijdrage (Wlz), 2026 · Accessed
2 hetcak.nl, Berekening hoge eigen bijdrage (Wlz), 2026 · Accessed
3 svb.nl, Wet langdurige zorg, wie is verzekerd · Accessed
Common questions about the Wlz contribution
Is the Wlz contribution the same as the Wlz premium?
No. The premium is a national insurance inside your payroll tax. The eigen bijdrage is what you pay only when you actually use Wlz care.
Do I pay the eigen bijdrage to the care home?
No, you pay the CAK. The CAK works out the amount and collects it directly, so no money goes to the care home.
How much is the Wlz contribution in 2026?
The lage contribution runs from €212.60 to €1,115.80 a month. The hoge contribution can reach €3,061.80 a month.
Do my savings raise the eigen bijdrage?
Yes. The CAK counts 4% of your Box 3 assets over the threshold. That includes savings and investments you hold abroad.
Which year does the CAK look at?
The CAK uses your income and assets from two years back. For the 2026 contribution that means 2024. You can ask for a more recent year if your income dropped.
Am I Wlz-insured?
Almost everyone who lives or works in the Netherlands is insured under the Wlz. The SVB is the Dutch social insurance bank. If you live or work abroad, it checks whether you stay insured.