StraksGuides
Retiring in the Netherlands, explained
Plain-English guides to the AOW, your pension fund, Box 3 and lijfrente, with the 2026 figures and where they come from.
Early retirement · Start hereRetiring early in the Netherlands: the years before your AOWStop before your AOW and pension start, and your savings carry you on their own for a while. How long that stretch lasts decides most of the answer.Read the guide
Early retirementHow to estimate your spending in retirementTurn what you spend now into a budget once retired: what to leave out, what changes when you stop working, and what Nibud's figures show.
PensionAOW in 2026: how the Dutch state pension worksYou build up 2% of a full AOW for each year you live here. Where to find your own figure on Mijn SVB.
Tax and savingsDutch income tax: Box 1, 2 and 3Which income goes in Box 1, 2 and 3, the 2026 rates and tax credits, and where your pension, lijfrente and home fall. With a worked example.
Tax and savingsTax after AOW age: why the same pension is taxed lessWhy your pension is taxed less from your AOW age: the 2026 brackets, the ouderenkorting and where it phases out, with a worked example.
Tax and savingsHypotheekrenteaftrek: how your mortgage and home are taxedHow the mortgage interest deduction and the eigenwoningforfait work in 2026, the 30-year limit, and what changes once you retire. With a worked example.
Tax and savingsBox 3 in 2026: how your savings and investments are taxedIn 2026 Box 3 takes 36% of a return the tax office assumes, not of what you earned. With a worked example for a couple.
PensionLijfrente in 2026: how a Dutch private pension worksA pension you arrange yourself: tax back on what you put in, no Box 3 while it grows, the lock-in, and when it pays out.
Jaarruimte 2026: how much you can put into a lijfrenteUp to €35,589 for 2026: how your Jaarruimte is worked out, where to find yours, catching up on earlier years, and the 30% ruling.
PensionEmployer pension: how the Dutch workplace pension worksWho pays into a pension through work, how it builds up, where to find yours, and what it pays if you stop working early.
FamilyWhat does a child cost in Amsterdam?€11,000 a year per child is our estimate. Daycare dominates the early years.
Moving countriesAOW gap: your AOW if you moved to the Netherlands laterA full AOW takes 50 years here; each missing year is 2% less. What that means for when you can stop.
Moving countriesYour Dutch pension when you leave the NetherlandsWhat stays yours when you move, what changes, and what to decide before you go.
How the Straks calculator worksWhat the calculator works out, the assumptions behind it, and one made-up household worked out step by step.