How to apply for zorgtoeslag (healthcare allowance) in NL

Zorgtoeslag (healthcare allowance) is a monthly contribution towards the cost of your Dutch health insurance, paid by Dienst Toeslagen. It is not granted automatically: you apply for it yourself in Mijn toeslagen using DigiD. The amount depends on your assessment income (toetsingsinkomen) and whether you have an allowance partner (toeslagpartner), not on the premium your insurer charges. What you receive during the year is an advance based on an estimate, and it is recalculated once your real income for that year is known.

Four conditions decide whether this guide applies to you: you are 18 or over, you have Dutch health insurance (zorgverzekering), your income is below the limit, and your assets (vermogen) are not too high. You also need lawful residence status, which Rijksoverheid phrases as holding Dutch nationality or a residence permit (verblijfsvergunning), and it says the same applies to any allowance partner. If you are an EU, EEA or Swiss national you will not hold a Dutch residence permit, because you do not need one, so check your own position with Dienst Toeslagen rather than reading that wording as an exclusion. If you are an international student who only studies and does not work, you are usually not required to hold Dutch health insurance and therefore cannot claim zorgtoeslag. If you live or work outside the Netherlands, or you have income from abroad, check your situation with Dienst Toeslagen before applying, because the assessment income used is not the same as your net salary.

The income and asset limits and the amount you can receive depend on whether Dienst Toeslagen treats you as a single applicant or as one of a pair, and students who do not work fall outside the scheme entirely.

• No allowance partner (toeslagpartner)

  For 2026 your assessment income may not be higher than €40,857 a year, and your assets on 1 January 2026 may not be higher than €146,011. The indicative table published by Dienst Toeslagen shows roughly €129 a month at the lowest incomes in 2026, falling to nothing once income reaches about €41,000. Use the official proefberekening for your own figure.

• With an allowance partner (toeslagpartner)

  Your incomes are added together. For 2026 the joint assessment income may not be higher than €51,142 a year, and joint assets on 1 January 2026 may not be higher than €184,633. The indicative table shows roughly €246 a month for the two of you together at the lowest incomes in 2026, falling to nothing at about €51,500. Rijksoverheid states that your partner must also hold Dutch nationality or a residence permit; if your partner is an EU, EEA or Swiss national they hold a right of residence rather than a permit, so check that point with Dienst Toeslagen.

• International student coming to study

  Dienst Toeslagen states that you can get zorgtoeslag only if you are required to take out Dutch health insurance. Studying alone does not create that requirement, and a student who neither works nor does a paid internship stays insured in their home country. The requirement arises if you take a paid job alongside your studies, or do an internship paid at or above the Dutch minimum wage. Student finance is not counted in the assessment income.

1. 1

   Check that you meet all the conditions for 2026

   Dienst Toeslagen lists four conditions: you are 18 or over, you have Dutch health insurance, your income is below the limit and your assets are not too high. For 2026 the income limit is €40,857 a year on your own and €51,142 for you and an allowance partner together. Assets on 1 January 2026 may not exceed €146,011 alone or €184,633 together. Rijksoverheid states in addition that you, and any allowance partner, must hold Dutch nationality or a residence permit; if you are an EU, EEA or Swiss national you hold a right of residence rather than a permit, so check that point with Dienst Toeslagen.

   Do this: Read the official conditions page and check each of the four conditions against your own situation for the year you want to claim.

   Processing time

   10 minutes

   Common mistake: People often check only the income limit and overlook the assets test. Assets are not only savings: a holiday home counts too, and Dienst Toeslagen publishes the full list of what does and does not count. Going over the limit on 1 January removes the entitlement for that whole year.

   Official source

   Dienst Toeslagen · Conditions for zorgtoeslag
2. 2

   Make sure your Dutch health insurance is actually in place

   Zorgtoeslag exists as a contribution towards a Dutch basic health insurance policy, so the policy has to exist before you apply. From the age of 18 you need your own insurance. If you are here to study, Dienst Toeslagen says you can get zorgtoeslag only if you are required to take out Dutch insurance, which happens when you have a paid job alongside your studies or an internship paid at or above the Dutch minimum wage. Insurance taken out as a temporary visitor does not give entitlement.

   Do this: Take out Dutch basic health insurance if you do not already have it, and note the start date of the policy.

   Documents needed

   • Your Dutch health insurance policy details

   Cost

   Health insurance premiums vary by insurer and are set by the insurer, not by Dienst Toeslagen

   Processing time

   Same day to a few working days, depending on the insurer

   Common mistake: Studying in the Netherlands without paid work does not create an obligation to hold Dutch insurance, so buying a Dutch policy anyway does not by itself create an entitlement to zorgtoeslag.

   Official source

   Dienst Toeslagen · Zorgtoeslag if you come to the Netherlands to study
3. 3

   Arrange DigiD so you can log in to Mijn toeslagen

   Mijn toeslagen is the personal portal where you apply for an allowance, change your data and read your decisions. Most people log in with DigiD. Residents of other EU countries can use a European login, and service providers use eHerkenning. Arranging DigiD is a separate process run by DigiD, not by Dienst Toeslagen: you apply using the DigiD app or the application form on digid.nl, and you activate the account with an activation code sent to you by letter, so it is not instant.

   Do this: Request DigiD, activate it with the code you receive by letter, then log in to Mijn toeslagen once to confirm it works.

   Documents needed

   • Your BSN
   • An address DigiD can send your activation code to

   Processing time

   Not instant: DigiD publishes the current application and activation steps on digid.nl, so start this before you need it

   Common mistake: Leaving DigiD until the last week before a deadline is risky, because activation depends on a code that arrives by letter rather than on screen.

   Official source

   DigiD · Applying for and activating DigiD
4. 4

   Estimate your assessment income for the year

   The allowance is calculated on your assessment income (toetsingsinkomen) and that of your allowance partner. It is roughly your gross annual income, usually somewhat higher, and it includes holiday pay and maintenance received for yourself. Student finance is not counted. If you arrived part way through the year, work irregular hours or are self employed, estimate the whole calendar year rather than annualising one month.

   Do this: Write down a realistic estimate of your gross annual income for the calendar year, and your allowance partner's, before you open the application form.

   Documents needed

   • Payslips or your employment contract
   • Your allowance partner's income details, if you have one

   Processing time

   15 minutes

   Common mistake: Estimating from net pay is the classic error here. The assessment income is higher than your net salary and includes holiday pay, so a net figure produces an advance that is too high and has to be repaid after the definitive calculation.

   Official source

   Dienst Toeslagen · How much income you may have for zorgtoeslag
5. 5

   Apply in Mijn toeslagen and wait for the decision letter

   Dienst Toeslagen sets out four stages: check the conditions, prepare the application, log in to Mijn toeslagen, then complete and send the application. You supply your annual income and, if you have one, your allowance partner's. You usually see the amount straight after sending, and you normally receive a letter within 5 weeks, both by post and in your Berichtenbox on MijnOverheid, setting out the calculation.

   Do this: Log in to Mijn toeslagen, start a zorgtoeslag application, complete the questions and send it.

   Documents needed

   • DigiD
   • Your income estimate
   • A bank account number

   Processing time

   About 20 minutes to complete, with a decision letter usually within 5 weeks

   Common mistake: Submitting and then not reading the decision letter is a real cost. The letter states the income figure Dienst Toeslagen used, and that is the number you are held to when the year is settled.

   Official source

   Dienst Toeslagen · How to apply for zorgtoeslag
6. 6

   Treat the monthly payment as an advance, not as fixed income

   Allowances are paid in advance for the following month. In 2026 the payment runs on Monday 21 September for October, Tuesday 20 October for November and Friday 20 November for December. The amount is an advance based on your estimate, because Dienst Toeslagen does not yet know what you will earn. After the year ends your real income is known and the definitive calculation follows, which can result in an extra payment or a demand to repay.

   Do this: Note the payment dates, and check in Mijn toeslagen that the income figure being used still matches what you expect to earn this year.

   Processing time

   Paid monthly in advance, around the 20th of the preceding month; the definitive calculation comes after the calendar year ends

   Common mistake: Spending the allowance as though it were settled money is what turns a pay rise into a debt. The advance is provisional until the definitive calculation is made.

   Official source

   Dienst Toeslagen · How to avoid having to repay an allowance
7. 7

   Report changes within 4 weeks, and claim any year you missed

   Dienst Toeslagen requires you to pass on changes in your situation within 4 weeks, and to report anything affecting the amount of your allowance straight away. A move you report to the municipality (gemeente) does not need to be reported separately. If you were entitled in an earlier year but never applied, you can still do so retrospectively: zorgtoeslag over 2025 can be claimed up to and including 31 December 2026, while 2024 closed on 2 September 2025. The closing date is published per year, so check it rather than assuming a fixed pattern.

   Do this: Report any change of income, partner, insurance or country of residence in Mijn toeslagen within 4 weeks, and submit a retrospective application for any earlier year still open.

   Processing time

   Within 4 weeks of the change; retrospective claims for 2025 until 31 December 2026

   Common mistake: Leaving the Netherlands or losing Dutch health insurance without stopping the allowance means the payments keep arriving and are reclaimed later, with the shortfall landing on you.

   Official source

   Dienst Toeslagen · Reporting changes to Dienst Toeslagen

• DigiD (with the DigiD app or SMS verification) to log in to Mijn toeslagen
• Your citizen service number (BSN)
• Proof or details of your Dutch health insurance policy
• An estimate of your gross annual income for the year you are claiming, including holiday pay
• The same income estimate for your allowance partner, if you have one
• A bank account number for the monthly payment

• Dienst Toeslagen publishes no application fee for zorgtoeslag in Mijn toeslagen.
• Your Dutch basic health insurance premium is a separate cost set by your insurer. Dienst Toeslagen states that zorgtoeslag does not depend on the premium you pay.

You usually receive a decision letter within 5 weeks of applying, delivered by post and in your MijnOverheid message box. Allowances are then paid in advance for the following month: in 2026 the payment runs on Monday 21 September for October, Tuesday 20 October for November and Friday 20 November for December. After the year has ended and your real income is known, Dienst Toeslagen makes the definitive calculation, which can mean an extra payment or a demand to repay part of the advance.

Requirements depend on your situation. Check the latest requirements with the relevant authority.

• Assuming zorgtoeslag starts automatically once you have Dutch health insurance. It does not: nothing is paid until you apply yourself in Mijn toeslagen.
• Entering your net salary instead of an estimate of your gross annual assessment income. The assessment income is usually higher than gross salary and includes holiday pay, so an underestimate leads to an advance you have to repay.
• Studying in the Netherlands without a paid job, taking out Dutch insurance anyway and claiming the allowance. Dienst Toeslagen ties entitlement to being required to hold Dutch insurance.
• Forgetting the assets test. Even on a low income you fall outside the scheme if your assets on 1 January 2026 exceed €146,011 alone or €184,633 with an allowance partner.
• Not reporting a pay rise, a new partner or a departure from the Netherlands. Changes must be passed on within 4 weeks, and a late report is the most common reason people end up owing money back.

• Log in to Mijn toeslagen after the decision letter arrives and check that the income Dienst Toeslagen is using matches what you now expect to earn.
• Set a reminder to revise your income estimate whenever your salary changes, and report any change of situation within 4 weeks.
• Check whether you can still claim an earlier year. Zorgtoeslag over 2025 can be applied for up to and including 31 December 2026, while 2024 closed on 2 September 2025. Dienst Toeslagen publishes the closing date for each year separately, so check the current date on its own page rather than assuming a fixed pattern.
• Check whether you also qualify for other allowances, such as huurtoeslag (housing allowance), which use the same Mijn toeslagen login.