Housing benefit

Housing benefit is money from the Dutch government to help you pay your rent. 

What is housing benefit?

If you live in the Netherlands and you rent your home, you might have the right to housing benefit. This depends on your income, the level of your rent and your living situation.

Conditions for housing benefit

You can gethousing benefit if you rent a self-contained home. This means you have a home with your own lockable front door, your own kitchen and your own toilet. You must also be aged 18 or older and you must be registered at the address where you live. In addition, your income and savings must be below certain levels. You can find all the rules at toeslagen.nl.

Calculating housing benefit

As from 2026, you can claim housing benefit regardless of the amount of rent you pay. No fixed upper limit on rent applies.  When calculating your housing benefit, the government looks at the rent for your home. It only takes your basic rent into account. This is your rent excluding additional costs, such service charges and the costs of gas, water and electricity, which are not taken into consideration. The maximum amount of basic rent that is taken into consideration in the calculation is €932.93 per month. If your monthly rent is more than €932.93, the difference is not taken into account.

The higher your income, the less housing benefit you receive. Your entire annual income is looked at. The income and assets of your benefits partner or the person you live with, if applicable, are also taken into consideration. The income limit depends on your rent, your age and who you live with. To find out more, go to toeslagen.nl.

Claiming housing benefit

To claim housing benefit, go to toeslagen.nl and log in using your DigiD. Enter information such as your monthly income, your rent and who you live with. After you have submitted your claim, you will receive a letter from Belastingdienst. This will tell you whether you will get housing benefit. If you have a right to this, Belastingdienst will transfer money to your bank account every month.

Changes in your situation

If something changes in your life, you need to report this in time. For example, you might have a higher income, or move home, or have a new housemate. Report this through toeslagen.nl so that you will not have to pay back money later.

If you have started to earn more or you have got married, for example, this might change the amount of allowance you can receive. You might have to pay back any extra money you received. You will receive a notice from Belastingdienst about this.