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The Netherlands, explained in English · Wednesday 7 October 2026

Special · Economy

Draft budget, as presented on Prinsjesdag (15 September 2026)

The 2027 Dutch budget, explained

The government plans to spend €517 billion next year and take in €481 billion. Here is where the money goes, where it comes from, and what changes for you.

Source

Miljoenennota 2027, Ministerie van Financiën rijksfinancien.nl

Last updated 7 October 2026. Parliament debates and amends the budget this autumn. We will update this page when the figures change.

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€517bn

government spending planned for 2027

€481bn

expected income from taxes and premiums

€36.7bn

deficit, or 2.9% of the economy (GDP)

46.9%

government debt as a share of GDP in 2027, rising to 49.6% by 2031

Where the money goes

Social security and health care take half the budget

Net spending in 2027, € billion

Social security128Health care121Education, culture and science57Municipalities and provinces54Defence29Justice and security18Foreign affairs (incl. EU payments)16Infrastructure and water15Finance12Housing and spatial planning10Everything else29
Figures are rounded; total net spending €491 billion. Gross spending, including items such as interest, is €517 billion. Source: Miljoenennota 2027, Ministerie van Financiën

Where it comes from

Taxes bring in two thirds of the money

Income in 2027, € billion

Taxes · 317.7Health insurance premiums · 65.6National insurance premiums · 49.7Employee insurance premiums · 48.3
Total €481.2 billion. Source: Miljoenennota 2027, Ministerie van Financiën

What grows and what shrinks

An ageing population pushes social security up; asylum spending falls

Change in net spending 2031 compared with 2026, € billion

Social security+11Health care+6Municipalities and provinces+6Foreign affairs (incl. EU payments)+5Defence+2Justice and security+1Housing and spatial planning+1Agriculture and nature+1Education, culture and science-1Interior affairs-1Asylum and migration-4Climate and green growth-6
Climate spending is distorted by a loan of up to €8 billion to fill gas storage in 2026 and 2027, repaid the year after. Asylum spending falls as funding for displaced people from Ukraine and for emergency reception winds down. Source: Miljoenennota 2027, Ministerie van Financiën

What changes for you

  • The employment tax credit (arbeidskorting) goes up by €173 in 2027.
  • Income tax in the first and second brackets drops by 0.06 percentage points in 2027.
  • The point where the top income tax rate starts stays at its 2026 level in 2027.
  • The tax credit for older people (ouderenkorting) goes down by €100 in 2027.
  • The planned €60 increase of the health insurance deductible (eigen risico) is postponed to 2028; health insurance premiums rise as a result.
  • The tax on tap water goes up by 10 cents in 2027.
  • The tax deduction for specific healthcare costs is abolished from 2028.

The income tax changes are a 'technical' first version; the final rates are set in the tax plan (Belastingplan) that parliament votes on this autumn.

The words you will hear

Prinsjesdag
Budget Day, the third Tuesday of September. The King reads the government's plans in the speech from the throne (troonrede) and the finance minister presents the budget to parliament.
Miljoenennota
The budget memorandum: the government's plans for spending and taxes for the coming year, with forecasts for the years after. Parliament debates and amends it in the autumn.
Eigen risico
The mandatory deductible in Dutch basic health insurance: the amount adults pay themselves each year before the insurer pays most care costs. GP visits are exempt.
Arbeidskorting
The employment tax credit: a reduction of income tax for people in work, so that working pays more than not working.

Source: Miljoenennota 2027, Ministerie van Financiën. All figures are the government's own estimates for 2027 and may change when parliament amends the budget.