Netherlands Partner Visa Income Requirement: What the IND Checks in 2026

The income requirement is the single most common reason Netherlands partner visa applications are refused. Many sponsors do not discover they fall short until after paying the €254 application fee. Understanding exactly what the IND means by "sufficient, independent, and durable" income — and running the numbers before you apply — prevents this expensive and time-consuming setback.

The Three-Part Test: What Each Word Means

The IND uses precise legal language. "Sufficient, independent, and durable" are three separate tests that all must be passed. Passing two out of three is not enough.

Sufficient

"Sufficient" means your income meets or exceeds the statutory minimum wage (WML) threshold. For 2026, the gross monthly income requirements are:

The 2026 figures represent a 4.4% increase from 2025, in line with collective labor agreement indexation.

What counts toward the income figure: The IND uses your SV-loon — your "insured wage" — which is your gross salary subject to social security contributions. This appears on your payslip and your annual income statement (jaaropgaaf). Regular monthly salary, fixed allowances, and holiday pay all count.

What does not count: Variable bonuses that are not guaranteed, one-off payments, overtime that is not structurally part of the contract, and most social benefits.

Independent

"Independent" means the income derives from work or activities where you contribute to the social security system — not from the system as a recipient. Specifically excluded from the income calculation:

• Social assistance benefits (bijstand)
• Unemployment benefits (WW) that are not tied to prior labor contributions in a qualifying way
• Housing allowance (huurtoeslag)
• Child benefit (kinderbijslag)
• Student grants

Income that generally counts:

• Employment income (salaried work)
• Self-employment profit (with additional documentation requirements — see below)
• Sickness benefits (ZW) that are derived from an employment history
• Certain pension income, depending on its source

Durable

"Durable" means the income will continue for at least 12 months from the date of the IND decision. This is where many applicants run into trouble.

Permanent employment contract: Automatically satisfies the durability test.

Fixed-term contract: Must have at least 12 months remaining at the time of application — not 12 months remaining at the date you submit the documents, but 12 months remaining from when the IND is expected to make a decision (typically 6–12 weeks after submission). This means a contract with 13 months remaining is cutting it very close. If the contract expires within 12 months, the IND can consider it insufficiently durable.

Three-year income history exception: If the sponsor has had a series of temporary contracts that do not have 12 months remaining individually, the IND may accept a 12-month income average over the preceding three years. This requires submitting three years of payslips and employment history to demonstrate consistent earnings.

Not sure if your contract and income will satisfy the IND? The Netherlands Partner/Family Visa Guide includes a financial self-check framework to run before paying the application fee.

The Freelancer and Self-Employment Route

For sponsors who are self-employed (ZZP'ers), the income assessment is considerably more complex.

The IND requires:

1. 18 months of self-employment income history. The sponsor must show that the business has been operating and generating sufficient profit for at least 18 months.
2. Chamber of Commerce (KvK) registration.
3. An accountant's statement (accountantsverklaring) confirming the net profit figures.
4. Three years of tax returns (aangifte inkomstenbelasting) to establish a trend.

The calculation uses net profit — turnover minus business costs, before personal income tax. The IND compares this net profit figure to the same €2,294.40 monthly threshold.

The common trap for freelancers: many ZZP'ers legally minimise their declared profit to reduce their income tax bill. This strategy backfires severely in an IND income assessment, because a lower declared profit means the income appears to fall below the threshold. If you are planning to apply for a partner visa as a freelance sponsor, stopping tax optimisation strategies well before the 18-month assessment window begins is essential.

Savings as a Substitute for Income

In specific "exceptional circumstances," the IND allows the sponsor to use savings instead of monthly income. The savings must:

• Amount to at least 12 times the monthly minimum income threshold — approximately €29,735 for a partner application in 2026
• Have been held in the sponsor's personal account for at least 12 months prior to the application
• Be freely available (not locked in a pension, property, or investment fund)
• Have a clearly documented and lawful source (inheritance, property sale proceeds, etc.)

Savings are not a routine alternative — they require a demonstrated "special circumstance" that makes the regular income route impossible. They are not accepted simply because the income is slightly below threshold.

Multiple Income Sources

If the sponsor has multiple employers or sources of income, those can generally be combined. The IND adds together all qualifying income streams (all of which must independently meet the "independent" test) to reach the total figure. Part-time employment income from two jobs is addable. An employment income plus an unqualified social benefit is not.

How to Do a Pre-Application Income Check

The IND calculates income from your payslips. The simplest way to check your position before applying:

1. Sum your gross salary for the last 3 months (excluding variable bonuses)
2. Multiply by 4 to get an annual figure
3. Add 8% holiday allowance to that annual figure
4. Divide by 12 to get the monthly figure including holiday pay
5. Compare to €2,477.95 (the 2026 monthly threshold including holiday pay)

If your number is at or above the threshold and your contract has at least 12–14 months remaining when you expect to submit, your income profile is likely sound. If you fall below or your contract is expiring, address the issue before submitting — a refusal triggers a delay and does not refund the application fee.

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