Your pay has been deposited into your bank account! You worked hard for it and you also receive your payslip. Lots of numbers, amounts and descriptions. But what does all of this mean? Below you will find a short explanation of what you can find on your payslip.
To begin with, a number of personal details are shown. You can also find your employer's details here. In addition, the period to which this statement applies is always indicated.
The amount you receive in your bank account is your net pay. That is the amount shown on the bottom line of the summary. Before you receive this, a number of items are calculated based on your gross salary. Your gross salary is the amount you earn for your worked hours, including any allowances, bonuses, public holidays and paid sick days. When all these amounts are added together, the social security (RSZ) contribution is deducted first. This is 13.07% of 108% of your gross salary if you are a worker. If you work as an employee, the 13.07% is calculated on 100% of your salary.
After the RSZ contribution has been deducted from your gross salary, you have the taxable salary. From this amount the withholding tax (payroll withholding) is deducted. The amount of withholding tax can vary from person to person and may depend on your family situation. Therefore a colleague with the same working hours may have more or less withholding tax than you.
Important: the withholding tax that has been withheld is an advance on the total tax you owe for the year. When your tax return is filed, you will receive the final settlement. If it then turns out that too much was withheld, you will receive the overpaid amount back from the tax authorities. If too little was paid, you will be asked to pay the difference.
We return to the amount you first look at on your payslip: the net pay. This is the amount that remains after the RSZ contribution and the withholding tax have been deducted. You may also see an amount listed under "sociaal abonnement" (social subscription). These are the travel costs reimbursed to you, depending on the number of kilometres to your workplace and the number of days worked. There may also be a net deduction, such as a deposit. That amount is then deducted from your pay.
In some jobs you are also entitled to meal vouchers. You will contribute a small amount per voucher yourself. You can find this on your payslip under "meal voucher contribution". The number of meal vouchers earned is paid out to you monthly.