When Your Assignment Ends: Housing, Insurance and Final Pay

One part of flex work is that assignments end: the season is over, the company needs fewer people, or you decide to move on. At that moment several things are decided at once – housing, insurance, final pay – and if you are not careful, you can easily lose money or your place to live. This guide helps you make sure nothing is missed.

First: know when and why it ends

It matters whether the assignment simply runs out, the agency ends it, or you quit. Your contract and the collective agreement for agency workers (the ABU and NBBU CAO) decide which rules apply to you.

What to ask the agency: - Exactly which day is your last working day? - Is there another assignment they can move you to? - What notice periods apply under your contract?

Ask for the answers in writing, for example by email. This can prevent a lot of arguments later.

What happens to your housing?

This is the most urgent question. Labour migrants often have no tenant protection, so if you live in housing from the agency, it often ends together with the job. The Dutch housing ministry (BZK) is preparing changes, but for now this is what you should expect.

Good to know: the rental contract must be separate from the employment contract. Check what your rental contract says about moving out.

To do: - Ask how long you can stay, and if there is a temporary option while you look for new work. - If you paid a deposit, agree when and how you get it back. - When you move out, take photos of the room, so you have proof of its condition. - Was the rent deducted from your pay? Check on your last loonstrook (pay statement) that they only charge for the time you really stayed there.

Your final pay and the loonstrook

The final pay statement is where mistakes happen most easily, and many people do not even check it, because by then they have gone home.

Check: - that all hours you worked are there, including overtime, - that the deductions (housing, insurance, transport) are correct, - that you got all your loonstrooks, and that you can still get to them after you stop working there.

Save or take photos of all your payslips. You may need them later for your tax return or in case of a dispute.

Vakantiegeld and pension

During the assignment, your vakantiegeld (holiday pay) follows the hiring company's percentage, which is usually 8% of gross pay. It is often saved for you and paid out around the end of May.

If your job ends earlier, ask the agency: - how much vakantiegeld you have built up, - when and how it will be paid, - what happens to your unused days off.

Agency workers build up a pension in the sector pension scheme. If a contribution was deducted from your pay, it is worth asking where you can see the amount built up, and what happens to it if you leave the Netherlands. The pension fund or the agency can give you an exact answer.

Money to cover the gap

Between the end of one assignment and the start of the next job, a few weeks often pass. If you also have to move in that time, your costs can suddenly go up: travel, temporary housing, a deposit for a new place.

• Save regularly while you are working, even if it is a small amount.
• Work out roughly how much you need to live for one week, and keep several times that as savings.
• Do not expect your final pay to arrive straight away: ask which day they will transfer it.

Health insurance

Zorgverzekering (health insurance) is compulsory as long as you live or work in the Netherlands and pay tax on your wages. In 2026 the average basic insurance is €1 884 per year, about €157 per month.

To do: - If the agency arranged your insurance, ask when it ends and who tells the insurer. - If you stay in the Netherlands and look for a new job, do not stay without insurance. Ask the insurer how you can continue. - If you go home, ask the insurer what you need to do to cancel it. - If you received zorgtoeslag (an allowance towards the insurance premium), report the change in your income to Dienst Toeslagen.

Papers you should not forget

• Address: if you move, tell the municipality, and give an address where you can get your letters.
• DigiD: keep your login, because you will use it for Dutch government matters later too.
• Tax: you may have things to do for the Belastingdienst (tax office), and you may get tax back. It is worth looking into, or asking for help.
• Unemployment benefit: you can ask the UWV whether you can get WW benefit. According to CBS, about 197 thousand WW benefits were paid in the Netherlands in September 2026. Whether you can get it depends on your own work history; the UWV can tell you.
• Certificates: ask for an employer's statement or a reference if it can help with your next job.

The agency, the Belastingdienst, the Juridisch Loket or a trade union (FNV, CNV) can give you reliable information about your own situation.

Your next job

In 2026 the Dutch labour market is still looking for people in many jobs, although according to CBS unemployment was 4.0% in September 2026 and slowly rose in the months before. The sooner you start looking, the smaller the chance that you stay without work for a long time.

A few things that matter for your next assignment: - From 1 January 2027 only licensed agencies may supply workers (the Wtta law). Check who you sign a contract with. - Most of the Wet meer zekerheid flexwerkers (the law on security for flex workers) comes into force on 1 January 2028, and it promises a faster path to a permanent contract.

On Eyesonworks.eu you can filter by housing, net weekly pay or type of work, and you always reach the agency's original job ad.

In short

• Ask for your last working day and the move-out conditions in writing.
• Check your last loonstrook, and save all your payslips.
• Ask about your built-up vakantiegeld and pension before you leave.
• Do not stay without insurance, and report changes to the insurer and to Dienst Toeslagen.
• Start looking for your next job and housing in time.