Beslagvrije voet explained: the money you must keep even under seizure (2026 amounts)

A wage or benefit seizure letter is the last link in the debt chain, and most people read it as "now everything is gone." It is not. In the Netherlands, seizure applies not to your entire income but to the part above a certain amount. That amount is called the beslagvrije voetprotected minimum income · the monthly amount you must be left with to live on, even under seizure, and if it was calculated wrong, you have the right to get it corrected.

What it means, and where it applies

The beslagvrije voetprotected minimum income · the monthly amount you must be left with to live on, even under seizure is the net income you must be left with every month, even under seizure or offsetting. It applies no matter who the creditor is: a private creditor's deurwaarderbailiff, Belastingdienst, Dienst Toeslagen, the municipality or CJIB.

Income it applies to:

• wages (loonbeslagwage seizure),
• unemployment, sickness and social assistance benefits,
• pension,
• offsetting (verrekeningoffsetting · a government institution deducting a debt from an amount it owes you) carried out by government institutions for their own claims.

There is a special rule for toeslagen: only the landlord can seize huurtoeslag, only the health insurer can seize zorgtoeslag, and only the childcare provider can seize kinderopvangtoeslag, each only for its own claim. Other private creditors normally cannot seize these allowances at all. Separate rules apply when Dienst Toeslagen collects its own toeslag debts.

How is it calculated?

The starting point is the social assistance norm (bijstandsnormsocial assistance norm · the minimum subsistence amount that is the starting point of the calculation) set for your household situation. If your income is at or below this norm, the beslagvrije voetprotected minimum income · the monthly amount you must be left with to live on, even under seizure is 95 percent of your net income including holiday pay, meaning at most 5 percent goes towards the seizure. As income rises, the amount rises too, up to a ceiling. The ceilings that apply from 1 July 2026:

Household situation	Monthly ceiling
Single, no children	2,208.48 euro
Single parent	2,543.75 euro
Married or living together, no children	2,905.79 euro
Married or living together, with children	3,179.68 euro

The amounts are updated every January and July. Every euro above these ceilings can be seized.

Three more things change the calculation:

• High rent or mortgage. If your housing cost is above 1,026.22 euro (2026), the amount is raised for 18 months on request; the period can be extended by 6 months.
• A partner's income. Your partner's income, if they live at the same address, is also taken into account in the calculation. Because of this, the beslagvrije voetprotected minimum income · the monthly amount you must be left with to live on, even under seizure can drop to as low as 50 percent in some cases.
• Your other income. If you have another wage, benefit or income, that can be taken into account in the calculation too.

If you have unusual expenses (high medical costs, a long commute, childcare), you can rely on the hardship clause (hardheidsclausulehardship clause · a way to ask the court for a higher amount in cases of unusual expenses) to ask the kantonrechtersubdistrict court judge for a higher amount; the court fee for this in 2026 is 93 euro.

How does the bailiff know the calculation?

Since 2021 you are no longer asked questions to make this calculation. The deurwaarderbailiff takes your income data from UWV's insurance records (Polisadministratie) and your household and address data from the population register (BRPpopulation register · Basisregistratie Personen; household information is taken from here), and calculates the beslagvrije voetprotected minimum income · the monthly amount you must be left with to live on, even under seizure from that. When the seizure is placed you are sent a summary (modelmededelingstandard notice · the summary sent when seizure is placed, showing the calculation and the data used) showing the result of the calculation and the data used.

This summary is the most important letter in the file. If you report wrong or missing information within 4 weeks of the date on the summary, the new calculation applies from the date on your summary. Reported after 4 weeks, a change only applies from the moment you report it; money over-deducted in the months in between is not returned.

You can also check the calculation yourself: the site uwbeslagvrijevoet.nl calculates it using the same rules; compare it against the amount in the letter.

If information is missing, the amount drops

If your address is not in the population register, for example because you moved abroad without deregistering, or you are staying unregistered at someone else's address, the deurwaarderbailiff cannot determine your household situation, and the beslagvrije voetprotected minimum income · the monthly amount you must be left with to live on, even under seizure is reduced to 47.5 percent of the couple's norm. This amount can fall well short of what someone actually living alone with a child is entitled to. Fixing your address registration is the first step to take in this situation.

Bank account seizure: beslagvrij bedragprotected account balance · the amount that cannot be touched when a bank account is seized

If a bank account is seized instead of wages, a separate protection applies: the beslagvrij bedragprotected account balance · the amount that cannot be touched when a bank account is seized. The part of the balance in the account that matches your household situation cannot be touched. The amounts are the same as the ceilings in the table above, and apply regardless of your income.

A bank account seizure is a snapshot. The beslagvrij bedragprotected account balance · the amount that cannot be touched when a bank account is seized is applied to the balance in the account at the moment the seizure is placed. New money paid into the account after the seizure does not automatically fall under the existing seizure. If loonbeslagwage seizure is also placed on your wages, the beslagvrije voetprotected minimum income · the monthly amount you must be left with to live on, even under seizure rules apply to that seizure.

If there are several seizures

When two creditors place a seizure on the same wages, neither can deduct separately. A single coordinating bailiff (coördinerend deurwaardercoordinating bailiff · the single bailiff who does the calculation and distributes the money when there are several seizures) does the calculation, totals the amount that can be seized, and distributes it among the creditors. The beslagvrije voetprotected minimum income · the monthly amount you must be left with to live on, even under seizure is applied once; what is left for you does not shrink with the number of seizures.

If the letter has arrived

1. Check the data in the modelmededelingstandard notice · the summary sent when seizure is placed, showing the calculation and the data used. Household situation, number of children, partner's income, housing cost. If any of it is wrong, report it to the deurwaarderbailiff in writing within 4 weeks and attach your supporting document.
2. Tell your employer. With loonbeslagwage seizure your employer carries out the deduction; it is better they hear it from you than get a surprise letter. An employer cannot dismiss you because of a seizure.
3. Have the amount recalculated. Rent went up, a partner left, a child was born: every change requires a new calculation. The deurwaarderbailiff also recalculates automatically at least once a year.
4. If what remains is not enough, apply for the municipality's free debt assistance (schuldhulpverlening). You can ask for help even while the seizure continues; the municipality helps with your debts and with arrangements that can be made with creditors.

What Letrin does with this letter

A seizure notice is a letter loaded with figures and abbreviations. Letrin reads the photo and tells you in your own language: who is placing the seizure, for which income, what household situation and income were used in the calculation, what the beslagvrije voetprotected minimum income · the monthly amount you must be left with to live on, even under seizure comes out to, and which day the 4 week correction period ends.

If you want to request a correction, it prepares a formal Dutch draft with a translation beside it. It sets reminders for the 4 week period: 7 days before, 2 days before and the morning of the last day.

Downloading the app is as easy as the button below: no account needed, and the first explanations are free.

Check it against the paper

Explanations are there to help and they are not legal advice. The amounts change every January and July; the figure that applies is in your own notice and on uwbeslagvrijevoet.nl.

In a real dispute, Juridisch Loket and the municipality's sociaal raadslieden are free.