What huurtoeslag is
Huurtoeslag is the housing allowance in the Netherlands for tenants. It is also called rent benefit or rent allowance. The Belastingdienst (the Dutch tax authority) pays it every month as a contribution towards your rent.
It is never automatic. You apply for huurtoeslag yourself, once, and it continues each year while you still meet the conditions.
Who qualifies for housing benefit in the Netherlands
The Belastingdienst lists these conditions:
- You are 18 years or older. Under 18, you only qualify in exceptional cases.
- You rent an independent home and have a rental agreement with your landlord.
- You live in the Netherlands and are registered at that address with the gemeente (municipality).
- You pay the rent yourself and can show it with bank statements.
- You have Dutch nationality or legal residence, such as a valid residence permit. The same goes for your benefit partner (toeslagpartner) and co-residents aged 18 or older.
- Your income is not too high. There is no single income limit: the maximum depends on your rent, your age and your household.
- Your assets on 1 January 2026 are at most €38,479 per person, or €76,958 for you and your benefit partner together. Assets of a child under 18 who lives with you count as yours.
- Neither your benefit partner nor a co-resident owns the home.
Housemates: who counts
Everyone registered at your address usually counts as a co-resident (medebewoner). That includes a child, a parent or a flatmate. Their income and assets usually count too. Your benefit partner counts for the rules, but not as a co-resident.
These people do not count:
- a subtenant (onderhuurder)
- someone who only uses your address as a postal address, if the gemeente has recorded it that way
- in most cases, refugees from Ukraine with temporary protection
A new housemate counts from the 1st of the month after they register, or from the same day if they register on the 1st.
Which homes count
Huurtoeslag is only for independent accommodation. The home needs its own:
- living or sleeping room
- kitchen with a sink, water and a connection for a cooker
- toilet
- shower or bath (required since 1 March 2024)
- door that locks from inside and outside
If you share the kitchen, toilet, shower or bath with other tenants, the home does not count. That is why a rented room usually gets no huurtoeslag.
Some homes have their own rules:
- A shared floor counts if you share only the front door, hall, stairs or lift.
- A split house counts. Does the other unit have the same house number, with no addition such as "bis" or "boven"? Then the Belastingdienst may count its residents as yours. Call the BelastingTelefoon to have it recorded as a split property.
- A trailer home on a recognised pitch counts, including the pitch rent. A houseboat does not.
- A holiday home counts only if it allows permanent residence.
Which part of the rent counts
Only the basic rent (kale huur) counts: the rent for the home itself, without service costs, gas, water or electricity. Since 1 January 2026, service costs no longer count at all. Until 2025, some of them could be added.
You find the basic rent in your rental agreement or in the yearly rent increase letter. If you pay an all-in rent, ask your landlord to split it into basic rent and other rental costs.
How much rent allowance you can get
There is no standard amount. It depends on your age, your household, your rent, and your income and assets. A few fixed points for 2026:
- A lower income usually means more huurtoeslag. Above a certain income, you get nothing.
- You always pay part of the rent yourself, about €200.
- The Dutch government dropped the hard rent limit in 2026, so higher rents can still qualify. But the part of the rent above €932.93 a month does not count, or above €498.20 if everyone in the household is under 21. Until 2025, a rent above the limit usually meant no huurtoeslag at all.
A trial calculation on the Belastingdienst website shows what you would get.
How to apply for huurtoeslag
You apply in Mijn toeslagen, the Belastingdienst's online portal. You need:
- a DigiD to log in
- your citizen service number (BSN), which you get when you register with the gemeente
- your rental agreement or rent increase letter, for the basic rent
Mijn toeslagen is only in Dutch. If you cannot apply alone, call the BelastingTelefoon. They can book an appointment for help with the application.
You can apply for a year until 31 December of the following year, so for 2025 until 31 December 2026. If you have a postponement for your income tax return, you can apply until that postponement ends. The Belastingdienst page on applying for a benefit has the details in English.
Moving and other changes
Report changes that can affect your huurtoeslag within 4 weeks, in Mijn toeslagen. Think of a new income, a new rent, a move, or someone moving in or out. If the amount changes, a new decision usually follows within 5 weeks.
When you move, check that the new home counts and report the new rent. Keep your gemeente registration correct, because it decides who counts as a co-resident. See the Belastingdienst page on submitting a change.
What the KNM exam asks about this
KNM tests the real-life rule, not the calculation. Huurtoeslag helps with rent, and you apply for it yourself. Income, assets, rent and household all affect it. You can practise with DUO's official practice materials.