What zorgtoeslag is
Zorgtoeslag, called healthcare allowance or healthcare benefit in English, is a monthly payment from the Dutch government towards your health insurance premium and your eigen risico (compulsory excess).
Almost everyone who lives or works in the Netherlands must get Dutch basic health insurance. If your income is low, zorgtoeslag helps pay for it. It is not a discount from your zorgverzekeraar (health insurer), and a cheaper or more expensive policy does not change the amount. What counts is your toetsingsinkomen (assessment income, roughly your gross income over the year) and whether you have a toeslagpartner (benefit partner).
You can only get zorgtoeslag if you have Dutch health insurance or are registered with the CAK (Centraal Administratie Kantoor). So arrange your insurance first, then apply for the benefit. Government.nl's healthcare benefit page gives the official overview.
Who qualifies
You can get zorgtoeslag if all of these apply to you:
- You are 18 or older.
- You have Dutch health insurance.
- Your income in 2026 is no higher than €40,857, or €51,142 together with a benefit partner.
- Your assets on 1 January 2026 are no higher than €146,011, or €184,633 together.
- You, and your partner if you have one, are lawfully resident in the Netherlands.
Different rules apply to some groups, such as people in the military, people without a fixed address and people who live, work or study abroad. Belastingdienst lists the conditions on Kan ik zorgtoeslag krijgen.
Zorgtoeslag for expats and other foreign nationals
There is no separate zorgtoeslag buitenlander scheme: a foreign national gets the same benefit on the same income and asset limits. The zorgtoeslag expat rules only add one condition, about your residence status:
- EU, EEA or Swiss nationality: you need a valid residence status, which Dienst Toeslagen checks with your gemeente (municipality). You do not need a residence permit.
- Any other nationality: you need a valid residence permit that gives a right to benefits. Your benefit partner needs a valid permit too.
- Partner still waiting for a permit: you can still get zorgtoeslag while your partner waits for a decision on a permit application, or awaits the outcome of an objection or appeal in the Netherlands.
If your permit is about to expire, apply for the extension in time, or the benefit can stop. The details are on Belastingdienst's page Ik ben geen Nederlander.
How much you can get
The amount depends on your income and on whether you have a benefit partner. The 2026 monthly amounts, rounded:
- Without a benefit partner: €129 at an income up to €29,500, €69 at €35,000, €6 at €40,500, and nothing from €41,000.
- With a benefit partner: €246 together at a joint income up to €29,500, €129 at €40,000, €3 at €51,000, and nothing from €51,500.
For 2025 the maximum was €131 alone and €250 together, with nothing from €39,719 and €50,206. Check your exact amount in the current tables on Hoeveel zorgtoeslag, because the figures change every year.
How to apply
You apply online in Mijn toeslagen, which is only available in Dutch:
- Take out Dutch health insurance.
- Make sure you have a BSN (you get it when you register with the gemeente) and a DigiD.
- Log in to Mijn toeslagen and submit the application.
You only apply once; the benefit continues each year while you meet the conditions. You can apply for a year until 31 December of the following year, so for 2025 until 31 December 2026 and for 2026 until 31 December 2027 (Belastingdienst). Applying soon after you are insured is still the safer choice. If you cannot do it online, call the BelastingTelefoon to make an appointment at a tax office or a benefits service point.
Report changes and avoid paying it back
Zorgtoeslag is paid in advance on an estimate. After the year ends, Dienst Toeslagen calculates what you were really entitled to, and if you received too much, you pay the difference back.
Report changes in Mijn toeslagen within 4 weeks, for example a pay rise, a new job, more savings, moving in together, marriage or divorce. You usually hear within 5 weeks whether your amount changes. Keep your estimated income realistic and check each year that your assets on 1 January stay under the limit.
Dutch terms you will see in Mijn toeslagen
Mijn toeslagen and the letters from Dienst Toeslagen are in Dutch. These words come up most:
- zorgtoeslag aanvragen: apply for the healthcare allowance
- voorwaarden voor zorgtoeslag: the conditions for zorgtoeslag
- inkomen en vermogen: income and assets
- toetsingsinkomen: the income your benefit is based on
- verblijfsvergunning: residence permit
- per maand: per month, as the amounts are shown
- wijziging doorgeven: report a change
- terugbetalen: pay back