Are you an international student planning to study in the Netherlands? As you begin this thrilling adventure, it is crucial to grasp the financial considerations, particularly concerning accommodation. Fortunately, the Dutch government provides a rent benefit program that can help ease the financial burden for international students. In this blog post, we will explore the details of the rent benefit program, eligibility criteria, application process, and other essential information to help you make the most of this opportunity.
What Is Rent Benefit?
The Rent Benefit, also known as rent subsidy, housing allowance, housing benefit, or huurtoeslag (and various other terms), is a monthly allowance provided by the Dutch government to subsidize those who don’t have any sufficient income or students, including eligible international students, with amounts ranging up to several hundreds of euros per month. The government contribution will help you with paying your rental costs as the rental price will be lowered thanks to the rent subsidy.
The allowance year is a calendar year, which means it goes from the 1st January to the 1st January of the following year. The allowance can also be applied for the previous year until 1st September of the next year. For example, in 2023, you can apply for the subsidies for 2023 until 1st September 2024.
Once the Dutch Tax Administration has approved your eligibility for rent allowance, you will receive the rent subsidy. The amount will be transferred to your bank account. It is mandatory that this is a Dutch bank account. The rent allowances are paid in advance, mostly on the 20th of the month for the following month. Please note that your rent subsidy will not be deducted from your rent. You still need to pay the full amount of rent to your landlord as your contract agrees.
What Are The Conditions For Rent Subsidy In The Netherlands?
In order to apply for rent subsidy, you must meet the following conditions:
- You are 18 years of age or older
- You have a signed rental contract with your landlord and are registered at the same address with ‘Gemeente’ (Dutch municipality) or ‘Belastingdienst’ (Dutch tax administration).
- You live in a student complex* or self-contained accommodation** with your own bedroom, own bathroom and own kitchen, meaning no house sharing.
- Your rent, annual income and capital (savings, shares, investments) do not exceed certain limits (which change every year; for details, please see below).
- You have the nationality of an EU country, Liechtenstein, Norway, Iceland or Switzerland. For non-EU nationality, a valid residence permit or work permit in the Netherlands is needed.
- You have a valid BSN number (citizens services number from Dutch government)
- You have a valid Dutch bank account.
- You must live in the Netherlands.
If you have a fiscal partner, your partner must meet the requirements as mentioned above as well. A fiscal partner is an individual with whom you share certain financial responsibilities and can combine incomes and deductions for tax purposes, potentially resulting in tax advantages and benefits.
And of course, we assist with applying for rent benefit.
*Students living in student housing complexes are eligible for the housing allowance if the building was indicated as suitable for housing allowance before July 1st, 1997.
**House boot and Temporary stay (less than six months on contract) do not qualify as an independent accommodation.
Yearly Income Restrictions In 2023
Starting from January 1, 2020, there have been changes to the Rent Benefit Act. The good news is that the maximum income limits are no longer a barrier, so you won’t lose your rent benefit right away if your income increases slightly. Instead, the benefit will be gradually reduced over a longer period as your income grows. This new law ensures that even small income increases won’t make you lose your rent benefit instantly, giving you more stability and support during your studies.
The eligibility and amount of rent benefit (huurtoeslag) are determined by various factors, including yearly income, also referred to as ‘toetsingsinkomen’ or ‘assessable income.’ Unlike fixed income limits, there is no specific threshold, as the allowable income depends on factors such as rent, age, and household composition. Additionally, when assessing eligibility, the assessable income of a benefit partner is combined with the applicant’s income. This ensures a fair evaluation, taking into account the income levels of both individuals.
The most reliable way to determine your eligibility for an allowance is by using the calculation tool provided on the website of the Tax and Customs Administration. If the calculation indicates that your estimated income qualifies you for an allowance, you can log in using your DigiD and proceed with the application process. If you’re unsure about estimating your income or want to avoid potential repayment of an allowance later on, you can choose to wait until you have a clearer understanding of your 2021 income. Alternatively, you may opt to estimate your income higher than expected, resulting in a reduced allowance initially. However, once your actual income is confirmed, you will still receive a supplementary payment to account for the difference.
Capital Restrictions:
Your Savings, Investments And Private Assets
Do you or your allowance partner have assets, such as savings or investments? If the amount exceeds a certain limit on January 1, 2023, you will not be eligible for housing allowance for the entire year. The table below shows the permissible level of assets.
| Your situation | Max amount for 2023 |
| No fiscal partner | € 33.748 |
| With fiscal partner | € 67.496 |
Rent Restriction
| Age | Rent per month* | |
| 18 – 23 | no kids | Max € 452,20 |
| 18 – 23 | with kids | Max € 808,06 |
| 23+ | Max € 808,06 |
*Rent per month = basic rent + service costs.
The age limit is applicable to the entire household, which means that if one of the residents is older than 23, then the entire household is qualified as ’23+’. (2021)
A Trial Calculation For Rent Benefit
Here is the website for the trial calculation of your rent benefit; however it is only available in Dutch. But don’t worry! We will guide you step by step on how to do it yourself. It gives you an idea of your rent allowance per month. Please note that the result may differ based on your exact amount of assets and rent.
You can click ‘Ja’ for yes and ‘Nee’ for no.
1: Choose the valid year of your rent allowance
2: Choose ‘Huurtoeslag’
3: Fill in your date of birth
4: Select the country you live in, which must be the Netherlands.
5: Do you have fiscal partner*?
*fiscal partner is usually your spouse or registered partner, or someone who is registered at your address (unless it’s a tenant), therefore the income of your tax partner is also included for the calculation
6: Fill in the yearly assessment income of your rent benefit valid year
7: Do you live in rooms, in a group home for the elderly or in a residential building for assisted living?
8: Has the house been adapted because someone in the house is disabled?
9: How many housemates do you have?
If you’re living alone, you fill in 0. If you live with another person in the accommodation, you fill in 1.
10: How much basic rent do you pay for the house per month? (which is excluding service or supplier costs) one or two additional questions will show up (step 11 and 12). If not, skip to Step 13.
11: How much service costs do you pay per month?
The Dutch Authorities only include the service costs for:
- cleaning costs for common areas
- energy costs for common areas
- costs for the services of a caretaker, flat watch or neighborhood concierge
- costs for service and recreation areas
Check your rental agreement and add up those costs. For every service cost, the maximum to fill in is 12 euro, even if you pay more. So, in total, you can maximum fill in €48.
Step 12: Is your capital greater than €33.748 on the 1st of January 2023?
Your savings, investments and private assets
Step 13: Click on ‘Bereken’, meaning calculate. Step 12: The results will either show:
– ‘U krijgt geen huurtoeslag’ Meaning: You are not eligible for rent allowance
– ‘Uw huurtoeslag is €…. per maand.’ Meaning: Your rent allowance is €… per month.
You can calculate it yourself here; https://www.belastingdienst.nl/rekenhulpen/toeslagen/ or find more information regarding rental allowance here; belastingdienst.nl/wps/wcm/connect/bldcontentnl/belastingdienst/prive/toeslagen/huurtoeslag/
Do you have any specific questions?
You can call the Belastingtelefoon (Tax phone) for free 0800-0543.
They are more than happy to help you with your tax-related questions.
