Health Insurance Cost and Healthcare Allowance (Zorgverzekering, Zorgtoeslag)
Estimated 2026 net annual cost of a health insurance plan: premium, deductible exposure, and zorgtoeslag, so you can compare choosing a higher voluntary deductible.
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Open a step for the sum with your figures, what the step does, and what the Dutch terms mean.
Deductible (eigen risico)€ 385
What this step does: The compulsory excess on basic health insurance: the first part of most care costs each year you pay yourself. GP visits are always free of it.
Healthcare allowance (zorgtoeslag)€ 124,22
What this step does: Help with the cost of your health insurance. The full amount at low incomes, then it goes down as your income rises, until it stops. It stops completely if your savings are above the limit.
The full amount up to the threshold income, then 13.73% of the income above it comes off the yearly amount. Within a few euros of the official table.
Cost a year€ 621
What this step does: Everything you pay in a year, so options with monthly and one-off costs can be compared.
- Basic insurance is mandatory and standardizedEveryone living or working in the Netherlands must buy a basisverzekering (basic insurance). Every insurer must offer the same legally defined package of covered care, so on paper the coverage is identical; only the premium and service differ.
- Eigen risico (mandatory deductible)You pay the first part of most healthcare costs yourself each year before insurance starts paying: a fixed amount set by the government (GP visits and a few other categories are exempt from it).
- Voluntary extra deductibleYou can opt into a higher deductible in exchange for a lower monthly premium. That's a good trade if you rarely use healthcare, a poor one if you expect to hit the deductible anyway.
- Zorgtoeslag offsets the cost for lower incomesIf your income is under a set threshold, the government pays a monthly allowance (zorgtoeslag) toward your premium, and this calculator nets it against your annual cost automatically.
- How it worksYour yearly cost of Dutch health insurance is the premium for twelve months plus what you pay yourself under the eigen risico: €385 in 2026 for most care, but not for your GP. Choosing a higher voluntary deductible lowers the premium, and pays off only if you rarely need care. On a lower income, healthcare allowance (zorgtoeslag) pays part of the premium; it is calculated here from your income.
- A worked exampleA premium of €160 a month is €1,920 a year. If you expect €1,000 of care that falls under the eigen risico, you pay the first €385 of it. Single on €30,000 a year, you would get about €34 a month in healthcare allowance, so the net cost is about €1,894 a year. Compare policies each November: you can switch until 31 December.
Frequently asked questions
Can I switch insurers?
Yes, once a year, around 1 January, with a cancellation deadline of 31 December for your old policy. You cannot be refused for the basic package regardless of health history.
What about aanvullende verzekering (supplementary insurance)?
Optional add-on cover (e.g. dental, physiotherapy) is not modeled here. Insurers can refuse or price supplementary cover based on health, unlike the basic package.
Does eigen risico reset every year?
Yes, on 1 January, regardless of when in the year you started incurring costs.
Sources: rijksoverheid.nl (zorgverzekering, eigen risico) | belastingdienst.nl (zorgtoeslag)
The voluntary-deductible discount uses a commonly cited market-average rebate, not your specific insurer's actual discount (these vary by insurer and policy). Zorgtoeslag uses the same 2026 formula as the healthcare and rent allowance calculator.