Loan Affordability (BKR)
Whether a personal loan's monthly installment fits within a conservative share of net income, alongside existing debt.
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Open a step for the sum with your figures, what the step does, and what the Dutch terms mean.
What you can carry€ 450
What this step does: Lenders follow the national lending standards (Nibud/leennormen): a share of your income may go to housing costs, depending on your income and the interest rate. An energy-efficient home allows a little more.
A cautious guideline: all consumer credit together at most 15% of your net income.
This loan€ 301
What this step does: A consumer loan is tested against your income by the lender (BKR registration). It also lowers how much mortgage you can get later.
Room left€ 149
What this step does: If your pension build-up at work is low, you may pay into an annuity or pension bank account and deduct it in Box 1, up to the room (jaarruimte). Unused room from the past ten years can be used too (reserveringsruimte).
- BKR registers your creditStichting BKR (Bureau Krediet Registratie) keeps a central record of consumer credit (loans, credit cards, and some phone/leasing contracts) that Dutch lenders check before approving new credit.
- Lenders cap total debt service, not just this loanA lender looks at all your registered obligations together, not just the new loan in isolation. Existing payments reduce how much new credit you can be approved for.
- Financieringslastpercentage tablesThe actual maximum is set by NIBUD/NVB tables that vary by income band and interest rate, similar in spirit to the mortgage income-multiple tables. This calculator uses a flat, conservative 15%-of-net-income guideline instead, as a rough first check.
- A negative BKR registration follows youMissing payments can result in a negative BKR code that stays on record for years and makes it much harder to get a mortgage or new credit later, even after the debt is repaid.
- How it worksLenders look at what you can repay from your net income after fixed costs. This calculator uses a common guideline: monthly repayments on all your loans together of at most about 15% of your net income. It compares that with the instalment of the loan you have in mind, at its interest rate and term. Every loan or credit line above €250 that runs longer than three months is registered with BKR, and lenders and mortgage advisers will see it.
- A worked exampleWith €3,000 net a month and no other loans, the guideline leaves room for about €450 a month in repayments. A €15,000 loan at 8% over five years costs about €304 a month, so it fits with about €146 to spare. Keep in mind that a personal loan lowers how much mortgage you can get later, roughly by a multiple of the loan amount.
Frequently asked questions
Does rent or a mortgage count as BKR debt?
A mortgage is BKR-registered, but is assessed separately from consumptive credit like personal loans. Rent payments themselves are not registered.
Can I check my own BKR record?
Yes, for free, via mijnbkr.nl.
Sources: bkr.nl | nibud.nl (financieringslastpercentages)
Uses a 15%-of-net-income guideline for total consumptive-credit obligations: a commonly cited conservative rule of thumb, not the actual NIBUD/NVB financieringslastpercentages tables lenders use (those vary by income band and also factor in a registered BKR history). A real lender's decision can differ significantly from this estimate.