How Much Mortgage Can I Get in the Netherlands? The 2026 Lending Rules

Two limits: your income and the home

The lower of the two is your maximum. The buying costs cannot be borrowed, so they come from your own money.

How the income limit is calculated

1. 1
   Test income (toetsinkomen)

   Your gross yearly income from stable sources, usually including holiday allowance and a fixed 13th month. For two applicants, both incomes count in full (100%, since 2023).

2. 2
   Financing cost percentage

   Look up the percentage for your income and the test rate in the 2026 table. Example: a test income of €70,000 at a test rate between 3.501% and 4% gives 23.6%.

3. 3
   Maximum monthly cost

   Income × percentage ÷ 12, minus the monthly cost of other debts.

4. 4
   Turn it into a loan

   The loan whose 30-year annuity payment at the test rate equals that monthly amount, whatever repayment type you actually choose.

Fixed for 10 years or longer

Test rate = the rate you are offered.

Fixed for less than 10 years, or variable

Test rate = at least 5%, set each quarter by the AFM (5% throughout 2026). This protects you against a jump in payments when a short fixed period ends.

Maximum mortgage by income, 2026

Percentages from the official 2026 table (Tijdelijke regeling hypothecair krediet, annex 1, table 1, for applicants below state pension age), applied with the method above and rounded to €1,000. Lenders may add the extras below, use a slightly different income, or apply their own stricter rules, so treat this as the legal ceiling, not a promise.

What adds to your maximum

Single applicant

From a test income of €30,000, the lender may leave up to €17,000 out of the income test, so you can borrow up to that much more. A lender may, not must.

Partner's income

Counts in full, just like the main income.

Energy label of the home

A better label adds a fixed amount (table below), on top of the income limit.

Energy-saving measures

Insulation, a heat pump or solar panels you finance with the mortgage add a fixed amount, and may take the loan up to 106% of the value.

From 1 January 2026 the extras for A+++ and A++++ homes went down, because those homes have little energy bill left to save.

What lowers it: student debt and other loans

Student debt (DUO)

Since 2024 lenders use your actual monthly DUO repayment, grossed up with a factor that depends on the rate. Every €100 a month costs at least €21,500 of mortgage at 3.8%, and more after the gross-up.

Personal loans, car lease, credit cards

Most lenders count 2% of a credit limit as a monthly cost, even if you never use it. A €2,500 card limit is €50 a month, about €10,500 less mortgage. Cancel limits you do not need.

Alimony you pay

Reduces your test income or counts as a monthly cost.

BKR record

Every loan and credit limit is registered at the BKR. A payment arrears code can mean a refusal. Records stay 5 years after a loan ends; a bill to shorten this to 3 years is before parliament.

Three examples

The couple could borrow about €467,000, but for a €450,000 home the 100% limit applies first. The expat's 30% ruling raises net pay, not the maximum: lenders test gross income against the same table (expat mortgages). The starter with €100 a month of student debt would lose at least €21,500.

How much can I borrow? · Annuity, linear or interest-only · Interest rates and fixed periods · Mortgage interest deduction · NHG · Buying costs · Mortgages for expats · Moving, repaying, divorce, selling · Mortgage glossary