Starting a Business

Running a Business Alongside a Job in the Netherlands: What You Can and Must Do

Updated: 6 October 2026 Holdwise editorial team Side Business Employment Tax

You may start a business next to your job in the Netherlands. Many people do this to reduce risk and test their idea first. Rules apply to your employment contract, your tax and the hours criterion. At Holdwise, we updated this answer on 27 May 2026 and change it when the rules change.

Check your employment contract first

First, read your employment contract. Many contracts have a clause under which you need permission for side activities ("nevenwerkzaamheden"). Some also have a non-compete clause ("concurrentiebeding"). If your business competes with your employer, or you breach a side-activity clause, you can get into serious trouble. If you are unsure, ask your employer in writing.

Registering at the KVK

You register your business at the KVK, the Dutch trade register, in the same way as anyone else. You may be an entrepreneur on the side while you are employed.

How tax works

Your salary is taxed as employment income, and your business profit is added to it. As a result, your business profit may be taxed in a higher bracket. You file one income tax return for both. Set money aside for the tax on your business profit, because tax is withheld only from your salary.

The hours criterion is harder to meet

To claim the self-employed deduction, you need at least 1,225 hours per year on your business, on top of your job, and you must spend more time on the business than on your job. That second condition falls away if you spent one or more of the previous five years outside entrepreneurship. For many part-timers, this is hard to reach, and they may lose that deduction. The small business profit exemption still applies.

The advantages

You pay your living costs from your salary while you build up the business.
You can test your idea with far less financial risk.
You build clients and experience before going full-time.

Points to watch

Energy and time: combining two roles is demanding.
Contract clauses: permission and non-compete.
Tax: a higher bracket, and you set aside the tax on your profit yourself.

A Dutch BV with staff or a director on the payroll has to file every month. We do the payslips, the payroll tax return and the yearly forms. See payroll and administration for a Dutch BV.

Which return is due when, and what happens if you miss a date? See running a Dutch BV: taxes, filings and deadlines.

Free advice

Want our team to have a look?

We help you with your tax: salary, dividend and borrowing from your own company. Tell us where you stand or what you are planning. You get free advice on your next step.

Part of Doing Business in the Netherlands, the complete 2026 guide.

Frequently asked questions

Can I start a business while employed? +

Yes. First check your employment contract for side-activity or non-compete clauses. You register at the KVK in the same way as anyone else.

How is my business profit taxed if I also have a salary? +

Your salary and business profit are added together in Box 1, so the profit may fall in a higher bracket. You file one combined income tax return.

Can I claim the self-employed deduction with a side business? +

Only if you spend at least 1,225 hours a year on the business and more time on it than on your job. If you spent one or more of the previous five years outside entrepreneurship, the 1,225 hours are enough. With a part-time business, this is hard. The small business profit exemption still applies in any case.

Sources Belastingdienst · KVK · wetten.overheid.nl Last updated: 6 October 2026