Most households will have more cash to spend this year

Almost every type of household in the Netherlands will have more to spend this year, apart from single people on minimum incomes who will be hit hard by the decision to stop paying extra energy benefits, family spending institute Nibud said on Thursday. 

“I expect a lot of people to be happy,” director Arjan Vliegenthart told broadcaster NOS. “They have more perspective after last year’s knock. This will be a year to take stock and build up savings again.”  

Families with children will benefit from increases in child benefits and families with two working parents may be up to €300 a month better off, Nibud calculations show. 

However, the loss of energy benefits this year will have an impact on single people with very low incomes, Vliegenhart said. “A couple of tens of euros a month is a lot when you have a small budget,” he said. 

The government has agreed to maintain extra help for people with very low incomes through a special emergency fund. They can claim if their energy bill accounts for at least 8% to 10% of their monthly income.

The government’s macro-economic spending unit expects wages to rise by an average of 5.4% this year.

Check the impact of tax and benefit changes on your income