What are payroll taxes?

Payroll taxes consist of the following:

wage tax
national insurance contributions
employed person's insurance contributions
income-dependent contribution pursuant to the Health Care Insurance Act (Zvw)

Wage tax

You withhold wage tax on the wages. Wage tax is an advance levy of income tax.

National insurance contributions

National insurance schemes are social security insurance schemes, with participation which is obligatory by law, that insure residents and employees in the Netherlands against the financial consequences of old age, death, exceptional medical expenses and costs of children. The national insurance schemes consist of:

General Old Age Pensions Act (AOW)
Surviving Dependants Act (Anw)
Long-Term Care Act (Wlz)
General Child Benefit Act (AKW)

You withhold the national insurance contributions and pay the contributions to the Tax Administration. You pay no contribution for the AKW.

Employed persons' insurance contributions

Employed persons' insurance schemes are social security insurance schemes, with participation which is obligatory by law, that insure employees against the financial consequences of illness, occupational disability and unemployment. The employed persons' insurance schemes are:

Sickness Benefits Act (ZW)
Invalidity Insurance Act (WAO) / Work and Income according to Work Capacity Act (WIA)
Unemployment Insurance Act (WW)

You, as the employer, bear the full cost of the contributions.

Income-dependent contribution pursuant to the Health Care Insurance Act

Pursuant to the Health Care Insurance Act (Zvw) employees are required to pay a nominal contribution for their health care insurance to a health care insurer. In addition, you pay the Tax Administration an employer's contribution pursuant to the Zvw for your employee. In some instances your employee pays a contribution pursuant to the Zvw. The umbrella term for the contribution pursuant to the Zvw and the employer's contribution pursuant to the Zvw is 'income-dependent contribution pursuant to the Zvw'.