If you've followed the news about Dutch freelancers over the past two years, you could be forgiven for thinking self-employment was on its way out. The latest figures from the Netherlands Chamber of Commerce (KVK) tell a different story. In the third quarter of 2026, 62,395 new businesses registered, 15.4 percent more than a year earlier. According to Dutch public broadcaster NOS (opens in a new tab), that's the steepest rise in years. And 82 percent of those new businesses were started by a zzp'er: the Dutch term for a self-employed professional without staff, or simply a freelancer.
What exactly do the numbers show, what's behind the turnaround, and what does it mean for you, whether you freelance or hire freelancers? Here's the rundown.
What the KVK figures show
- New businesses: 62,395 in Q3 2026, up from 54,092 in Q3 2025 (+15.4%).
- Freelancer share: 82% of all new businesses are freelancers.
- Inflow and outflow: 18.7% more freelancers started out than a year earlier, and 6.2% fewer called it quits.
- Total: on 30 September 2026, 1,825,347 freelancers were listed in the Dutch business register, over 20,000 more than a quarter earlier (+1.1%).
- Sectors: in absolute terms, specialist business services (+4,223) and IT (+2,800) grew the most.
Sources: the KVK freelancer monitor (opens in a new tab) and the KVK trend report for Q3 2026 (opens in a new tab) (both in Dutch), as also reported by NOS (opens in a new tab).
Why the tide is turning
Since 1 January 2025, the Dutch Tax Administration has been actively enforcing the rules on false self-employment: someone registered as a freelancer who in practice works just like an employee. Many organisations reacted by dropping freelancers altogether. By late 2024, the decline was most visible in education, construction and healthcare.
That decline didn't last. According to NOS, those very sectors are now seeing freelancer numbers rise again. Joris Knoben, professor of entrepreneurship at Tilburg University, told NOS that shutting freelancers out entirely has proved hard in practice. At the same time, professionals are finding ways to stay independent within their field, such as setting up their own therapy practice or tutoring outside the school system.
The Self-Employment Act: clarity is coming, just not yet
On 1 October 2026, the Dutch government opened a public consultation on a new Self-Employment Act (opens in a new tab) (Zelfstandigenwet, link in Dutch). The proposal uses two tests:
- The self-employment test looks at you as a business owner: KVK registration, doing your own invoicing, how many clients you have, and whether you've covered your business risks.
- The working-relationship test looks at the assignment itself: do you organise the work yourself, and do you work at your own expense and risk?
Pass both, and actually work that way, and you're in a "safe harbour": you know upfront that you can work as a freelancer. The act is due to take effect in January 2028, and Minister Aartsen has already said the proposal will be revised. Until then, the current rules apply.
What you can do now as a freelancer
There's no need to wait for 2028. Most of what the act will ask for is simply good business practice:
- Get the basics right. KVK registration, a VAT number, a business bank account and your own invoices.
- Spread your clients. The number of clients counts in the proposal, and a broader client base makes you less vulnerable anyway.
- Put agreements in writing. Agree on the result you'll deliver and how much freedom you have in your approach, then work that way in practice.
- Build your safety net. Think disability insurance (or an alternative), a pension and professional liability cover.
- Keep your records straight. Logged hours that your client has approved show clearly what you did, long after the job is done.