Dutch Health Insurance Deductible: Eigen Risico

The Dutch health insurance deductible, called eigen risico, is the yearly amount you pay yourself for most basic-package care before your insurer pays the rest. GP visits and care for children under 18 are free of it, and the government sets the amount for each calendar year.

Last checked 8 November 2026. This article is part of our guide: Dutch health insurance guide.

This explainer covers the Netherlands only. Rules in other countries can work differently, even when they use a similar name, so check your own country’s official source. For the wider picture of costs, read our plain-English guide to health insurance costs.

What the Dutch health insurance deductible means

The compulsory deductible is a fixed part of your care costs that you pay yourself each year. The government sets its height by law under the Healthcare Insurance Act (Zorgverzekeringswet, or Zvw), and it applies for one year. It applies only to basic insurance, the standard package that everyone living or working in the Netherlands must hold. You can check this on the Zorginstituut Nederland deductible page.

The rule does not touch supplementary cover, which is optional extra cover such as dental extras. Your insurer does not choose the compulsory amount. So every basic policy uses the same figure for the year.

In practice, you pay the first part of eligible care costs until you reach your deductible for the year. After that, your basic cover pays for the rest of the eligible care that year. For example, if your care in a year costs less than the deductible, you pay all of it yourself.

The deductible is different from your monthly premium. The premium is the fixed amount you pay your insurer, and for the standard package it must be the same for everyone, regardless of age or health. The deductible is only what you pay when you actually use care.

You can also choose a voluntary deductible on top of the compulsory one. That choice is personal, and it has its own section below.

Dutch health insurance deductible rules and figures

The Dutch health insurance deductible rules below come from official government sources. Check each one against the current year, because the deductible amount is set again for each year.

Everyone who lives or works in the Netherlands must hold basic (standard) health insurance. Supplementary cover is optional, so the basic package is the only legally required part.
The compulsory deductible applies only to basic insurance. There is no compulsory deductible in supplementary cover.
The government sets the height of the deductible, and it applies for one calendar year, from 1 January to 31 December.
Adults with basic cover pay the deductible on most care, medicines and medical aids. GP treatment is not subject to it, and children under 18 pay no deductible for their care.
For 2026 the compulsory amount is €385, and the highest total with the maximum voluntary amount of €500 is €885.

You can confirm these points on the Zorginstituut Nederland deductible page and the Rijksoverheid question and answer on the deductible. The general rules on taking out insurance are on the government.nl guide to compulsory health insurance.

Newcomer sign-up rules

If you are new to the Netherlands, the sign-up deadline matters as much as the deductible. The government’s rules for newcomers are strict, so read them before you arrive.

Sign up as soon as possible. The outer limit is four months after you arrive.
Cover is meant to start from the day you arrive, not the day you sign the policy.
Late sign-up brings no backdated cover, so care received before you sign is not reimbursed.
A policy from another country does not replace the Dutch obligation, so keep your foreign cover only as an extra.
Registration with your municipality is a separate step that you must complete, even before insurance is in place.
Delay can lead to a fine, although the government page does not state the amount.

Do not rely on a 2027 figure you may read online. When these pages were checked, no settled official amount for 2027 had been confirmed, so look for the current figure on the official pages before you act on any number for that year.

Which care the Dutch health insurance deductible applies to

Most care under basic insurance counts towards the deductible, but some groups of care are free of it. The rules below apply to adults with basic cover. The Rijksoverheid explainer on the deductible and co-payment gives worked examples if you want more detail.

Care that counts towards the Dutch health insurance deductible

Most medicines, medical aids and care under the basic package count towards the deductible. Specialist hospital visits and emergency care are common examples. This is the care that uses up your deductible first.

Specialist hospital visits
Emergency care
Most medicines
Most medical aids

Whether medicines or lab tests ordered during a GP visit follow the general rule is not confirmed here. Check the Rijksoverheid explainer or ask your insurer before you assume either way.

A co-payment (eigen bijdrage) works differently. It is a separate fixed contribution to certain care.

When care has both, the co-payment is paid first, and any remainder counts towards the compulsory deductible. Hearing aids and dentures are examples of this combined rule. Some maternity and preventive care has its own rules too, so check the official question and answer before you assume either way.

Care that is free of the deductible

GP (huisarts) treatment for adults is not subject to the deductible, so a visit to your GP does not count towards it. Care for children under 18 is also free of the deductible. The Rijksoverheid uses physiotherapy for an 8-year-old as its example.

The table below puts both groups side by side.

Care	Counts towards the deductible?
GP (huisarts) visit for an adult	No
Care for a child under 18	No
Specialist hospital visit	Yes
Most medicines	Yes
Hearing aid or dentures	Yes, after any co-payment is paid first

How the Dutch health insurance deductible resets each year

The deductible runs from 1 January to 31 December. When a new calendar year starts, the count goes back to zero. So care from last year does not count towards this year’s amount. The government sets the height for each year, so the figure can change from one year to the next.

Because the amount changes, always check the figure for the year you are in. The Zorginstituut Nederland deductible page explains the rule and is a good place to confirm the current amount. Avoid relying on an old article or a friend’s figure.

If you turn 18 during the year, the deductible starts the month after your birthday and covers only the rest of that year. For example, someone born on 4 June starts the deductible from 1 July. Before that date, the deductible does not apply to that person.

Because the deductible follows the calendar year, the date of the care matters more than the date of the invoice. An invoice can reach you in the new year, so keep a note of when each treatment took place.

Reading a Dutch health insurance deductible invoice

After treatment, your insurer may send you an invoice for the deductible you still owe. Under the official rule, the insurer pays the bill first and then invoices you, as the Zorginstituut Nederland deductible page explains. The steps below help you check that invoice.

Why hospital treatment can trigger a bill

After hospital treatment, the hospital often sends its bill to your insurer rather than to you. The insurer pays the cost first, and then sends you an invoice for the deductible you still owe. This is the bill many newcomers do not expect.

The invoice does not mean you were charged twice, and it is not a penalty. It covers only the part of your deductible for that year that you have not yet paid. If you have already paid the full amount, you should not receive this invoice.

How to check a deductible invoice

Check the date of the care, and confirm it falls in the year shown on the invoice.
Check the type of care. GP visits and care for children under 18 should not appear as deductible costs.
Look for any co-payment, which should be applied before the remaining amount counts towards the deductible.
Compare the amount with the current year’s figure on the official pages, and ask your insurer to explain any gap in writing.
Keep your letters and receipts, and if something looks wrong, contact your insurer and ask for a correction.

Choosing a voluntary deductible

A voluntary Dutch health insurance deductible is an extra amount you agree to pay yourself on top of the compulsory one. The highest total in 2026 is €885, made of the maximum voluntary amount of €500 plus the compulsory €385. The choice is yours, and the law does not require it.

When you use care, the compulsory amount is paid first, and then the voluntary amount applies. A higher voluntary deductible lowers your premium, but it raises what you pay if you need care during the year. If you pay the deductible in advance or in instalments, any unused part is refunded at year end.

For a broader comparison, see comparing basic and supplementary cover. Supplementary cover has no compulsory deductible, so it works differently from the choice described here.

How a higher deductible changes your premium

A higher voluntary amount means a lower premium, but the size of that saving depends on your insurer and the amount you choose. The official pages do not give a figure for each voluntary amount, so you need to ask each insurer for its exact numbers. Compare these in writing, not from memory.

Think of it as a trade-off. You accept a bigger bill if you need care, in return for a smaller monthly payment. This is general information, not personal financial advice.

Questions to ask before you choose

How much specialist or hospital care do I expect this year?
Do I take regular medicines that count towards the deductible?
Could I pay the full voluntary amount from savings early in the year?
What does my insurer’s policy say about GP visits under a voluntary deductible?

If your income is low, the healthcare benefit (zorgtoeslag) can help with insurance costs, but it is not automatic. Read our guide to applying for zorgtoeslag before you decide. The healthcare benefit is separate from the deductible itself.

Worked example: a year under the deductible

This example is for illustration only. It follows a made-up person called Ana, and it uses no money amounts. Your real costs depend on your care and your insurer’s terms.

Ana arrives and takes out basic cover. She has no voluntary deductible, so only the compulsory amount applies.
In spring she sees her GP three times. GP visits are free of the deductible, so none of these visits counts towards it.
In September she has a specialist hospital visit. That care counts. The hospital bill goes to her insurer, which then invoices Ana for the part of her deductible she has not yet paid.
Ana pays that invoice. Her insurer covers the rest of the eligible care for the year.
On 1 January the count starts again at zero. The Zorginstituut Nederland deductible page confirms that the deductible runs per calendar year.

If Ana had also chosen a voluntary deductible, the compulsory amount would be used first. Then the voluntary amount would apply. Her monthly premium would be lower. Her September bill could be higher.

Mistakes that lead to surprise deductible bills

Each mistake below is a rule you can check on the official pages. The four-month limit comes from the government.nl sign-up guidance for newcomers.

Thinking a GP visit counts towards the deductible. For adults it does not, so keep GP visits separate in your records when you check a statement.
Expecting the deductible to carry over. It resets on 1 January, so a bill for late-December care may still belong to the old year, and you should check the date on the treatment.
Choosing a voluntary amount you could not pay quickly. Before you pick a higher level, work out whether you could cover that amount from savings in one go.
Assuming supplementary cover has the same deductible. It has no compulsory deductible, so read its own policy terms for any limits or waiting periods.
Signing up late after arriving. Cover does not reach back to your arrival date, so wait no longer than four months and sign up as early as you can.

Next steps for your own Dutch health insurance deductible

Find your current policy and note your compulsory amount and any voluntary amount you chose.
Confirm the current year’s compulsory amount on the Rijksoverheid question and answer on the deductible, and check the same figure on the official Zorginstituut page.
Ask two or more insurers for their premium at each voluntary level, in writing, and compare them with the care you expect to use.
Keep a dated list of the care you receive, and file every insurer letter so you can check any invoice against it.
If you are new to the country, take out your basic cover as soon as possible, because the outer limit is four months after arrival. The government.nl guide to compulsory health insurance sets out the basics.

Frequently asked questions

How much is the compulsory deductible for health insurance in the Netherlands in 2026?

For 2026 the compulsory deductible is €385, and the government sets this amount for the year. The highest total you can reach with the maximum voluntary amount of €500 is €885. Any unused part is refunded at year end if you pay in advance or in instalments. Check the Rijksoverheid page for updates, because figures for later years may change.

Do I have to pay the deductible when I visit a GP?

No. GP care is not subject to the compulsory deductible for adults with basic insurance, so a visit to your huisarts does not count towards it. Care that is not GP care, such as specialist hospital visits, usually does count. If you are unsure about a bill, ask your insurer which part counts and why.

Does the deductible reset every year?

Yes. The deductible runs from 1 January to 31 December, so the count starts again at zero each calendar year. If you turn 18 during a year, the deductible starts the month after your birthday and covers only the rest of that year.

Can I lower my monthly premium by choosing a higher deductible?

Yes, a higher voluntary deductible lowers the premium. However, you pay more yourself if you use care, and the compulsory amount is paid first. The size of the saving depends on your insurer and the amount you choose, so compare the figures each insurer gives you in writing.

Why did I get a bill from my insurer after hospital treatment?

The hospital often sends its bill to your insurer. The insurer pays the cost, then invoices you for the part of your deductible you still owe for that year. This is normal and does not mean a mistake, but you can check that the care was classified correctly.

Dutch Health Insurance Deductible (Eigen Risico) Explained

What the Dutch health insurance deductible means