Calling in sick in the Netherlands: what to say and what to know

You wake up sick and cannot go to work. In many countries, you would send an email or a message. In the Netherlands, most employers require you to call your direct manager (leidinggevende) by phone before your normal start time. Sending an email or a WhatsApp message instead is, at many companies, not considered a valid ziekmelding.

The phone call

Your arbeidsvoorwaarden (employment conditions) or the company handbook specify when and how to report sick. The most common rule is: call your leidinggevende before 9.00 (or before your shift starts). Some companies have a central meldlijn (reporting line) instead.

Your manager will ask how long you expect to be out. You do not have to say what is wrong. Dutch privacy law prohibits your employer from asking about your diagnosis. They can ask when you expect to return and whether there is any work you could do from home, but they cannot ask "what do you have?" or pressure you to share medical details.

What to say: "Ik ben ziek en kan vandaag niet komen." (I am sick and cannot come in today.)

If you have a sense of when you will be back: "Ik verwacht morgen weer te kunnen werken." (I expect to be able to work again tomorrow.) Or: "Ik denk dat ik woensdag weer kan komen." (I think I can come in again on Wednesday.)

If you are too ill to estimate: "Ik weet nog niet wanneer ik weer kan werken. Ik laat het morgen weten." (I do not know yet when I can work again. I will let you know tomorrow.)

The first two years: loondoorbetaling

Dutch law requires your employer to continue paying your salary while you are sick, for up to two years. This is called loondoorbetaling bij ziekte. The legal minimum is 70% of your salary in both years, but most CAOs (collective agreements) and individual contracts pay 100% in the first year and 70% in the second. Check your contract or CAO for the exact percentages.

This two-year obligation is unusually long compared to other countries. It applies even for extended illnesses. Your employer cannot fire you during these two years solely because you are sick (this is called the opzegverbod bij ziekte).

The bedrijfsarts

If you are sick for more than a few days, your employer will schedule an appointment with the bedrijfsarts (company doctor). The bedrijfsarts is an independent physician employed or contracted by your company. Their role is to assess whether you are able to work, with or without adjustments, and to advise on your recovery timeline.

The bedrijfsarts does not treat you. Your huisarts remains your doctor. The bedrijfsarts assesses your work capacity and makes recommendations to your employer about what kind of work you can do during recovery.

You are legally required to attend the bedrijfsarts appointment. If you disagree with their assessment, you can request a deskundigenoordeel (expert opinion) from the UWV, which is an independent second opinion.

Re-integratie

From the first day of sickness, your employer must work with you on re-integratie: a plan to return you to work. This starts informally (adjusted hours, lighter duties) and becomes more structured if the absence continues. By week six, the bedrijfsarts must write a probleemanalyse (problem analysis). By week eight, you and your employer agree on a plan van aanpak (action plan).

The re-integratie process has two tracks. Spoor 1 focuses on returning to work at your current employer, possibly in a different role. If that is not possible, spoor 2 looks at employment with a different employer. Both tracks run in parallel when the bedrijfsarts recommends it.

After two years, if you still cannot work, you may be assessed for a WIA-uitkering (disability benefit). The UWV evaluates your remaining work capacity and assigns you to either the WGA (partial disability, expected to recover further) or the IVA (full and permanent disability). The WIA application process starts around week 88.

Key vocabulary

Ziekmelding (sick report), loondoorbetaling (continued salary payment during illness), bedrijfsarts (company doctor), re-integratie (return-to-work process), probleemanalyse (problem analysis), plan van aanpak (action plan), deskundigenoordeel (UWV expert opinion), WIA (disability insurance act), opzegverbod (dismissal ban during illness).

For more on what your employment contract covers, see our guide to the Dutch arbeidscontract.

Practice the vocabulary

TikTaal's arbeidscontract scenario covers employment terms in context: reviewing contract clauses with a colleague, asking HR about your rights, and understanding terms like opzegtermijn and proeftijd. Every Dutch word is clickable for audio and a translation.