Tenancy disputes and help

Income decreased in a rental dispute: prepare peiljaarverlegging

Editorial team Huurrecht in NederlandNot legally reviewed yetEditorial responsibility: Ricardo van der SpoelEditorial policy

6 minute read

Editorially updated 28 October 2026View the sources

Human legal and language review remains pending.

Someone who just lost a job or has less income can still receive a high personal contribution or financial rejection. This may be because the Raad uses older fiscal data for a regular application. Then investigate the right financial next step without letting the rental procedure come to a halt.

In this article

Check which year is on the decision
What conditions does the Raad mention?
Make an estimate of the entire fiscal year
Peiljaarverlegging, objection or missing documents?
Illustrative example: working less due to illness
Keep the file for later re-evaluation
Substantiate a change without sharing unnecessary data
Link the outcome back to your cost plan

1. Check which year is on the decision

For an application in 2026, the ordinary reference year is 2024. Look in the decision which income and assets have been used and which household situation has been applied. Compare this with the tax assessment for that year. A current benefit amount cannot be directly compared with an old fiscal year income.

Note what has actually changed: number of hours worked, end of employment, benefit, business income or another household situation. A change in fixed costs is not the same as a decrease in fiscal income. The official financial explanation provides the basis for that distinction.

2. What conditions does the Raad mention?

For peiljaarverlegging, the request must be received by the Raad within six weeks of the first decision. In principle, a high personal contribution requires that income has decreased by at least 15%. In the case of a financial rejection, this 15% condition does not apply in the same way; it is then examined whether the current financial data fall within the applicable limits.

If the lowest personal contribution already applies, the Raad does not mention peiljaarverlegging as a route to further reduce that contribution. Assets and the applicable standards remain relevant. Use the form and the explanation for the correct application year. Read the official conditions and explanation before filling it in.

3. Make an estimate of the entire fiscal year

Only your last payslip is usually insufficient to understand the year's picture. List the income so far, the expected remaining income and the substantiation thereof. Make it visible whether an amount is gross, net, fiscal or still uncertain. An estimate must recognisably remain an estimate.

Think, for example, of salary before dismissal, a benefit afterwards and possibly other income. Ask which deductions and asset data belong in the official form. Do not use your own offset of all housing costs to create a fiscal income. Discuss doubts with the office or the Raad.

4. Peiljaarverlegging, objection or missing documents?

A correct old income determination with a later decrease requires a different approach than a wrongly used data point. Also, a rejection due to the content of the rental issue is not automatically resolved with another income year. Therefore, first read the reason for the decision.

Ask who chooses the route, who submits the request or objection, and when receipt is checked. Keep the decision and the legal remedies information. The Council describes the decision and objection route. A phone call with a question is no substitute for a timely submitted legal remedy.

5. Illustrative example: working less due to illness

A tenant worked full-time in the reference year and now receives less pay during illness. At the same time, there is a discussion about serious defects. He collects his assessment, recent payslips, and a realistic annual forecast, and asks if reference year adjustment is appropriate.

He also has the lawyer monitor the repair request and any rental procedure. The lower income does not automatically change the rent or the payment obligation. A different basis and route are needed for a possible rent adjustment. The example says nothing definitive about subsidy, rent reduction, or the outcome of the defects case.

6. Keep the file for later re-evaluation

If an estimate was used, it may later turn out that the final tax data is different. Re-evaluation can have consequences for the personal contribution or the right to subsidy. Therefore, also keep the submitted form, assumptions, and final tax data.

Also make a separate payment arrangement if the current personal contribution is not feasible. A request for reference year adjustment does not automatically suspend an invoice. Use the worksheet for financial questions and the cost estimate for the amounts that can remain alongside the assistance.

7. Substantiate a change without sharing unnecessary data

Make a short document list with the year, the authority, and the fact it supports for each item. Think of the old assessment, a recent payslip or a benefit decision. Share the documents only via the channel agreed with the professional. You do not need to put a BSN or full tax details in a public contact form or this worksheet.

If a document is missing, note what is missing and where you can request it. A request for additional information requires a timely response. Discuss immediately when you can provide the document and who checks if the supplement reaches the Council.

8. Link the outcome back to your cost plan

A lower contribution can change your budget, but only consider that change confirmed after the new decision is received. Ask the lawyer how an already paid own contribution is processed. Keep a credit note or set-off agreement alongside the decision, so you can follow the cash flow.

If the contribution remains the same or the request is rejected, then read the precise reason. A new application without understanding what is missing can repeat the same problem. Have it assessed whether supplementation, objection or a payment arrangement is appropriate, and continue to monitor the deadlines in the rental case separately.

Different questions, different confirmations

Question	What do you verify?	What is not yet a confirmation?
Legal step	Document, competent office and deadline	A general contact request
Financing	Assignment, application and decision	A separate income test
Costs	Own contribution and other items	An unspecified total
Execution	Who acts and who provides feedback?	Only the name of an office

In practice

Extra exercise: turn a missing answer into a question

Illustrative exercise: you know an office will call you back, but not whether it has already performed a necessary action for you. Then note the concrete question: have you accepted the assignment and who monitors the date in my letter? Also ask for confirmation for the financing and costs. A completed worksheet alone does not give that assignment.

Practical preparation

Prepare for the conversation

Only fill in short notes. Do not record BSN, children's names, medical information, or other sensitive data. This worksheet helps you organise questions; it does not calculate entitlement to subsidy.

Your notes remain on this page in your browser. This worksheet sends and saves nothing. Download only on a device where you want that; you decide with whom you share the file.

Decision and date

Which year and reason are stated in the decision?

Old tax year and new situation

Note the source of the amounts, without sensitive numbers.

Annual forecast and uncertainties

Which incomes are known and which are still estimated?

Submission and rental procedure

Who monitors both processes and when is confirmation expected?

Take this to your conversation

The first decision with receipt date and term information.
The tax data of the reference year used.
A substantiated estimate of the entire current year.
The agreement on who submits and checks the receipt.

This is general information about Dutch law. The worksheet is not an application, objection, calculation of entitlement to subsidy, or confirmation of an assignment. Check deadlines in your own documents.

Sources consulted on 28 October 2026 · This extension has been editorially and with primary sources checked. Independent legal and native language assessment have not yet been carried out.

Sources for this preparation

Your rights come first

Frequently asked questions

Is my lower net salary enough for reference year adjustment?

You cannot deduce that from just that. The tax year data, decrease, assets, and other conditions must be assessed.

Does my rent decrease because of that too?

Reference year adjustment concerns subsidy for legal aid. A possible rent reduction requires a separate assessment and procedure.

Can the later assessment still have consequences?

Yes. A financial re-evaluation can lead to adjustment. Keep the estimate and the final tax data.

Sources and editorial accountability

Official sources support the legal explanation. Relevant passages include direct references; the sources for this article are listed below.

Sources consulted on 28 October 2026

The links open the original publications, usually in Dutch.

Our editorial approach

The rules depend, among other things, on your contract date, type of accommodation and rental sector. Have your own circumstances and any deadlines assessed.

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Legal review

Not legally reviewed yet

This version has not been reviewed by a lawyer or legal professional. Checking sources or editing text is not legal approval.

Editorial team Huurrecht in Nederland

We connect explanations to sources and record targeted changes. Legal review is attributed only to the actual reviewed version, with a real reviewer, date and scope. Human legal review of these articles remains open.

Ricardo van der Spoel

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