Employer charges for depositary receipts as a bonus (in the Netherlands)

Employer charges (i.e., the additional premiums the employer pays on top of the payroll tax withheld from salary) must be taken into account when certificates or other forms of equity participation are granted as compensation to employees (meaning: the employee pays less than the market price, or even nothing).

Many people calculate this tax using a rule of thumb of an additional 20% on the total amount. However, in practice this can be lower because these premiums are only charged up to the maximum “premium wage” (premieloon).

It is often agreed that the employee reimburses these costs to the employer, so the employer does not incur additional expenses on top of the certificates granted (whether via options or other structures). Therefore, when employees receive certificates through a bonus or options, the taxes they often reimburse to the company consist of the maximum income tax (49.5%) plus the employer charges (about 20%, up to the maximum premium wage).

Summary

Employer charges (premium contributions) in 2026 apply up to a maximum salary of €79,409.

Above that amount, no additional employer charges apply.

Example

Employee earns €70,000 per year.

Employee receives €100,000 worth of certificates.

• The employee pays 49.5% income tax on €100,000, which equals €49,500.

• The employee reimburses €9,409 × 21.86% = €2,057 in employer charges.

This €9,409 comes from:
€79,409 − €70,000 = €9,409 of additional premium base above the normal salary.

Therefore, the total tax burden on the €100,000 grant is €51,557.

Of this amount, the €49,500 income tax payment can potentially be deferred until the employee sells the shares and realizes the value (consult a tax advisor for this).