Enforcement against false self-employment has applied since 1 January 2025. The proposed Zelfstandigenwet is intended for 2028, but was not law at the packet date. One major client, a KVK registration or a freelance contract does not decide employment status by itself.
Why this matters
A long assignment can quietly reshape your week. The client may start setting your hours, method, availability and approvals. That gets riskier when one invoice brings in most of your turnover. A late renewal can leave little room to negotiate. If work is treated as employment, costs and VAT can change too. Your contract, calendar, invoices and bank app should match the work you actually do.
Example
You agreed to deliver a project your own way. Six months later, Monday meetings are mandatory and the client fills your calendar. A manager now signs off decisions you once made yourself. Your weekend promo disappears because the assignment takes every weekday. The monthly invoice stays unchanged. No single detail decides your status. Together, those changes can make independence harder to show.
XTROVERSO tips
- Put your contract beside your real week. For long assignments, check the reality every few months. Who decides the method, timing, workplace, delivery and price? A fresh contract will not fix a routine that stayed the same.
- Know your biggest-client share. Work out what share of your last 12 months’ turnover came from your largest client. Then check your cash position if payment or renewal lands late.
- Keep normal business proof. Keep quotes, scope changes, invoices and rate talks together. Save your acquisition activity too. You need an honest business trail, not a file built for show.
- Keep assignments clear in your books. Link income, costs and VAT to the right assignment. Your VAT pocket and bank app stay easier to untangle if the working relationship changes.
- Raise drift before it becomes normal. Bring up fixed availability, extra approvals or growing control early. Get specialist help when your day-to-day work no longer matches the agreement.
Want a calm second look at your assignment, invoices and VAT trail? We can spot where your paperwork and working day drifted
The data, sourcing, and analysis behind this article were conducted by Paolo Maria Pavan. AI was not used to identify sources, build the factual basis, or produce the analytical judgment contained here. AI was used only as a drafting aid. The final English text was personally reviewed, edited, and approved by Paolo Maria Pavan before publication.
References
- Grip op zzp-wetgeving | KVK
- Rijksoverheid — Proposed Zelfstandigenwet and future safe harbour
- Rijksoverheid — Changes after the earlier Vbar route
- Belastingdienst — Enforcement of employment relationships
- Belastingdienst — Income tax and VAT consequences
- Rechtspraak — ECLI:NL:HR:2025:319
- CBS — Dutch labour-market pressure
- KVK — De nieuwe Zelfstandigenwet uitgelegd
