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Add as a favourite source on Google Add DutchNews as a favourite source on GoogleAlmost two-thirds of parents who claim childcare benefits pay more than the government’s maximum hourly rate, leaving them with hundreds of euros in costs the benefit does not cover, according to national statistics agency CBS.
Parents claiming the benefit spent an average of €10,510 on childcare in 2025, of which 68% was covered, up from 65% in 2024. The benefit was raised in both years as a step towards the government plan for near-free childcare.
But childcare providers are free to set their own fees, and the benefit only applies to costs up to a ceiling fixed by the government each year. In 2025, 63% of parents paid more than the maximum rate for at least one child.
On average, parents paid €3,340 towards childcare themselves last year – €2,860 in regular contributions, plus an extra €480 to cover fees above the official maximum.
The share of parents paying over the ceiling varies widely. In Nunspeet, Bloemendaal, Houten and Midden-Delfland, almost 90% pay more than the maximum rate, compared with just 8% on the island of Ameland. The proportion is highest in the provinces of Utrecht and Noord-Holland and lowest in Friesland and Groningen.
Households in the lowest income group paid an average of €1,190 towards childcare, or 11% of the total cost, while the highest earners paid €5,950, just over half the bill.
In total, 719,000 parents claimed the benefit last year for nearly 1.1 million children. More children attended nurseries and after-school clubs, while the number looked after by registered childminders (gastouders) fell by 10,000 to around 95,000.
The cabinet plans to make childcare almost free for working parents from 2029, covering 96% of costs regardless of income – a scheme that has been repeatedly delayed.
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