In this guide
The maximum Dutch mortgage follows legal lending norms, but details of an expat file, such as temporary contracts, the 30% ruling, foreign income and permits with an end date, are where you should ask each lender or adviser how they assess it.
This article explains what actually drives the number, so that when a broker gives you a maximum you understand where it came from. It deliberately does not quote market interest rates or income multipliers, because they change.
💡 Related: how to get a mortgage as an expat in the Netherlands, choosing an expat mortgage broker, the Dutch mortgage explained.
Ceiling one: what your income allows
The Dutch government explains on volkshuisvestingnederland.nl that the maximum mortgage depends on income, home value and the energy label of the home. The government sets the maximum financing burden percentages each year on advice from the National Institute for Family Finance (NIBUD). The maximum financing burden is the part of your income that may go on mortgage costs, calculated from your test income (toetsinkomen) and the interest rate.
NHG describes the logic on its English pages: an NHG-backed mortgage “meets the criteria for responsible lending and borrowing set by the National Institute for Family Finance in the Netherlands (NIBUD)”, so that “after making the monthly mortgage payment you’ll still have money left for other expenses like groceries, insurance and your savings account” (nhg.nl English summary, checked 2 October 2026).
Three consequences follow:
- The interest rate is an input. The calculation uses the interest rate: for a fixed-rate period of ten years or longer, the lender uses the quoted rate, and for shorter fixed periods a rate of 5% applies, which the AFM sets each quarter (volkshuisvestingnederland.nl).
- Other obligations count. The lender adds your other financial obligations to the financing burden or deducts them from the allowed burden.
- Both incomes count. Since 2023, a two-person household is calculated with 100% of both test incomes (volkshuisvestingnederland.nl).
For a rough range before you speak to anyone, use our housing budget checker — it tells you which segment of the market to look at, not what to bid.
Ceiling two: what the property allows
The regulation caps the maximum mortgage at 100% of the home’s value (since 1 January 2018, volkshuisvestingnederland.nl), with limited exceptions such as financing energy-saving measures up to 106%. The valuation report (taxatierapport) establishes the value, and the buying costs come out of your own money: transfer tax where applicable, notary costs, valuation, advice and arrangement fees, and the NHG guarantee fee if you choose NHG.
If you bid above the valuation, the difference falls outside the 100% limit, so you fund it yourself. Ask your adviser for a written cost overview before you start viewing.
Where NHG fits
NHG is a guarantee provided to the lender by a government-backed foundation, the Homeownership Guarantee Fund (Waarborgfonds Eigen Woningen, WEW). NHG lists the specific circumstances in which it comes into operation as job loss, the end of a relationship, work disability, and the death of a partner (nhg.nl English summary, checked 2 October 2026).
For 2026, nhg.nl publishes these parameters (checked 2 October 2026):
- Maximum purchase price with NHG: €470,000, including any renovation costs
- With energy-saving measures: up to €498,200, provided you spend the extra amount fully on those measures
- One-off guarantee fee (borgtochtprovisie): 0.4% of the total mortgage
NHG says lenders reward the extra security with a lower mortgage rate, so you often pay a lower rate and usually earn the costs back quickly. Whether that works for you depends on the loan size and the rate difference your lender offers on the day.
The expat-specific variables
The 30% ruling
The government site says a lender in principle calculates with fixed and durable income. How a lender counts the 30% ruling within that is lender policy, and the government and NHG pages checked here set no single rule for all lenders.
Two takeaways. Ask each lender or broker to show the income figure they used, not just the maximum. And sanity-check affordability for the period after the ruling ends, because your loan will outlive the benefit. Our 30% ruling calculator and salary after tax calculator show what it does to your net pay meanwhile.
Contract type, permit and foreign income
The government site says lenders in principle calculate with fixed and durable income. NHG explains that, without a permanent contract, the average income of the last 3 years is often used, or the future earning potential if you have worked for less time, and it names the Arbeidsmarktscan and the Perspectiefverklaring as tools. NHG also has arrangements for flex workers, agency workers and entrepreneurs. The pages checked here do not say how lenders treat a temporary residence permit or foreign income, so ask your adviser which documents a lender will want.
What to do next, in order
- Pull your own numbers: gross annual income, any registered credit, savings actually available after moving costs.
- Get a range from a calculator — the housing budget checker — purely to set expectations.
- Book advice with a mortgage adviser who works with expat files. Our comparisons of the best mortgage brokers for expats and what to ask an expat mortgage broker cover the selection criteria.
- Ask for the calculation and the income figure used, in writing, plus a full purchase-cost overview.
- Only then decide whether buying beats renting for your situation — our guide to buying versus renting in the Netherlands walks through the break-even thinking.
Final thoughts
A calculator output is a range, not a bidding budget. The number that matters is the one a lender will commit to for your contract, your permit and your ruling, which an adviser can calculate.
Do the boring part first: reduce registered credit, know how much cash survives your move, and ask every adviser to show their working.
This article explains how Dutch borrowing capacity is assessed and is not personal financial advice. Figures cited are those published by NHG and volkshuisvestingnederland.nl on the dates given. Always confirm current parameters, including the NHG limit that applies when you buy, with your lender or a regulated mortgage adviser.
Frequently Asked Questions
What determines the maximum mortgage I can get in the Netherlands?
Two separate ceilings apply. The first is income-based: the government sets maximum financing burden percentages each year on advice from the National Institute for Family Finance (NIBUD), and the maximum is calculated from your test income (toetsinkomen) and the interest rate. The lender adds your other financial obligations to the financing burden or deducts them from the allowed burden. The second is value-based: the maximum mortgage is 100% of the home's value, so any amount you bid above the valuation has to come from your own money. The Dutch government site lists limited exceptions, such as financing energy-saving measures up to 106% of the value.
Does the 30% ruling increase my borrowing capacity?
That depends on how the lender counts your income. The government site says a lender in principle calculates with fixed and durable income, and how a lender treats the 30% ruling is a matter of its own policy, so no single rule holds for every lender. Ask each lender or adviser which income figure they used and whether it assumes the ruling for the years you are still entitled to it. Your loan will outlive the ruling, so check affordability for the period after it ends as well, and ask for the calculation in writing before you make an offer.
What is NHG and do I need it as an expat?
NHG (Nationale Hypotheek Garantie) is a guarantee provided to the lender by a government-backed foundation, the Homeownership Guarantee Fund (WEW). NHG states that an NHG-backed mortgage meets the criteria for responsible lending set by NIBUD, and that it may provide a safety net if you lose your job, your relationship ends, you become disabled for work or your partner dies (nhg.nl English summary, checked 2 October 2026). For 2026 the purchase price may be at most €470,000, or €498,200 if you include energy-saving measures that you spend the extra amount on, and you pay a one-off guarantee fee of 0.4% of the total mortgage (nhg.nl, checked 2 October 2026). NHG is optional.
Can I get a Dutch mortgage on a temporary contract or a temporary residence permit?
NHG says it is possible to take out a mortgage without a permanent contract. For people who have worked for a while, the average income of the last 3 years is often used; with less than 3 years, the assessment looks mainly at what you can earn in future. NHG names the Arbeidsmarktscan and, for agency workers, the Perspectiefverklaring as tools. NHG also has a page for entrepreneurs. The government and NHG pages checked here do not say how lenders treat a temporary residence permit, so ask a mortgage adviser how your permit and its validity affect which lenders will accept your file.
How much of my own money do I need on top of the mortgage?
Because the maximum mortgage is 100% of the home's value, the buying costs come from your own money unless an exception applies. That means the costs of buying such as transfer tax where it applies, notary fees, the valuation report and mortgage advice, and the NHG guarantee fee if you use NHG. Buying above the valuation also has to be funded yourself. Ask your adviser for a personal cost overview before you start bidding rather than after, and check the current rules for transfer tax on belastingdienst.nl or with your notary.
Should I use an online calculator or a mortgage adviser?
Use both, in that order. A calculator gives you a range so you know whether to look at studios or family homes, which is what our housing budget checker is for. An adviser calculates what you can borrow at your own situation and checks whether you meet the NHG conditions, as NHG describes the adviser's role. Ask each adviser which income figure they used.