Childcare staff to receive higher mileage allowance from July

Around 130,000 employees in the Dutch childcare sector are set to receive a higher travel allowance. From 1 July 2026, the rate is 25 cents per kilometre, up from 23 cents. The childcare collective agreement was reopened to make this interim change, following the government’s earlier increase in the maximum tax-free mileage allowance.

The new rate applies to everyone covered by the collective agreement and is backdated to 1 July. Organisations may have their own arrangements at company level, but those arrangements must be at least equivalent to the terms in the collective agreement. CNV says the amended provision is available through the updated agreement information.

The change is intended to reduce the amount employees have to pay themselves for work-related travel. CNV refers to an earlier survey of working people in which 78% said they were covering part of their travel costs personally. In that survey, 81% considered their travel allowance too low to cover the actual costs, while 40% said rising fuel prices had made it harder to manage financially.

Childcare providers should check which employees are covered by the agreement and whether the new rate is being applied from 1 July. Providers with separate workplace arrangements can compare those terms with the amended collective agreement to ensure they meet the minimum requirement. Employees can also review the updated provision and ask their employer how the retroactive payment will be handled in their case.