Stopping benefits on emigration: do it yourself, and in time

When you emigrate, you stop your Dutch benefits (toeslagen) yourself, via Mijn toeslagen (your personal account with Dienst Toeslagen, the benefits agency), as of the date your entitlement ends. Only the child budget you stop by phone.

There's a stubborn misunderstanding about benefits on emigration: that deregistering with the municipality takes care of it. The municipality passes on your new address, but the benefit itself you stop. Whoever lets it run gets the bill months later, as a claw-back at the new address. Dienst Toeslagen says it itself: "Do this in time. That way you make sure you don't have to repay benefit later." This applies to every destination: Spain, Australia, wherever.

What changes per benefit?

Rent benefit. That certainly stops: "If you live abroad, you are no longer entitled to rent benefit." Stop it as of the date you end the tenancy or leave, whichever comes first.

Healthcare benefit. That follows your health insurance. If your Dutch basic insurance ends because you emigrate, the right to healthcare benefit ends with it: "If you are no longer insured for care in the Netherlands, you must stop your healthcare benefit."

You can keep the right in only two cases:

• you keep a Dutch health insurance abroad;
• after emigration you remain entitled under a treaty via the CAK, meaning you are insured on the basis of a treaty. That applies if you live in the EU or another treaty country with a Dutch pension or benefit. The CAK itself reports that to Toeslagen, and the healthcare benefit is then adjusted to the cost of care in your country of residence.

Even then the usual limits apply: in 2026 an income up to € 40,857 alone or € 51,142 with a benefit partner, and assets up to € 146,011 or € 184,633.

Childcare benefit. Stops as soon as the Dutch childcare stops, usually well before your departure date. You report the change in childcare via Mijn toeslagen or the Kinderopvangtoeslag app. This is the benefit where the claw-back hits hardest, because the monthly amounts are the highest.

Child budget. You only get that as long as you receive child benefit from the SVB, and the SVB sets the conditions. If you go to live and work outside the Netherlands and are therefore no longer insured for child benefit, the child benefit stops after the quarter in which you leave. Then again: "often you receive child benefit from the other country".

So report the departure to the SVB too. The two run through different agencies, and one counter doesn't always inform the other in time.

If the child benefit stops, call the BelastingTelefoon (the Tax Information Line) to stop the child budget. You can't do that in Mijn toeslagen.

What	Rule or amount (2026)
Rent benefit abroad	no entitlement
Healthcare benefit without Dutch health insurance and without the CAK	stop as of the end date of the insurance
Healthcare benefit, maximum income	€ 40,857 alone, € 51,142 with a benefit partner
Healthcare benefit, maximum assets on 1 January	€ 146,011 alone, € 184,633 together
Child benefit per child per quarter, age 0 to 5	€ 298.40 (from the third quarter)
Child benefit per child per quarter, age 6 to 11	€ 362.35
Child benefit per child per quarter, age 12 to 17	€ 426.29
Child benefit paid	after the end of each quarter
Child budget	only as long as the SVB pays child benefit

Too much received is always clawed back, even if it was down to a slow counter and not to you. The safe order: stop the benefits before you leave, as of the right date, and keep the confirmation. Stopping a month too early costs you at most a back payment that comes by itself; a month too late costs you a claw-back with hassle.