Holiday pay, travel allowance, and night shift allowance. Allowances that might sound familiar to you. In the hospitality sector, there are various types of allowances. Read more here about the allowances in hospitality and what you are entitled to.
Holiday pay
Everyone who works is entitled to holiday pay, including you. You are also allowed to do so. Holiday pay can be paid periodically along with the salary, but also once a year no later than June. Put the agreements about this in writing. The payslip must clearly specify the accrual and payment. Holiday pay in the hospitality sector amounts to 8% of the salary* you earned with your employer in the holiday year (1 June to 31 May the following year). Your employer may also use the calendar year (1 January to 31 December) as the holiday year for holiday days/hours. This choice must apply to all employees in the company. Holiday pay is often slightly less than a gross monthly salary.
*This does not include incidental allowances, bonuses, and benefits in kind. It is required that for all hours worked in the holiday year, the sum of the salary and holiday allowance must be at least 108% of the minimum salary.
If you are a zero-hour temporary worker, your holiday pay is usually paid monthly along with your salary. This also applies to the accrued holiday hours. Your payslip should clearly show how much you have accrued and what has been paid out. You can then schedule and take holidays, but you will not receive any additional payment for this as it has already been included in your salary. If the accrual for holiday hours and/or holiday allowance is paid at the same time as your salary, you receive 10.64% of the hourly salary for holiday hours and 8.85% of the hourly salary for holiday allowance.
You do pay more income tax on your holiday pay than on your regular salary! The percentage for this is determined by the Belastingdienst.
Night allowance
Do you have a front office role at a hotel, guesthouse, or another accommodation-providing business? You may be entitled to a night allowance. Your night shift must consist of consecutive hours between 00:00 and 06:00. The allowance is 10% on each hourly salary for the entire night shift. This also applies to the hours before 00:00 and after 06:00.
Does your employer pay more than a 10% allowance? Then nothing changes for you. If your employer pays less than a 10% allowance or night allowance, this must be increased to a 10% night allowance.
Travel expense reimbursement
Your employer is not obliged to reimburse travel expenses, as there is nothing about this in the law or CLA. Did you know that you can make your own arrangements about this with your employer? Make sure these agreements are recorded in your contract!
Clothing allowance
Your employer is not initially obliged to pay for your work clothing or (safety) shoes. If company clothing with a logo is worn at the company where you work, then your employer is obliged to provide the clothing.
Your employer has the duty to ensure you work safely and healthily. If work shoes are required for performing your job (e.g., if you are a chef), then your employer must reimburse you for them.
Meal allowance
Your employer is not obliged to provide a (free) meal. Were you already employed by your Updates employer before 2005 and entitled to a meal allowance? Then this cannot be withdrawn without consultation.
Holiday allowance
Recognised public holidays are not extra paid days off (such as a holiday). In the CLA hospitality, an additional allowance is included if you actually work during the holidays. For actually working in a shift that starts on a holiday, with the shift extending past midnight, the compensation is:
- Time for time: for each hour worked on the holiday with the shift extending; 1 hour of substitute paid time off
- Time for time within 3 months after the holiday not possible: 50% surcharge on the hourly salary for the hours worked on the holiday and the time for time lapses
The holiday compensation does not apply to the employee who is not yet a skilled worker.
Does the holiday fall on your standard rostered day off or is the company closed on the holiday? Then you do not receive compensation. Does the holiday fall on your standard working day but you do not work that day because the company is closed? Then you do not accrue negative hours and are therefore paid time off.
Recognised CLA hospitality holidays are: New Year's Day, Easter Sunday and Monday, Ascension Day, Whit Sunday and Monday, King's Day, Christmas Day and Boxing Day.