More freelancers stopping, fewer cases of doubt
A few months ago, an article appeared on Baaz.nl about a strong increase in the number of freelancers stopping. Especially self-employed individuals without a clear entrepreneurial structure, with one client or low margins, are pulling the plug. Causes vary: uncertainty about the DBA Act, higher costs, stricter enforcement, and the realization that self-employment requires more than just professional knowledge.
This outflow is not coincidental and not a crisis. It is selection. Where freelancing was low-threshold for years, it is now becoming explicitly a choice of entrepreneurship again. These freelancers invest in their business, work for multiple clients, and actively build continuity. This not only makes them legally stronger but also economically more interesting.
Higher incomes, higher ambitions
This maturation is reflected in incomes. According to the Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS), especially freelancers with low margins are stopping. As a result, the average income level of the group that remains is rising. These are also mainly freelancers who work more hours and more often raise their hourly rates.
Financiers also see that the freelancers who are now applying for a loan have, on average, higher and more stable incomes than a few years ago. Research shows that the average loan amount for freelancers has increased from about €19,000 in 2024 to over €29,000 in 2025. This is not a coincidental jump. Today's freelancer is no longer borrowing just for a laptop or delivery van, but is investing in an electric delivery van or technology, or scaling up inventory.
Anyone applying for a freelancer loan today will notice that the assessment has become more substantive. Not because banks are more cautious, but because they want to better understand who they are doing business with. Independence plays an increasingly larger role in this.
Anticipating possible Vbar-check by mid-2026
In conversations with financiers, the term Vbar-check is increasingly coming up. This anticipates the Law clarifying the assessment of labor relationships (Vbar), which aims to reduce the gray area around self-employment. In the sector, there is now talk of an informal VBAR-check: a test to see if someone is truly an entrepreneur. Multiple clients, own rates, freedom in execution, and entrepreneurial risk are decisive. Financiers want to prevent clients from facing additional charges or fines for false self-employment in 2026 and getting into trouble.
It is striking that lenders are already preparing for this. Even before the new law is ratified, they are increasingly asking for additional proof of entrepreneurship with loan applications. Not because they have to, but because it makes sense. No one has an interest in a loan being approved only to turn out to be a risk a year later.
More professionally organized
The freelancer in the Netherlands is not on the decline but in transition. More professional and serious, not so much in terms of products or services, but in the organization of their own business and the relationship between client and executor. This also affects incomes and loans. Those who have their affairs in order benefit from more trust, higher amounts, and better conditions in financing. Growth is no longer a promise but a well-founded choice.
