Phase A, B and C: What the Phase System in Your Dutch Contract Means
19 October 2026
If you work in the Netherlands through an employment agency, you will see the word phase in your contract, usually fase A. Most people sign without knowing what it means.
It matters. The phase decides how easily your contract can end, how much notice you get, and when you can expect more security. Here is how it works.
First: who is your employer?
When you work through Jobroad, the Dutch employment agency is your employer, not us and not the company where you work every day. We are a recruitment agency: we find the job and refer you to it. The agency signs your contract, pays your wage, and tracks your phase.
Your phase counts the time you work for that agency.
One agreement for everyone since 2026
Temporary work in the Netherlands is governed by a collective labour agreement, a CAO. Until the end of 2025 there were two, one for each agency association (ABU and NBBU). Since 1 January 2026, both use the same agreement: the CAO voor Uitzendkrachten, which runs until the end of 2028.
Phase A: the flexible start
- Lasts up to 52 worked weeks with the same agency.
- Your contract usually includes an agency clause (uitzendbeding). It means your contract can end automatically when the company you work at no longer needs you.
- This is the most flexible phase, for you and for the employer.
Phase B: fixed-term contracts
- After phase A, you move to fixed-term contracts without the agency clause.
- Currently this phase lasts up to 3 years, with up to 6 contracts.
- Your contract no longer ends just because the assignment does, so you have more security.
A new Dutch law, the Wet meer zekerheid flexwerkers, was adopted in July 2026. Among other things it shortens phase B to 2 years and makes the break that resets your phases much longer. These parts are expected to take effect on 1 January 2028, and contracts signed before then keep the old rules. Until then, the 3-year rule applies.
Phase C: a permanent contract
After phase B, you get a permanent contract (onbepaalde tijd) with the agency. The agency must keep finding you work or keep paying you.
Breaks can reset the clock
If you stop working for the same agency for more than six months, you usually start again at the beginning of phase A. A shorter break and you continue where you left off. (Under the new law, from 2028 that break is expected to become much longer.)
It is worth knowing if you work in the Netherlands for a season, go home, and come back.
Two things that apply in every phase
Pension. Since 1 January 2026, all temporary workers aged 18 and over are in one pension scheme, through the StiPP fund. You and the agency both pay into it, so you will see a pension deduction on your payslip.
Pay equal to the employer's own staff. Your total pay package must be at least equivalent to that of the employer's own employees, in every phase.
What to check in your contract
- Which phase am I starting in? If you have worked for this agency before, you may not start at the beginning.
- Is there an agency clause? In phase A there usually is.
- What is the notice period?
- Will my previous weeks with this agency count?
If anything in your contract is unclear, ask before you sign. It is your right to understand it, and a good recruiter will walk you through it.
This article explains the general rules of the CAO voor Uitzendkrachten 2026–2028. Your own contract and the agreement itself are what apply to you.