{"id":4730,"date":"2026-05-31T21:53:05","date_gmt":"2026-05-31T21:53:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.arbeidsjurist-eindhoven.nl\/?p=4730"},"modified":"2026-06-15T08:36:24","modified_gmt":"2026-06-15T08:36:24","slug":"settlement-agreement-nullity-contract","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.arbeidsjurist-eindhoven.nl\/en\/kennisbank\/vaststellingsovereenkomst-nuluurencontract\/","title":{"rendered":"Settlement Agreement and Zero-Hours Contract: What You Need to Know"},"content":{"rendered":"

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A settlement agreement with a zero-hours contract<\/h2>\n

A settlement agreement in the context of a zero-hours contract often raises more questions than one involving a standard permanent contract. How many hours count? Are you entitled to any payment at all? And what about your unemployment benefit (WW)? In short: even as an on-call worker you have full rights upon dismissal by mutual consent, but the details deserve extra attention.<\/p>\n

What exactly is a zero-hours contract?<\/h2>\n

Bij een nuluurencontract spreek je met je werkgever geen vast aantal uren per week of maand af. Je wordt opgeroepen wanneer dat nodig is en betaald voor de uren die je daadwerkelijk werkt. Het contract kan voor bepaalde of onbepaalde tijd worden afgesloten. Belangrijk om te weten: een nuluurencontract is op dit moment niet verboden, maar er gelden wel strikte voorwaarden. Na de eerste 26 weken mag zo’n contract alleen nog voortduren als een cao dit uitdrukkelijk toestaat. Bovendien heeft de minister van Sociale Zaken en Werkgelegenheid in mei 2025 een wetsvoorstel ingediend dat het nuluurencontract grotendeels moet afschaffen en vervangen door zogeheten bandbreedtecontracten met een minimum en maximumaantal uren. Dit voorstel moet nog door de Tweede en Eerste Kamer worden aangenomen.<\/p>\n

Entitlement to a transition payment even on a zero-hours contract<\/h2>\n

Many on-call workers are unaware that they are perfectly entitled to a transition payment. Yet that is indeed the case. From the very first day of employment you accrue a transition payment, provided that the termination is initiated by the employer. With a settlement agreement<\/a> you can therefore include this payment as part of the agreed terms.<\/p>\n

The calculation works slightly differently from that for a contract with fixed working hours. Because you have no fixed hours, the average monthly salary over the last twelve months is used as the starting point. All hours worked and amounts earned are added together and divided by twelve. Holiday pay and other fixed allowances are also included in that calculation. Based on that average, the standard formula then applies: one third of the average monthly salary for each full year of service. The maximum transition payment in 2026 is \u20ac102,000 gross.<\/p>\n

If during the past twelve months you had a period of thirty calendar days or more during which you did not work due to illness or leave, the reference period for calculating the average salary is extended by one calendar month, so that you are not disadvantaged by that absence.<\/p>\n

Points to consider regarding the content of the settlement agreement<\/h2>\n

A settlement agreement in the context of a zero-hours contract contains the same essential elements as any other contract. Nevertheless, there are a few points that more commonly go wrong with on-call workers:<\/p>\n