How CAO Bouw salaries actually work in 2026

If you work in Dutch construction or installation, your salary floor is not negotiable — it is set in a CAO (Collectieve Arbeidsovereenkomst), the sector-wide collective agreement that binds nearly every employer who is a member of the relevant trade association. For 2026, the two CAOs that cover most readers of this blog are CAO Bouw & Infra (builders, plumbers, carpenters, roofers, infrastructure) and CAO Metaal & Techniek (electricians, HVAC, installers, welders, mechanics). The mechanics are similar; the numbers differ a little. This post is about CAO Bouw — the principles transfer cleanly to Metaal & Techniek.

The structure: function × age × experience

CAO Bouw groups every job into a functiegroep (function group) numbered roughly A to E, where A is the most junior helper and E is a foreman / senior specialist. Inside each group, there is a salary table indexed by age and by years of experience. Each row tells you the gross hourly rate the employer must pay you, and the contract almost always quotes a 40-hour week.

That table is the floor. Above it, anything is negotiable. Below it, the employer is breaking the law if they are a CAO signatory — and the vast majority of building companies in the Netherlands are.

What gets added on top of the table

The hourly rate is only the start. Three things get added by default for almost every worker covered by CAO Bouw:

• Vakantiegeld of 8%. This is Dutch holiday allowance. It is required by national law (Wet Minimumloon, Art. 15), not by the CAO — every Dutch worker gets at least 8% on top of their base salary, paid out usually in May. Some employers pay more; the CAO floor is 8%.
• 13e maand(thirteenth month). CAO Bouw mandates this for most function groups. It works as a fixed extra payment, usually paid in December, equal to roughly a month's base salary. So your effective annual salary is base × 12 + base + 8% × (base × 12) = roughly base × 14.04.
• Reiskostenvergoeding (travel allowance). For trips over 10 km from home, the CAO sets a fixed rate per kilometre (around €0.21 in 2026, updated yearly). For longer commutes this adds up fast — a 30 km daily commute can add €60-€80 a week before tax.

Things that are not automatic and that you should ask about: company car (very common for site supervisors, less for tradespeople), fuel card, mobile phone, tools provided (the CAO requires the company to provide hand tools — power tools are negotiable), pension contribution above the BPF Bouw floor, and any kind of bonus scheme.

A worked example

Take a vakman timmerman (skilled carpenter) aged 28, with 7 years of experience. Function group D, mid-table. In 2026 the CAO Bouw rate is approximately €19.50/hour at the floor — some employers in tight markets like Amsterdam pay €22-€25. Take €20/hour as a realistic actual number.

• 40 hours × 52 weeks × €20/hour = €41,600 gross per year base.
• + 8% vakantiegeld = €3,328 → €44,928 total.
• + 13e maand worth roughly €3,460 → €48,388 gross per year.
• Divided by 12 for a monthly comparable: ~€4,030 gross per month including all CAO-mandated extras.

On top of that, if the same worker commutes 20 km each way, the reiskostenvergoeding alone adds another €170-€200 per month tax-free. That is real money — and it is the part new arrivals to Dutch trades most often forget to count.

What this means when you negotiate

The CAO floor is your starting point, not your ceiling. When a company quotes a monthly number, find out:

1. Is it baseor does it include vakantiegeld and the 13e maand? Companies sometimes quote the higher number to look more attractive. Both numbers are legitimate — you just need to know which one you're comparing against another offer.
2. Is the 13e maand guaranteed, conditional, or absent? CAO Bouw guarantees it; CAO Metaal & Techniek does as well; but if the company is nota CAO signatory, it's negotiable — and easy to lose.
3. What pension scheme are you in? BPF Bouw is mandatory if you fall under CAO Bouw. Some employers offer top-ups above the BPF contribution. Worth asking.
4. Reiskostenvergoeding — for how many days a week (full-time, part- time, hybrid)? And is there a maximum km cap?

Where to verify the numbers

The current CAO Bouw text is published online and updated yearly. Search “CAO Bouw & Infra 2026 PDF” or go directly to the Bouwend Nederland website. The salary tables are usually in an annex at the back, and the structure has not changed materially in the last decade — only the numbers do.

If you're negotiating and the company says “we don't follow the CAO,” ask which CAO they do follow. There is almost always one. Companies entirely outside any CAO are rare and most are small specialist shops where you negotiate one-to-one — in which case the CAO Bouw numbers above are still a strong reference point.

Numbers in this post are based on publicly available CAO Bouw & Infra tables current at the time of writing. Cross-check before signing anything — and remember the CAO is updated yearly.