How much does the Netherlands pay into the EU budget and how much does it get back?

In 2024 the Netherlands contributed approximately €7.5 billion to the EU and received approximately €3.2 billion back in the form of EU grants (source: European Commission). The Netherlands has been contributing more to the EU than it receives from it since the middle of the 1990s. The country is a ‘net contributor’. 

Being a net contributor to the EU does not mean that the cost of membership outweighs the benefits. Dutch businesses, for instance, benefit from the single market and the removal of trade barriers in the EU. The Netherlands Bureau for Economic Policy Analysis has calculated that the additional trade increases the Netherlands’ gross national product – what we all earn as a nation – by about 3.1% every year. Figures from Statistics Netherlands indicate that the benefits were worth more than €30 billion in 2024. 

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Last updated in April 2026, situation in January 2026.