Subcontractors
Work with subcontractors without the administrative chaos
In-house staff and external crews in one system. From invitation to invoice — no loose spreadsheets, no double entry.
Why
Installation firms increasingly work with a mix of permanent technicians and subcontractors. Solven gives both their own place in the same system, with per-job assignments, a file per contractor and invoice flows that hold up. You keep sight of your capacity without walking into administrative or legal traps.
Own identity
One login for several clients
Subcontractors get an account of their own that does not belong to your company. They switch between clients, accept the assignments that fit and decline the ones that do not. You invite; they activate themselves.
- Invite by email with a personal link
- The subcontractor accepts the terms themselves on activation
- Access can be withdrawn at any time without deleting the account
- In-house technicians stay under your administration
Per assignment
Every assignment is its own agreement
No standing availability, no fixed rosters. Every job gets its own assignment confirmation with start, end, result and rate. The subcontractor accepts or declines per assignment.
- A result-based description is required when the assignment is created
- Fixed fee or hourly rate with a cap — you choose per assignment
- Declining has no consequences for future assignments
- The right of substitution is on by default and can be switched off per assignment
The file
Everything you need in one place
Chamber of Commerce and VAT numbers, insurance, the model agreement reference, assignment history and invoices. Every assignment gets a frozen snapshot of the file as it stood at the moment of acceptance, so your records stay consistent even when details change later.
- Chamber of Commerce and VAT verification on adding a contractor
- Insurance expiry dates watched, with a signal in advance
- Assignment history per contractor at a glance
- Exportable file for your own archive
Money
The subcontractor invoices you, you pay after delivery
No payslips, no periodic payout that looks like salary. The VAT reverse charge is applied automatically where it belongs. A blocked-account (g-rekening) field is available for chain liability under the Dutch Chain Liability Act (Wet WKA).
- VAT reverse charge applied automatically in the installation and construction trades
- Blocked account (g-rekening) supported for chain liability
- Invoice after delivery, not on a fixed date
- Connects to your accounting package through the existing integrations
The law
The Dutch DBA Act, the VBAR bill and what they mean for installation firms
The rules around hiring freelancers and subcontractors in the Netherlands have tightened in recent years. Since January 2025 the Dutch Tax Authority (Belastingdienst) has been actively enforcing against false self-employment. From 2026, fines of up to one hundred per cent of the unpaid payroll taxes can be added. For installation firms — which work with external technicians a great deal — the impact is concrete.
What follows is a factual explanation of Dutch legislation and of where firms run risk. It is education, not legal advice, and it describes the Dutch market only.
What is the Dutch DBA Act?
The DBA Act (Deregulering Beoordeling Arbeidsrelaties — deregulation of the assessment of working relationships) has been in force since 2016. It is meant to prevent people working as freelancers when they should in fact be employees. Since 2025 the Dutch Tax Authority enforces it actively again. In 2026, deliberate breaches can additionally draw a penalty for serious culpability.
The three pillars of an employment contract
The Dutch Tax Authority and the courts assess three criteria:
Pay
the client pays a fee for the work. Freelance work has this too (by invoice), so this criterion is almost always met.
Personal labour
the person has to do the work themselves. If the freelancer is free to send a substitute, there is no personal labour.
Authority
the client gives instructions on how the work is carried out. This is usually the decisive criterion.
Where it tips over
If all three are present there is an employment contract — even if the written contract says otherwise. If one is missing, there is not.
What is the VBAR bill?
The VBAR bill (Verduidelijking Beoordeling Arbeidsrelaties — clarification of the assessment of working relationships) is an upcoming act intended to replace the DBA Act. It introduces the W-Z-O-P test: embedding in the work, independence, entrepreneurship and personal circumstances. It also brings a legal presumption of employment at an hourly rate below € 38 — the freelancer then has to prove that they genuinely work independently.
The bill has not been passed. Expected entry into force: 2027 or later.
Chain liability — what main contractors watch
As a main contractor you are liable under the Dutch Chain Liability Act (Wet Ketenaansprakelijkheid, WKA) for unpaid payroll taxes of the subcontractors in your chain. If you work with a company that employs staff and does not remit its payroll taxes, the Dutch Tax Authority can hold you liable.
Two customary measures:
- Blocked account (g-rekening)
- you pay part of the invoice into a blocked account that can only be used for payroll taxes.
- Payment conduct statement
- the subcontractor supplies a statement from the Dutch Tax Authority about their remittance of payroll taxes.
What this is based on
The Dutch Tax Authority renames its pages fairly often. Entries below without a link are named instead, so they stay findable when the address changes.
- Belastingdienst — assessment of working relationships (Wet DBA)
- Rijksoverheid — working as a self-employed person
- Belastingdienst — chain liability and the blocked account
Legal scope
Whether a working relationship amounts to false self-employment is assessed by the Dutch Tax Authority or a court on the actual circumstances. Solven signals and documents, and does not replace tax or employment law advice.
Risk
Five situations the Dutch Tax Authority looks at closely
The permanent subcontractor
A freelancer who has worked weekly at the same firm for years, has no other clients and does the same tasks as the permanent technicians. This pattern is one of the most common causes of reclassification as employment. In construction, a large share of the freelancers who recently left the trade is estimated to come from situations of this type.
The low rate
At an hourly rate below € 38 a legal presumption of employment will apply once the VBAR bill enters into force. Even today the Dutch Tax Authority reads a low rate as a signal that entrepreneurship is under pressure. For specialist installation work the market rate is usually above € 45 an hour.
Instruction at execution level
If you decide how the installation is to be done — which tools, which steps, in what order — that is a signal of authority. With freelance work you limit instructions to what has to happen, where and when. The how belongs to the tradesperson.
Embedding in the organisation
Compulsory attendance at internal work meetings, workwear with your logo, a fixed desk at the office, performance reviews. Each of these points to embedding in the organisation — a signal that the freelancer functions as an employee.
Missing documentation
No model agreement, no Chamber of Commerce check, no separate assignment confirmation per job, no file with insurance and identity. In a tax audit you have to show, in a short space of time, how the relationship is actually arranged. Without a file you have nothing to show.
What can happen on reclassification
- A tax reassessment for payroll tax and social security contributions, retroactive to 1 January 2025
- A penalty for serious culpability of up to 100 per cent of the reassessed tax in cases of intent or gross negligence
- Employee rights claimed retroactively by the freelancer: sick pay, holiday allowance, dismissal protection, pension accrual
- Reputational damage if the reclassification becomes public
Legal scope
Whether a working relationship amounts to false self-employment is assessed by the Dutch Tax Authority or a court on the actual circumstances. Solven signals and documents, and does not replace tax or employment law advice.
Today
What you can do today
This list stands apart from Solven. It is what is generally advised in practice, whichever system you work with.
- Work per job with its own assignment confirmation, not in a rolling relationship
- Describe the result, not the hours
- Allow the right of substitution where you can
- Document entrepreneurship: Chamber of Commerce registration, VAT number, insurance, several clients, own tools
- Refer to a model agreement published by the Dutch Tax Authority
- Avoid instruction at execution level, weekly rosters and internal work meetings for freelancers
- When in doubt, consult an employment lawyer or a tax adviser
Solven
Where Solven helps
Solven can carry the administrative part. Judging whether a relationship is genuinely independent stays with you and your advisers.
- An assignment confirmation per job, result-based by default
- A file per contractor with Chamber of Commerce, VAT and insurance verification
- A frozen snapshot per assignment for a consistent archive
- Right of substitution and rate configurable per assignment
- Invoicing by the subcontractor themselves, VAT reverse charge where applicable
- Blocked account (g-rekening) supported for chain liability
- An export-ready file per contractor
Coming
beta
Coming: signalling of risk characteristics
Solven is building a module that flags characteristics in the working relationship which may point to raised risk — long-running work for a single client, a rate below the statutory threshold, a missing model agreement. You get a risk profile per contractor. What you do with it is your call.
What the signalling does
- Record facts from the assignment history
- Make patterns across several assignments visible
- Indicate which characteristics the Dutch Tax Authority looks at in an audit
What the signalling does not do
- Give a legal conclusion about a specific relationship
- Replace the assessment by the Dutch Tax Authority or a court
- Offer a guarantee against tax reassessments or fines
Legal scope
Whether a working relationship amounts to false self-employment is assessed by the Dutch Tax Authority or a court on the actual circumstances. Solven signals and documents, and does not replace tax or employment law advice.
Who for
Who is this built for?
- Installation firms with 10 to 50 technicians, part of whom work as subcontractors
- Heat pump, solar, electrical, HVAC and security specialists
- Sole traders who bring in subcontractors themselves
- Firms that scaled back their use of freelancers as a precaution and are now looking for a structured way back
Questions
Frequently asked questions
What does subcontractor management cost?
Subcontractor management is included in every Solven plan from Starter upwards. Subcontractors have their own rate structure, billed separately. See the pricing page.
Is the risk signalling available yet?
No. It is in beta and is being tested with a limited number of installation firms before it becomes generally available. You can sign up for the pilot at the bottom of this page.
Does Solven replace my legal advice?
No. Solven signals and documents. If you are in doubt about a specific relationship, consult an employment lawyer or a tax adviser.
Can a subcontractor work for several clients through Solven?
Yes. One account, several clients, a separate file per relationship. The subcontractor switches between tenants themselves.
What happens if I withdraw access?
The subcontractor loses access to your environment. Their account stays in place for other clients.
Does Solven support blocked accounts (g-rekeningen)?
Yes. The blocked-account field is available per contractor and is shown on the relevant invoices.
What is the status of the VBAR bill?
The VBAR is a bill that has not been passed. Solven follows the legislation and will adjust the signalling once there is clarity.
Does Solven work for small freelancers too?
Yes, through the Solo plan. Solo is for the self-employed person who wants their own administration in order — not primarily to win work.
Pilot
Risk signalling pilot — limited places
We are testing the risk signalling with a limited number of installation firms. Participants get early access, a short line to the development team and the chance to shape the feature.
We use what you enter here only to judge whether your firm fits the pilot and to get in touch. We keep the sign-up for 24 months, unless you become a participant. You can have it deleted at any time via privacy@solvensystems.nl.
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