Salary in hospitality

Skilled worker or (not yet) a skilled worker

In the CLA hospitality, there is mention of a skilled worker. This is an important term as it affects your salary. You are considered a skilled worker if you are 18 years or older and meet one of the following three conditions:

• You have completed at least 1,976 hours of experience in the same role on or after your 18th birthday;
• You have a recognised vocational diploma;
• You are in job grade 5 or higher.

How a role in hospitality is established 

How much you should earn as a hospitality worker depends on your role. Your payslip shows exactly what you earn, which amounts have been deducted from your gross salary, and what you have saved in, for example, holiday pay. Based on your payslip, you can check if your salary is high enough for the role you have. 
 
Through the Hospitality Reference Roles Register, you can see which role you belong to. Your employer determines a role by creating a description of your main tasks and responsibilities. Then, they compare this with the roles listed in the Hospitality Reference Roles Handbook. This way, you always know which job grade you are in and that the role on your contract matches the work you do.  
 
Always check if you are placed in the correct job grade before signing a (renewed) contract. The job grade determines what you should earn at a minimum. If you are placed too low, there is a good chance you are being underpaid. Go to the calculator to calculate this. 

If you are not (yet) a skilled worker or if you are a BBL student, you will not be classified into a job grade according to the method described above.

The hospitality salary scale (2026) and the minimum salary  

If you are a skilled worker and 20 years or older, you should receive at least the salary that corresponds to your salary scale. You can find all salary scales in the CLA hospitality.  

To find out which salary scale you belong to, look at your job grade. The job grades are linked to the salary scales.

If you are older than 18 but younger than 20, you are a young skilled worker.

You will then receive at least the following percentage of the salary of your job grade. The percentages apply from the day you have your birthday. 

Minimum salary for non-skilled workers and BBL students in hospitality 

The wages of non-skilled workers and BBL students are linked to the statutory minimum salary.

If you are a BBL student or not a skilled worker, you will receive at least the basic salary for job grade I+II with the following CLA youth salary percentages linked to the applicable minimum (youth) salary for you. The lower BBL scale is not applied.

The following salary table shows what non-skilled workers and BBL students must earn at a minimum per 1 July 2026: 

Download the CLA hospitality for all salary tables.

How are you assessed as a hospitality employee?

As soon as you start working somewhere, your manager or employer will make work agreements with you regarding your personal Your career. Then, at least once a year, you will have a progress meeting in which the collaboration and progress of those (work) agreements are discussed, assessed, and adjusted. You will also have at least one performance review per year where you discuss the results of the past period with each other.

Everything you need to know about performance bonuses

As a skilled worker aged 20 or older, you are entitled to an annual performance bonus of 2%. The condition is that your salary on 31 December of the previous year is between the basic and final salary. To qualify for this bonus, you must have been employed by the same employer in the same position for at least a full calendar year by 1 January. Your employer is not obliged to award the bonus if you perform moderately or insufficiently for two consecutive years.

Your employer may use their own system for performance bonuses, provided that the legal co-determination and approval of the works councils Act for implementing this system have been applied. Additionally, this must be communicated to all employees.

This is what appears on your payslip

Your employer is required to give you a (digital) payslip with your first salary payment and with every change. Even if there are no changes, you should always receive a payslip if you request one.

This information should always be on a payslip:

Your payslip shows the amount you earn gross, and you can also see how much you pay in taxes and premiums. What you are left with is the net salary. The net salary is the amount that is ultimately deposited into your bank account. On our website, you will find all the information about how the tax credit works exactly, allowing you to pay less tax on your earned money. 

In addition to your payslips, you will receive an annual statement at the end of the year. This is a summary of all the payslips you have received that year. You use this for your annual income declaration with the Tax Office. 

Your hospitality salary is incorrect, what now? 

If you work in a certain role, you are entitled to the salary that corresponds to that role. With our simple salary check, you will immediately know if your salary is high enough.  

Is your salary incorrect and are you earning too little? Then we advise you to raise this with your employer. You can also choose to send your employer a letter requesting the salary adjustment and payment of overdue wages. You may use the sample letter ‘Salary Adjustment’ for this. If you can't resolve it yourself, you are always welcome to contact us. We are happy to help you. 

Your employer does not pay your salary or pays it late 

If you work, you are entitled to a salary. The time when your employer must pay your salary depends on your employment contract or CLA. If there are no fixed agreements about this, then your salary must be paid by the last day of the month at the latest. 

If you receive your salary late, email or call your employer and ask for the reason. There might have been an issue with the transfer or your employer might be experiencing financial difficulties. During this conversation, ask if your salary can still be paid. If this does not happen, send your employer a salary claim letter or contact us.  

In the case of a late salary payment, you are entitled to claim a statutory increase and statutory interest due to the delay. The statutory increase amounts to 5% per day from the fourth to the eighth working day after the day the salary was due. After that, you receive 1% for each subsequent working day, with a maximum of 50% of your salary. If the matter goes to court, the increase can be reduced to a lower amount (for example, 10% or 15%). Your employer does not have to pay the increase if it can be proven that the delay was not their fault. 

Is your employer late with payment and you can't resolve it yourself? Then contact us. We can help you claim your salary.