How much rent allowance can I get? Room, studio and apartment in 2026

You found a studio in Groningen for €915 a month. Now the question: how much rent allowance can I get on that? The Belastingdienst (Dutch Tax Administration) says the amount "is different for everyone". And every calculator asks for income and rent details you're not sure how to fill in. Short answer: somewhere between €0 and about €525. Three things decide it: is your home self-contained, are you 21 or older, and how much will you earn? Below are five profiles, calculated by hand with a method we checked in the official trial calculation, so you know what to expect before you apply.

How much rent allowance can I get in 2026?

How much rent allowance you receive in 2026 depends on four things: your basic rent (counted up to €932.93), your age, your household and your income. A single person aged 21 or over on a low income can receive at most about €523, someone under 21 at most about €295. In a room without its own facilities you usually get nothing.

Huurtoeslag (rent allowance, also called rent benefit or housing benefit) is a monthly payment toward your rent in the Netherlands from Dienst Toeslagen, the benefits office of the Belastingdienst. The amounts above come straight from its Berekening huurtoeslag 2026 worksheet. You always pay the first €202.52 of your rent yourself, and anything above €932.93 too. In between, the government covers a share that shrinks band by band. How that works step by step is explained with our rent allowance calculator. Who is eligible for rent benefit and what changed this year is in rent allowance in the Netherlands in 2026. This post answers one question: what amount fits your situation, and what information do you need to make the sum yourself?

What do rooms, studios and apartments cost in Groningen?

Groningen makes a good test case: lots of students, and a median studio just under the cap limit. We looked at every new free-sector rental home listed in the city from January to mid-October 2026.

Half of the studios ask €915 or less, just under the €932.93 cap, and a quarter ask €765 or less (RentHunter data, 757 studios, January to mid-October 2026). The other three quarters ask more than that, far above €498.20, so if you're under 21, your rent will very likely sit above the limit that applies to you. Searching yourself? See what's online now on our Groningen rentals page.

Worked examples: how much rent allowance per profile?

Every amount below is our own sum with the 2026 parameters from the Belastingdienst worksheet. We checked the method in the official proefberekening (trial calculation) on the Belastingdienst website on 14 October 2026: for every profile we entered, the official result matched our sum to the euro. The screenshots below are examples of what the tool shows.

Proefberekening toeslagen, Belastingdienst. Screenshots taken on 14 October 2026.

1. "U kunt geen huurtoeslag krijgen" ("you cannot get rent allowance"): example 1, a room that is not designated.
2. "€ 295": a 20 year old student in a studio on a low income, as in example 2 (any basic rent above €498.20 gives this result).
3. "€ 511": a single person from age 21 in a studio, entered with a slightly lower test rent than example 3 (at €915 our sum gives €516).
4. "€ 405": a couple in an apartment above the cap, as in example 5.

Example 1: student in a room, €595. Shared kitchen and bathroom. Rent allowance: €0, whatever your income. The rule behind it is the following. Only a self-contained home qualifies: its own front door, kitchen, toilet and, since 1 March 2024, its own shower or bath. That's the condition most room renters fail, however high the rent, and the one to check first on any listing website. The exception: rooms in older student complexes designated before 1 July 1997.

Example 2: student aged 20, €915 studio, side job paying €8,000 a year. Under 21, the Belastingdienst counts rent up to €498.20. The sum: €498.20 minus €202.52 = €295.68. Income is below €23,425, so nothing comes off. Rent allowance: €295.

Example 3: same studio, you're 21 or older. Now the full €915 counts. €295.68 + 65% of €498.20 to €713.02 (€139.63) + 40% of €713.02 to €915 (€80.79) = €516.10. Rent allowance: €516. That's €221 more, for nothing but a birthday.

Example 4: 25 year old starter, same studio, income €32,000. That's €8,575 above the income threshold. Reduction: €8,575 × 27% ÷ 12 = €192.94. Rent allowance: €323.

Example 5: couple aged 27 and 28, €1,226 rental apartment, €38,000 together. The count stops at the cap, and for two people the base rent is €200.71. Together that's €525.09. Their income is €6,500 above the €31,500 threshold for households of two or more, so €6,500 × 22% ÷ 12 = €119.17 comes off. Rent allowance: €405.

Own calculation with the Belastingdienst 2026 parameters, rounded down to whole euros. Rents: median asking rent in Groningen (RentHunter data, January to mid-October 2026).

How much rent allowance can a student get?

As a student you're only entitled to rent benefit if you live in a self-contained home, usually a studio, under the same conditions as everyone else who pays rent. Under 21 the Belastingdienst counts rent up to €498.20: about €295 on a low income. From 21 the full cap applies, so what you're entitled to depends mostly on your income.

Two things surprise people, and you need both. Student finance from DUO, including the loan and the supplementary grant, is not part of your assessment income (toetsingsinkomen). Your side job is. And even under 21, a good income reduces the amount: a 20 year old earning €30,000 got €147 in the proefberekening (own check, 14 October 2026).

Turning 21 soon? Check that your advance payment goes up after your birthday, because on this studio that's €221. The under 21 limit doesn't apply if you have a child or a disability, according to the 2026 worksheet, or if you live with someone aged 21 or over: the Belastingdienst looks at the oldest resident, not at the person who signs the lease. Not yet 18 years old? Then the Belastingdienst checks extra conditions, so run the proefberekening before you count on anything. If your income or situation changes after you apply, you must report it within 4 weeks.

At what income do you stop getting rent allowance?

There is no longer a fixed income limit for rent benefit in 2026: the more you earn, the lower your rent allowance (toward zero), until your income is too high and nothing is left. For a single person with a rent of €932.93 or more that point is around €46,700; with the €915 Groningen studio it's around €46,360 (own calculation).

Above €23,425, 27% of the extra income comes off, divided by 12: €22.50 for every €1,000. With a benefits partner (toeslagpartner) or a co-resident, the threshold is €31,500 and the rate 22%, according to the 2026 worksheet. On this studio that gives €143 at €40,000 and €8 at €46,000 (own calculation).

Watch your assets too. With more than €38,479 in savings, investments and other assets on 1 January 2026, or €76,958 with a partner, you get nothing for the whole year, however low your income.

Checklist: work out what you'll get

• Your home has its own front door, kitchen, toilet and shower or bath, or your room is designated.
• You know your basic rent, the first thing you need. If your rental contract doesn't split it out, ask your landlord for the breakdown.
• You've estimated your income for all of 2026, plus your partner's and that of everyone registered at your address.
• Your savings on 1 January 2026 were under €38,479 (or €76,958 together).
• You've checked the amount in the proefberekening or in our rent allowance calculator.
• You know how to apply for rent allowance in Mijn toeslagen. It isn't automatic.

Frequently asked questions

Common mistakes

• Counting service costs. Only basic rent counts. Enter the all-in rent and you get an advance that's too high, then a bill.
• Applying for a room that isn't designated. That means a rejection, or a claim to pay it back later.
• Forgetting your housemate. Any resident registered at your address is part of your household, income included, even if you no longer share meals.
• Underestimating your income. Extra hours at your side job can cost you hundreds of euros later. Report a higher income within 4 weeks.

Conclusion

How much rent allowance can I get? In a room, usually nothing. In a €915 studio, as a single person on a low income, €295 under 21 and €516 from 21. A higher income takes off €22.50 a month per €1,000 until the allowance disappears around €46,000 (own calculation). If you want certainty, check your amount in the proefberekening, and don't wait: until you apply, you pay the full rent yourself.

Next steps:

• Work out your own amount with our rent allowance calculator.
• Read how to apply for rent allowance in Mijn toeslagen.
• Check this year's rules in rent allowance in the Netherlands in 2026.
• Browse self-contained studios in Groningen on Renthunter.nl.

Sources

• Belastingdienst, Berekening huurtoeslag 2026, Huurtoeslag verandert vanaf 2026 and Proefberekening toeslagen, checked and used on 14 October 2026.
• Belastingdienst, Which homes qualify, Student rooms, Income, Maximum assets and Reporting changes, checked on 14 October 2026 (Dutch pages).
• Volkshuisvesting Nederland, Huurtoeslagparameters, checked on 14 October 2026.
• RentHunter data: median asking rent of free-sector homes first seen in Groningen from 1 January to 14 October 2026 (4,061 rooms, 757 studios, 2,022 apartments), excluding housing corporations, student housing providers, homes for sale and duplicate listings.