Debt collector (incassobureau) is threatening me — what are they allowed to do?
An incassobureau (private debt collection agency) is allowed to demand payment of an existing debt, send written reminders, charge statutorily capped collection costs plus statutory interest, and offer payment arrangements. It is not allowed to seize assets, evict, garnish wages, threaten criminal prosecution, contact your employer or family, or misrepresent its powers. Only a gerechtsdeurwaarder (bailiff) carries public authority. Several hard statutory and self‑regulatory limits protect you.
What an incassobureau legally is
An incassobureau is a private company that, on behalf of a creditor, tries to collect a debt without going to court ("buitengerechtelijke incasso"). It has no public‑law powers. That is the essential contrast with the gerechtsdeurwaarder, who is the only person authorised under Dutch law to serve court documents, attach property, evict tenants or carry out other "ambtshandelingen." Every legitimate incassobureau collecting debts from consumers must since 1 April 2024 / 1 April 2025 be registered in the Register Incassodienstverlening under the Wet kwaliteit incassodienstverlening (Wki), screened by Justis (Justis, "Wat houdt de Wki in").
What they are allowed to do
| What | Legal basis |
|---|---|
| Send you written payment reminders and demands (sommatie / aanmaning). | Burgerlijk Wetboek Boek 6, Artikel 82 — formal notice (ingebrekestelling) is required before you are in verzuim. |
| Charge statutory interest (wettelijke rente) from the day after the payment deadline. | Burgerlijk Wetboek Boek 6, Artikelen 119–120 for consumer transactions; Artikelen 119a–119b for business / government transactions. |
| Charge the statutory buitengerechtelijke incassokosten (extrajudicial collection costs), at most according to the fixed staffel. | Burgerlijk Wetboek Boek 6, Artikel 96 lid 2 onder c read together with the Besluit vergoeding voor buitengerechtelijke incassokosten (WIK). |
| Initiate court proceedings through a lawyer or a deurwaarder if you don't pay. | Their standing as a representative of the creditor; procedure in the Wetboek van Burgerlijke Rechtsvordering. |
| Process your personal data for the collection of the debt, under the AVG. | Their legitimate interest as data controller; see the NVI Gedragscode for best practice. |
What they are NOT allowed to do
- Seize assets, evict you, garnish your wages or bank account. Only a gerechtsdeurwaarder with a court judgment (executoriale titel) can do so.
- Threaten criminal prosecution, arrest, "blacklisting" with the police, the municipality, or the "CJIB" for an unpaid private invoice. These are classic scare tactics; private debts are not criminal matters.
- Call your employer, family, neighbours or colleagues to "inform" them of the debt. That violates your privacy under the AVG and the NVI Gedragscode, which expressly bans aggressive, threatening or intimidating practices (NVI Gedragscode 2024).
- Send messages that look like court documents or police summonses when they are not.
- Demand higher costs than the WIK staffel allows, or charge incassokosten to another consumer before a proper 14‑day notice has expired (see below).
- Force you to pay "today only" by direct debit / gift card / crypto — common in fraud schemes.
How much may they charge on top of the debt?
Collection costs (WIK staffel, in 2026)
If you are a consumer, the creditor must first send you a free written reminder giving you at least 14 days to pay (the veertiendagenbrief), stating the exact amount of costs you will owe if you don't pay. Only after those 14 days may incassokosten be added. For business-to-business debts this 14-day requirement does not apply.
Once triggered, the maximum amount a collection agency may charge is fixed in the Besluit vergoeding voor buitengerechtelijke incassokosten:
| Portion of the principal (hoofdsom) | Percentage | Remark |
|---|---|---|
| First € 2,500 | 15% | minimum € 40 in total |
| Next € 2,500 (up to € 5,000) | 10% | — |
| Next € 5,000 (up to € 10,000) | 5% | — |
| Next € 190,000 (up to € 200,000) | 1% | — |
| Above € 200,000 | 0.5% | absolute maximum € 6,775 |
Higher percentages are not enforceable. For recurring consumer debts (e.g. missed monthly instalments) the cumulatieregeling of the Hoge Raad, 25 November 2016, ECLI:NL:HR:2016:2704 caps the second and later terms within six months at a reduced amount (typically € 20 per term) — so costs cannot keep stacking at € 40.
Statutory interest (in 2026)
| Type of claim | Rate from 1 January 2026 |
|---|---|
| Consumer / private claim (not a handelstransactie) | 4% per year |
| Business-to-business (handelstransactie) | 10.4% per year (from 1 July 2026; was 10.15%) |
These are the figures set under Burgerlijk Wetboek Boek 6, Artikel 120 by AMvB; the business rate is the ECB refinancing rate + 8 percentage points. The rate for the consumer rate was 6% through 2025 and dropped to 4% on 1 January 2026 (Europees e-justitieportaal, rentetarieven Nederland).
Interest is calculated over the hoofdsom, not over the incassokosten, and only runs from the day after the agreed or statutory payment deadline.
Is the debt still valid?
Under Burgerlijk Wetboek Boek 3, Artikel 310, damage claims become time-barred five years after the creditor knows (or should know) both the damage and the person liable. Ordinary contractual monetary claims (e.g. unpaid invoices) become time-barred under Article 3:306 BW after twenty years. If a debt is genuinely old, ask the collector to prove it is not verjaard; they bear that burden.
What you can do if a debt collector oversteps
- Put everything in writing. Ask for written proof of the debt: the original agreement, the amount, the interest calculation, the incassokosten breakdown, and the date of the first 14-day notice.
- Check the register. Confirm the bureau is registered in the Register Incassodienstverlening (Justis). If it isn't, that's an economic offence and the costs and interest are not enforceable.
- Verify the figures. Use the staffel and statutory-interest figures above. Anything higher is contestable.
- Negotiate a payment plan (betalingsregeling). Under the Wki, a registered incassodienstverlener must engage with reasonable payment proposals and clearly explain how the debt is built up.
- File a complaint.
- With the incassobureau itself (every registered office must have a complaint procedure).
- With the Koninklijke Beroepsorganisatie van Gerechtsdeurwaarders (KBvG) if it concerns a deurwaarder.
- With the Autoriteit Consument & Markt (ACM) or the Autoriteit Persoonsgegevens (AP) for aggressive practices or privacy violations.
- Through the municipality's schuldhulpverlening if you cannot pay.
- Seek free legal help at a juridisch loket or consult a lawyer; many consumer‑law cases have a fixed low fee or can be handled voor rechtseenheidsprocedure without a lawyer.
This page gives general information, not legal advice for your situation. A qualified Dutch lawyer or a juridisch loket advisor can tell you how the rules apply to your specific case.