What is a shift allowance (ORT)?
A shift allowance is extra pay for hours worked at inconvenient times, such as evenings, nights, weekends or public holidays. In the Netherlands it is called ORT (onregelmatigheidstoeslag), and it is usually set by the collective agreement, not by law.
How ORT bands work
An allowance scheme divides the week into time bands, each with its own percentage on top of the hourly wage. A typical scheme has a band for weekday evenings, a higher band for nights, and separate bands for Saturday, Sunday and public holidays. The exact hours and percentages differ per collective agreement (cao) and sometimes per job, so there is no single national ORT rate.
Because bands are tied to clock times, a single shift can fall into several bands. A shift from 18:00 to 02:00 may contain regular hours, evening hours and night hours, each with a different allowance. That is why allowances need exact start and end times, not just a total of hours.
Shift allowance in payroll and staffing
For payroll, each band usually becomes its own wage code. Staffing agencies often have to follow the allowance scheme of the client, which means the same worker can have different bands at different placements.
TimeTracking splits recorded shifts over ORT bands with its rule engine, including public holidays for the Netherlands, Germany and Belgium, and sends the minutes per band to payroll in the export. You configure the bands to match your collective agreement.
Frequently asked questions
Is ORT required by law in the Netherlands?
No. The Arbeidstijdenwet limits working time but does not require extra pay for evenings, nights or weekends. ORT comes from the collective agreement or the employment contract.
Related pages
Overtime
Hours worked beyond the agreed or normal working time, often paid at a higher rate or compensated with time off.
ABU and NBBU cao
The two Dutch collective agreements for temporary agency workers, from the employer associations ABU and NBBU.
Payroll exports
Approved hours out in the format payroll expects. SD Worx-format and configurable CSV/XLSX today.
Staffing agencies
Placements, client approval by magic link, AI parser, conflict detection and payroll exports.
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