Coming Soon: Knowledge Catalog on Freelancer Misclassification
Why now
The timing isn't a coincidence. EU member states have until 2 December 2026 to transpose the Platform Work Directive into national law, and the directive shifts the burden of proof onto platforms and clients: where the facts of a working relationship show control and direction, the law now presumes an employment relationship, and it's up to the platform or client to prove otherwise.
Several countries aren't waiting for the deadline. In the Netherlands, the Belastingdienst lifted the DBA enforcement moratorium on 1 January 2025, and from 2026 it can issue formal fines on top of retroactive tax assessments. Slovakia has tightened its definition of ‘dependent work’ and stepped-up inspections targeting bogus self-employment. And enforcement has real teeth: Spain fined food-delivery firm Glovo a combined total of over EUR 136 million for violating a law that requires food delivery platforms to hire employees formally.
The problem: fragmentation
Here's the catch: none of this is happening uniformly. Each country is layering its own national tests, timelines and enforcement priorities on top of the EU baseline, and some of those national rules are themselves still shifting: the Dutch coalition, for instance, agreed in January 2026 to partially replace its own draft legislation with a new Self Employment Act, with details still to be worked out. Keeping up with one country is hard enough. Keeping up with all of them, at once, is close to impossible for most organisations.
What to expect
That's the gap our Knowledge Catalog is built to close: one continuously updated reference, broken down country by country, so you always know which rules apply, where, and what's changed most recently. From 1 October, you'll be able to browse the full catalog by country, track the status of national implementation of the Platform Work Directive, and get plain-language explanations of what each rule actually requires in practice, not just what the legislation says on paper.
Stay tuned. We'll share more as the launch date approaches.
Meer Nieuws
Bekijk al het nieuws →This year, has ushered in new developments and launched new initiative —all with the goal of preparing leaders, businesses and skilled professionals for the future of work.
Een nieuwe platformfunctie berekent en houdt automatisch belastingverplichtingen in voor plaatsingen in meerdere EU-jurisdicties, waardoor een handmatige afstemmingsstap wordt geëlimineerd die bureaus voorheen in spreadsheets buiten het platform afhandelden. De uitrol bestrijkt bij de lancering Nederland, België, Duitsland en Frankrijk, met aanvullende jurisdicties gepland voor later dit jaar op basis van de vraag van de klant.
The Dutch DBA Act (Deregulering Beoordeling Arbeidsrelaties) enforces joint responsibility of clients and contractors to prevent false self-employment. The Netherlands Tax Administration (Belastingdienst) assesses working relationships; if a zzp'er (self-employed professional) does not meet entrepreneurship conditions, they face additional tax assessments, repayment of tax benefits, and potential fines. Clients may owe payroll tax, pension contributions, and fines. From 1 January 2025, unintentional false self-employment triggers retroactive assessments; intentional cases can be backdated further. Model agreements remain valid until 2029 but do not guarantee protection. A new Self-Employment Act (Zelstandigenwet) is announced for 1 January 2028, introducing two tests for self-employment and a special commission. Businesses hiring freelancers must reassess working relationships to avoid financial and legal consequences. Some Hyperlink Here
Summary in dutch