Can a freelancer’s entire invoice payment be frozen?

When wages are seized, the beslagvrije voet (protected-income threshold) generally leaves the employee part of their income for essential living costs. 

Article 475c of the Wetboek van Burgerlijke Rechtsvordering (Rv, Dutch Code of Civil Procedure) identifies the payments covered, including wages, pensions and various benefits. Ordinary freelance invoices do not automatically fall within that list. 

A creditor can nevertheless have a bailiff seize the freelancer’s claim against a client. This is called derdenbeslag (third-party attachment): the client receives the notice because it owes the freelancer money. 

Wage seizure uses the same broad procedure, but different income protections apply. For a freelancer working as a sole trader, there is no automatic rule requiring the client to leave a minimum amount from every hour invoiced.

There is a possible route to protection, particularly where the client makes recurring payments. 

Under Article 475f Rv, someone with insufficient other means of support can ask the kantonrechter (cantonal court) to apply the protected-income rules to a claim for recurring payments outside Article 475c. 

That could matter to a freelancer who depends on regular payments from a client. It is not, however, a general guarantee for every one-off invoice. 

The freelancer should contact the bailiff promptly and seek legal assistance if a court application is needed. Payment records, other income and available resources can help establish whether the conditions are met. 

The client cannot decide independently to set aside a “fair” amount and release it. Any payment must respect the seizure and the protection lawfully applicable to it. 

Yes. Once money is in a bank account, a different claim is involved: the account holder’s claim against the bank. 

Article 475a Rv provides a beslagvrij bedrag (protected bank amount) for natural persons under the applicable conditions. The legislative explanation expressly discusses its importance for sole traders. 

That protection does not automatically extend to an invoice still awaiting payment from a client. Nor should a freelancer assume that personal living-cost protection covers money belonging to their separate limited company. 

Where the money is—and who legally owes it—therefore matters. 

The calculation can become more complicated. 

In a judgment of 12 March 2025, the North Holland District Court considered a household receiving both types of income. It held that freelance income could enter the calculation of the protected-income threshold, but its unseized portion could not simply be deducted from that threshold. 

The ruling concerns a mixed-income calculation. It does not give every freelancer an automatic protected amount on their invoices.

A client receiving a bailiff’s notice should establish which payment it covers and follow the required declaration and payment procedure. Paying the freelancer despite a valid seizure can have consequences under Article 475h Rv. 

If an FMS operator, payment provider or separate funds-holding entity is involved, first identify who actually owes the money and who received the notice. 

Zooly provides a Freelance Management System and supporting services. Recording an invoice or helping process it does not, by itself, mean Zooly owes the payment or holds the money in its own name. 

For the freelancer, the urgent question is how to meet everyday expenses. For the party handling payment, it is how to follow the notice correctly while respecting any applicable protection. Clear payment records help both sides establish what needs to happen next.