Free tool
Enter your number of employees, absence rate and cost per absence day. You instantly see the annual absence cost, and the slider shows what lower absence would save.
Absence cost per year
€379,500
Absence days per year: 1,265
That saves per year
€37,950
Calculated from your own figures and the chosen reduction.
Indicative calculation based on the number of working days per year you set and your entered figures. Meant as guidance, not an exact figure. Sources: CBS (absence) and common estimates of cost per absence day.
Transparent
We keep it simple and traceable: absence days per year = number of employees × absence rate × the number of working days per year (default 230). Absence cost is those days × the cost per absence day. The saving is a reduction percentage you choose, applied to that cost.
The national absence rate (~5.5%) comes from Statistics Netherlands (CBS). The cost per absence day (€250–€400) is a common estimate of the total cost: continued pay, cover or hiring, lost productivity and absence guidance. Every assumption is adjustable so the outcome fits your organisation.
Breakdown
You keep paying wages while the employee (partly) doesn't work — up to two years for long-term absence.
Work must continue: temporary staff, overtime or hiring to absorb the workload.
Even without cover, output drops, and colleagues absorb extra work with a risk of more absence.
Costs of the occupational health service, company doctor, case management and admin around the absence process.
Reducing absence
Much of the cost arises because insight comes late. The sooner you understand what's behind a sick report, the more targeted the guidance and the smaller the chance of unnecessarily long or high absence. A structured, early intake helps.
Read on: Insight into absence causes · Gatekeeper Improvement Act · What is AI triage for occupational health?.
Frequently asked questions
You calculate absence costs by multiplying the number of absence days by the cost per absence day. Absence days follow from: number of employees × absence rate × working days per year (average 230). The cost per day covers continued pay, cover, lost productivity and absence guidance.
A sick employee costs on average €250 to €400 per day. That is the sum of continued wages, cover or hiring, lost productivity and the cost of absence guidance. The exact amount varies by role, sector and organisation.
The national sickness absence rate in the Netherlands is around 5.5% (CBS). That means on average more than 5 of every 100 working days are lost to absence. It varies by sector; healthcare and government are typically higher.
Yes. Because absence costs scale with the number of absence days, a relatively small reduction translates directly into a significant saving. For a large organisation, each percentage point of absence quickly amounts to tens or hundreds of thousands of euros per year.
Yes, the calculator is completely free and gives an instant result, without leaving any details. All assumptions are visible and adjustable.
Updated on 8 July 2026
In a 30-minute demo we show how a structured, early intake helps occupational health services and employers guide absence more precisely — without extra workload.
