Employee Who Fails to Complain in Time May Lose the Right to Claim Wages

Employment Law

29 January 2025

Employee Who Fails to Complain in Time May Lose the Right to Claim Wages

Stelt u zich eens voor: u werkt al jaren met dezelfde zelfstandige. Hij stuurt facturen, factureert btw en heeft een eigen kvk-nummer. Toch krijgt u in 2026 ineens vragen van de Belastingdienst over de aard van uw samenwerking. Hoe heeft het zo ver kunnen komen?

What is the duty to complain?

Article 6:89 of the Dutch Civil Code provides that a creditor can no longer invoke a “defect in performance” if they failed to complain in time after discovering the defect or should reasonably have discovered it.

Duty to complain and wage claims

On 20 September 2024, the Supreme Court ruled that the duty to complain applies in principle to all obligations. This therefore also includes wage claims. According to the Supreme Court, failing to pay wages in full, or for example an overtime allowance, is considered a “defect in performance,” meaning the duty to complain applies here as well. The duty to complain does not apply, incidentally, when there has been no performance at all. Whether, in a specific case, performance was partial or entirely absent depends on the circumstances of the case.

Why a duty to complain?

As an employer, you must be able to trust that an employee — upon discovering they have been underpaid — will act quickly. Late complaints are, after all, difficult to dispute.

When is a complaint considered timely?

Whether a complaint was made in time depends on all the relevant circumstances of the case.

A practical example of a late complaint

An employee working for a cleaning company as a cleaner had a contract for 35 hours per week. On 12 and 16 June 2023, the employee signed forms agreeing to a reduction of 10 working hours per week. On 20 December 2023, she complained about this and claimed payment in accordance with the 35-hour working week. The question was therefore whether the employee had agreed to a reduction in her working hours. In a judgment of 18 December 2024 (ECLI:NL:RBLIM:2024:9758), the Limburg subdistrict court ruled that the employee no longer had a right to wages, having remained silent for nine months. In reaching this decision, the subdistrict court considered, among other things, the following:

The employee did not object to the reduction in her wages until 20 December 2023.
The employee could and should have protested earlier. After all, she could see on her payslips each time that she was being paid for fewer hours. By waiting nine months to protest, she failed to meet her duty to complain in time.
Moreover, the employee did not put forward any special circumstances that would justify a later complaint.

What this means in practice

If an employee fails to complain within a reasonable period after discovering that they have been underpaid, you as an employer can invoke the duty to complain, and the employee’s claim may be dismissed.

Want to know more?

The Legal Company designed this breakfast session specifically for HR managers and staff who know that employment law is constantly evolving and that it is important to stay up to date with the latest developments. In our interactive breakfast session, Marieke Nicolai-Wallet LLM will provide an update on the latest legal developments. In addition to theoretical knowledge, we also offer practical insights and strategies you can apply immediately.

What will we cover?

Self-employed contractors (ZZP) and the DBA Act
Duty to complain and forfeiture of rights
Preparation time and working time
Non-compete and non-solicitation clauses: where do things stand?
Recent case law and the state of legislation

With this breakfast session, you will take your HR expertise to the next level, staying up to date and compliant!

Practical information:

– Date: Thursday 13 March 2025
– Location: TLC Office, Laan Nieuwer-Amstel 4B, Amstelveen
– Time: 8:30 am – 10:30 am, including breakfast
– Cost: €295 excl. VAT per participant
Register: click here!

This article was published on 29 January 2025.

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Nothing changes as quickly as laws and regulations. Please note that our blogs may no longer reflect current legislation and may therefore be outdated. If you have questions or an issue relating to this blog, or if you require legal assistance, please contact us.

De afgelopen jaren stonden in het teken van de Wet VBAR, het wetsvoorstel dat een einde moest maken aan onduidelijkheid over de zzp’er. Het kabinet heeft delen van dat voorstel inmiddels geschrapt. Op het eerste gezicht is dat goed nieuws: minder regels, minder administratieve last. Maar in de praktijk blijven dezelfde toetsen overeind.

“De inhoud van de samenwerking is leidend, niet wat er op papier staat.”

De Belastingdienst handhaaft sinds 1 januari 2025 weer actief op schijnzelfstandigheid. En recente uitspraken van de Hoge Raad bevestigen dat rechters strikt toetsen of er sprake is van ondergeschiktheid en gezagsverhouding.

Voor uw praktijk betekent dit drie dingen. Een: leg de samenwerking duidelijk vast, met aandacht voor de inhoud. Twee: voorkom dat een zzp’er feitelijk werkt als werknemer. Drie: wees voorbereid op een controle, en weet hoe u de relatie kunt herzien als dat moet.

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