Voluntary termination of the employment contract by the employee

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?

Risks of termination by the employee

A voluntary termination, or resignation, by the employee must be evidenced by a clear and unambiguous statement. If this statement is lacking, there is a risk that the employee will (later) successfully claim that the employment contract continued and that they are therefore still entitled to payment of the outstanding wages. The discussion of whether there is a clear and unambiguous statement, and therefore a voluntary termination, has been litigated a number of times in case law. This discussion is illustrated below using two rulings and shows you what to pay attention to in the event of a voluntary termination. In that connection, we give a number of practical tips at the end of this article.

Case 1: Clear and unambiguous statement not demonstrated

In the first case, the employee had been employed as a cook since 10 October 2013. In an email of 19 November 2013 to the employee, the employer states that the employee resigned in a conversation on 15 November 2013. The employee, however, believes that he was sent away by the employer and that he did not resign at all. He therefore claims the outstanding wages. The Hoorn subdistrict court, ruling on 19 March 2014, grants this wage claim because the employer could not make it plausible that there was a clear and unambiguous statement from the employee aimed at his resignation. Written documents or any other evidence substantiating the voluntary termination were lacking here, and that proved fatal for the employer in this case.

Case 2: Clear and unambiguous statement demonstrated

A later ruling by the Amsterdam Court of Appeal of 30 September 2014 was more successful for an employer, since the wage claim that had still been granted at first instance was overturned by the Court of Appeal. In this case, the decisive factor was that the employer had been able to produce a letter confirming the employee’s resignation by means of a written and signed statement. According to the Court of Appeal, it did not matter that the letter had been drafted by the employer, since the statement in the letter was ultimately signed by the employee himself.

Practical tips

To avoid this discussion altogether, it is advisable to include in your employment documentation that a voluntary termination by the employee must be done in writing. This strengthens your evidentiary position. If the employee does not do this, still ask for a written statement and confirmation of the resignation. You can also choose, as in the Court of Appeal case, to draft the statement yourself and then have it signed by the employee. On blank letterhead, though.

If you have questions about this topic, please contact us. We can be reached by phone at 020-3450152. You can also always send your question by email to wsalle@thelegalcompany.nl.

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.

Heeft u vragen over uw concrete situatie? Wij sparren dagelijks met opdrachtgevers over hun zzp-relaties. Vraag een offerte op of bekijk onze Legal Safe abonnementen.