Switching energy contracts: when, notice period and early termination fee

Short answer: the notice period (opzegtermijn) of a Dutch energy contract is at most 1 month and is stated in your contract [1]. On a variable or dynamic contract you pay no early termination fee (opzegvergoeding) when you switch [1]. On a fixed contract you only pay a termination fee if you cancel before the end date, and only if your supplier actually makes a loss on it [1][2]. Your new supplier arranges the switch [3][4].

A few Dutch terms you will see in this guide and in your contract: the ACM (Autoriteit Consument & Markt) is the Dutch consumer and market regulator, and ConsuWijzer is its consumer information site. The Energiewet (Energy Act) and the Energieregeling (Energy Regulation) are the law and the ministerial regulation that set the rules. Most sources below are in Dutch.

How long is the notice period?

According to ACM ConsuWijzer, the notice period of any energy contract is at most 1 month, whether you have a contract for 1, 2 or 3 years or a contract for an indefinite period. The period starts on the day after you cancel [1].

Many contracts now have a shorter period. The model contracts (modelcontracten) that the ACM set for 2026 give the notice period as "at most 5 working days" [5]. Which period applies to you is stated in your own contract or terms and conditions.

When do you pay an early termination fee?

The Energy Act says that a supplier may only charge a household a termination fee when a fixed-term contract with a fixed price is cancelled early, and only if that fee is stated in the contract [4]. The supplier may not charge any other costs for a switch [4].

ConsuWijzer lists these situations in which you pay no termination fee [1]:

• your contract term has ended;
• you have a contract with variable or dynamic rates;
• your supplier ends your contract (unless that is because you did not pay your bills on time; then it is sometimes allowed);
• you only receive the bill for the termination fee after the final bill (eindafrekening);
• your contract does not say how the supplier calculates the termination fee.

Moving house, emigrating or moving in with a partner is not an exception either: if you cancel a fixed contract before the end date in those cases, a termination fee may apply [1].

How high is the termination fee on a fixed contract?

Since 1 June 2023 the termination fee is no longer a low fixed amount, but depends on the loss your supplier suffers because you leave early [6]. Before then it was, for example, at most € 50 if a contract had less than one and a half years left to run [7]. The 2023 rules were set out in an ACM policy rule. Since 1 January 2026 they are in the Energy Act and the Energy Regulation [4][8][9].

The formula from the Energy Regulation [8]:

termination fee = (agreed price − price of the reference product) × remaining quantity

In plain English [1][8]:

• Agreed price: your fixed rate per kWh or m³, excluding taxes and levies.
• Reference price: what the same supplier now charges for a comparable fixed contract with a term as close as possible to your remaining term.
• Remaining quantity: how much electricity or gas you would still use until the end date. The supplier must take the spread over the year into account: you use more in winter.

If the reference price is equal to or higher than your contract price, the termination fee is zero [8]. So you only pay something if energy has become cheaper since you signed your contract.

Worked example from ConsuWijzer [1]: you pay € 0.45 per kWh and € 0.90 per m³. Until the end of your contract you would still use 800 kWh and 500 m³. A new 1-year contract at the same supplier now costs € 0.25 per kWh and € 0.60 per m³. The termination fee is then (0.45 − 0.25) × 800 = € 160 for electricity and (0.90 − 0.60) × 500 = € 150 for gas.

Watch out with one contract for both electricity and gas: according to ConsuWijzer, if you cancel only the gas, you cancel the whole contract and the supplier can charge a termination fee for both [1].

Solar panels and the termination fee

You can also pay a termination fee if you have solar panels, because your supplier has bought electricity for you for the hours your panels produce nothing. In the calculation the supplier takes your standard annual usage and what your panels generate into account [1][8].

Paying back a welcome bonus?

If you cancel within 6 months of the start of your contract, the supplier may ask you to pay back a cash welcome bonus (welkomstpremie), but never more than the bonus itself. A gift that is not money never has to be returned [1].

How to request your termination fee

You do not have to calculate the fee yourself. Your current supplier must give you the termination fee and the calculation when you ask for it or when you take out a new contract [1][2]. Such a calculation stays valid for 2 months; once that period has passed, ask for a new calculation [1]. The supplier must publish the reference product and its price, so you can check the calculation [8][10].

The ACM advises never to simply say "yes" to an unsolicited offer, for example on the phone, while you still have a fixed contract. First request your termination fee and work out whether switching really saves you money [6][7].

How does switching work?

1. Choose a new contract and sign it with the new supplier. According to the Energy Regulation, that is how you switch [9]. If you have a fixed contract, give the end date of your current contract, so the switch does not take effect too early.
2. The new supplier handles the rest. It carries out the steps needed for the switch and reports them to the grid operator (netbeheerder) [4][9]. So you do not have to cancel your old contract yourself [3]. According to the Dutch government, the new supplier must arrange the switch within 3 weeks [11].
3. 14-day cooling-off period. After signing you always have 14 days to change your mind (bedenktijd). If you cancel within that time, you stay with your old supplier [12]. If you find the termination fee too high, you can cancel the switch within the cooling-off period [1].
4. Final bill within 6 weeks. Your old supplier sends a final bill within 6 weeks of the switch, including any termination fee [1][13].

Does your fixed contract end without you arranging anything? Then, under the model contract, your supplier converts it into a contract with variable rates for an indefinite period. That prevents your supply from stopping [5]. You can cancel that variable contract without a termination fee [1].

What to check before you switch

Fixed, variable or dynamic. On a fixed contract your price is fixed for the term, but you may pay a termination fee if you want to leave early [2][6]. Variable and dynamic contracts can be cancelled without a fee [1]. On a dynamic contract your price follows the electricity market per hour or quarter-hour; how that works is explained in Dynamic electricity prices: how do they work?. The differences side by side are in Dynamic vs fixed contract.

Feed-in charges if you have solar panels. Suppliers may charge for electricity you feed back into the grid (terugleverkosten). According to the ACM, suppliers calculate those charges in many different ways, which makes contracts hard to compare. Customers of dynamic suppliers pay "little or no" feed-in charges, according to the ACM [14]. So look at the whole picture: supply rate, fixed charges, feed-in charges and feed-in fee.

End of net metering on 1 January 2027. From that date you can no longer offset the electricity you feed back against your usage (salderen, net metering) [15][16]. Until 2030 you do receive a feed-in fee of at least 50% of the bare supply price [15][16]. If you take out a fixed contract now that runs past 1 January 2027, check what the contract says about feed-in after that date. More on this in End of net metering in 2027: what changes on a dynamic contract?.

The end date and the termination fee. Look up the end date in your contract or online account and request a calculation of the termination fee before you sign [1].

Complaint about your termination fee?

If you think the termination fee is too high or unjustified, write a letter or email to your supplier. ConsuWijzer has a template letter for this (in Dutch). If you cannot resolve it together, you can report the problem to ConsuWijzer [1].

Sources

1. ACM ConsuWijzer, Energiecontract opzeggen: alles over opzegvergoeding en opzegtermijn (accessed 22-10-2026): https://consument.acm.nl/elektriciteit-en-gas/overstappen-vergelijken-en-verhuizen/energiecontract-opzeggen-alles-over-opzegvergoeding-en-opzegtermijn
2. ACM, Opzegvergoeding energiecontract (accessed 22-10-2026): https://www.acm.nl/nl/energie/elektriciteit-en-gas/energietarieven/opzegvergoeding-energiecontract
3. ACM ConsuWijzer, Tips bij een energieleverancier kiezen (accessed 22-10-2026): https://consument.acm.nl/elektriciteit-en-gas/overstappen-vergelijken-en-verhuizen/tips-bij-het-kiezen-van-een-energieleverancier
4. Energiewet, articles 2.14, 2.15 and 2.16 (accessed 22-10-2026): https://wetten.overheid.nl/BWBR0050714/
5. Besluit modelcontracten 2026, annexes 1 and 2 (accessed 22-10-2026): https://wetten.overheid.nl/BWBR0052036/
6. ACM ConsuWijzer, Vast energiecontract afsluiten? Dit moet je weten over de nieuwe opzegvergoeding (accessed 22-10-2026): https://consument.acm.nl/nieuws/vast-energiecontract-afsluiten-dit-moet-je-weten-over-de-nieuwe-opzegvergoeding
7. ACM, ACM publiceert nieuwe regels voor opzeggen vaste energiecontracten (with update of 12 January 2026, accessed 22-10-2026): https://www.acm.nl/nl/publicaties/acm-publiceert-nieuwe-regels-voor-opzeggen-vaste-energiecontracten
8. Energieregeling, articles 2.19 and 2.21 (accessed 22-10-2026): https://wetten.overheid.nl/BWBR0051774/
9. Energieregeling, article 2.18 (accessed 22-10-2026): https://wetten.overheid.nl/BWBR0051774/
10. ACM, Handreiking redelijke opzegvergoedingen (August 2026, accessed 22-10-2026): https://www.acm.nl/system/files/documents/handreiking-redelijke-opzegvergoedingen-augustus-2026.pdf
11. Government of the Netherlands (Rijksoverheid), Entering into a contract to supply your home with electricity (accessed 22-10-2026): https://www.government.nl/themes/nature-and-the-environment/sustainable-energy-at-home/contract-to-supply-your-home-with-electricity
12. ACM ConsuWijzer, Energiecontract vernietigen of annuleren (accessed 22-10-2026): https://consument.acm.nl/vergelijken-en-overstappen/energiecontracten/energiecontract-vernietigen-of-annuleren
13. Energieregeling, article 2.17 (accessed 22-10-2026): https://wetten.overheid.nl/BWBR0051774/
14. ACM, ACM: terugleverkosten zonnestroom niet onredelijk, contracten wel moeilijk te vergelijken (17 December 2025, accessed 22-10-2026): https://www.acm.nl/nl/publicaties/acm-terugleverkosten-zonnestroom-niet-onredelijk-contracten-wel-moeilijk-te-vergelijken
15. Rijksoverheid, Salderingsregeling stopt in 2027 (accessed 22-10-2026): https://www.rijksoverheid.nl/onderwerpen/energie-thuis/salderingsregeling
16. ACM ConsuWijzer, Salderen en terugleveren (accessed 22-10-2026): https://consument.acm.nl/elektriciteit-en-gas/duurzame-energie/wat-is-salderen

This guide was written with the help of AI and checked against sources.