NHG mortgage explained: 2026 limit, fee and benefit
What the Dutch National Mortgage Guarantee is, the 2026 NHG limit, what it costs and what you gain. With an example at the average house price.
What is NHG?
The Nationale Hypotheek Garantie (NHG, National Mortgage Guarantee) is a guarantee on your mortgage. If circumstances such as job loss, divorce or the death of a partner mean you temporarily cannot pay, NHG can help find solutions. As a last resort, NHG can cancel a remaining debt after the home is sold, subject to conditions.
Because NHG lowers the lender's risk, lenders usually charge a lower rate on NHG loans. According to NHG, more than 40% of Dutch homeowners now have an NHG mortgage.
The NHG limit in 2026
- The NHG limit in 2026 is €470,000.
- With energy-saving measures it is €498,200.
- From 2026 a single limit applies to all home types; the separate limit for mobile homes and pitches has gone.
Since 2023 NHG has set the limit at the average purchase price of the past 27 months, plus 5%, rounded to a multiple of €5,000. The 2027 limit had not been published as of 17 October 2026.
Cost and benefit
You pay a one-off guarantee fee of 0.4% of the amount borrowed, set against the lower rate. NHG itself says the fee is "usually more than recouped" through that lower rate. How much you save depends on the rate gap at your lender, so compare quotes with and without NHG. Current average rates are on mortgage rates.
NHG does not change how much you may borrow on your income; see how much can I borrow. Without a permanent contract, NHG describes how your income can be established; see mortgage on a temporary contract.
Worked example
The average sale price of an existing owner-occupied home was €479,527 in 2025 (CBS, updated 17 February 2026).
- Can you get NHG if you borrow that full price? no.
- Borrow exactly the limit of €470,000 and the one-off NHG fee is €1,880.
- A €300,000 loan costs 0.4% = €1,200.
You pay the fee through the notary, together with the other buying costs.
Read more
- Buying costs calculator (includes the NHG fee)
- Mortgage calculator
- House prices by municipality on the map
- Guides: buying costs, mortgage rate forecast
Disclaimer
This guide is indicative and not financial advice. Your own situation may work out differently. Talk to an independent mortgage adviser.
This text was written with AI assistance. The editors checked the rules and figures against the sources below (as of 17 October 2026).
Sources
- NHG, NHG limit in 2026 (press release, 8 October 2025; Dutch): https://www.nhg.nl/nhg-actueel/nhg-grens-in-2026-vastgesteld-op-470000/
- NHG, Getting a mortgage without a permanent contract (Dutch): https://www.nhg.nl/het-krijgen-van-nhg/een-hypotheek-zonder-vast-contract
- CBS, table 83625NED, existing owner-occupied homes; average sale prices, region: https://opendata.cbs.nl/statline/#/CBS/nl/dataset/83625NED
Not financial advice. This guide explains rules; your own situation may work out differently.