Software developer recruitment agency in the Netherlands: questions, salaries and fees

Short answer

A good software developer recruitment agency in the Netherlands knows your stack, speaks to and tests every candidate itself, and gives you a salary band with a source before the search starts. An agency that cannot explain the difference between a backend Java developer and a full stack .NET developer will send you profiles that fail in the technical interview. Chase IT Recruitment is a recruitment agency specialised in software and AI engineers in the Netherlands, for permanent roles only. Below: the main roles, agency types, our own salary data, ten questions and costs.

For notice periods, language, location and the usual fee models in the Netherlands, read our guide to tech recruitment agencies in the Netherlands. This article is about developer roles.

Which developer do you actually need?

A good agency starts with the role. "Software developer" covers profiles with different pools and different salaries.

Always ask what full stack means in your team. The focus usually sits on one side.

The stack also decides where people are. In the Netherlands, a Java developer with seven years or more of experience usually works at a bank, a government organisation or a consultancy with a fixed client, and is not looking. Many employers also ask for fluent Dutch, a degree or screening. Each demand makes sense on its own. Together they halve the pool.

Types of agencies compared

If you need one senior .NET developer who is happy where he is, you need someone who can reach and convince that person. International employers should check one thing in particular: some IT agencies in the Netherlands mainly place contractors. If you want developers on your own payroll, ask for permanent placement only.

Salary bands from our own 2026 vacancies

From the software roles we worked on in 2026, gross per year, including the 8 percent holiday allowance:

Our salary report shows lower figures for similar roles. That is because the report excludes holiday allowance and bonus and averages several sources. Compare like with like. We have not published a separate Python band from our own vacancies, so ask any agency where its Python figure comes from.

What our own data shows

In 2026 we recruit most for Java and Kotlin, .NET, Python, cloud (Azure and AWS) and DevOps. Three things stand out.

• Salary is rarely the reason to leave. In our conversations about one in ten candidates names salary as the reason to move. More often it is the team, the product, security and leadership. But if the salary is missing from the vacancy, good people often do not respond.
• Senior .NET engineers move for the work. They switch when the work gets heavier and the product is clear. With three office days, they drop out quickly above a forty minute commute.
• Roles in mature stacks stay open longest. In October 2026 we tracked 28 open developer and engineer vacancies at Dutch employers. The midpoint was 91 days. Java and Kotlin roles were at 122 days, PHP at 185. Almost all of them had been open for at least a month when we found them, and each stack had only three to eight vacancies, so read it as a direction.

A good agency helps you sell the team and the product, and says so when your band or office policy shrinks the pool.

Questions to ask a software developer recruitment agency

1. Which developer roles did you fill in the past year, and in which stacks?
2. For my role, what is the difference between backend, frontend and full stack?
3. Do you speak to every candidate yourself before introducing them? The answer should be yes.
4. How do you test technical experience? A good answer is about what someone built, which choices they made and what went wrong in production.
5. Which salary band is realistic for my stack and region, and what is it based on?
6. Which of my requirements shrink the pool most?
7. How soon will I see a first candidate, and what is in a candidate profile?
8. Do you only do permanent placements, or also contracting?
9. How does the fee work, which salary is it based on, and what happens if the hire leaves early?
10. Who does the work? The person you are talking to, or someone you never meet?

Fees and how we work

Agencies in the Netherlands usually charge 15 to 30 percent of the gross annual salary. We charge 20 percent for an exclusive assignment and 23 percent when you also work with other agencies. It is no cure no pay with no upfront costs, and you get a free replacement within 100 days. An example, assuming a senior .NET developer at €80,000 gross per year: at 20 percent you pay €16,000 once, at 23 percent €18,400. For several roles, Recruitment as a Service starts at €2,500 per month for two vacancies at a time, minimum 3 months. Details are on our rates page (in Dutch).

We have recruited only software and AI engineers for 8 years and have a network of 25,000+ engineers. We only fill permanent roles, no freelance or secondment. After the intake you get a first matching candidate within 5 working days. You only see candidates we have spoken to ourselves, with a candidate profile. How we hire is on software engineer werven, with stack pages for Java, .NET and Python. Want a second opinion on your vacancy first? Use the vacancy check. Hiring AI engineers too? Read AI engineer recruitment agency Netherlands.

Summary

• Choose a software developer recruitment agency on knowledge of your stack, candidates it has spoken to itself and a salary band with a source.
• In our own 2026 vacancies a senior software engineer earns about €75,000 to €110,000 gross per year, including holiday allowance.
• Salary is rarely why developers leave, but a missing salary is a reason not to respond.
• Check that the agency does permanent placement, and agree on the fee and guarantee up front.