Disability insurance for personal trainers — mandatory from ~2030, what it costs now

Disability insurance (AOV) is not yet mandatory for freelance personal trainers in the Netherlands — but that is changing. The BAZ bill has been before parliament since March 2026 and is expected to make cover mandatory for nearly all sole traders around 2030. And in a physical profession, the real question was never whether to arrange something, but what.

Important: this article is informational, not financial advice. Figures are indications as of August 2026; for your own situation, talk to an independent AOV adviser or the insurer directly.

Is an AOV mandatory for personal trainers?

Not today. But the Dutch cabinet sent the BAZ bill (basic disability insurance for the self-employed) to parliament on 23 March 2026. In short: nearly all self-employed sole traders — including personal trainers with an eenmanszaak — will be required to insure against loss of income from disability. The intended start date is around 2030.

The public scheme in the bill: a premium of about 5.4% of profit (capped around €171 per month), against a payout of roughly 70% of prior income, up to minimum-wage level. If you already hold a private AOV that meets the legal bar, the opt-out lets you stay outside the public scheme — which is why many advisers say: if you are going to take out an AOV anyway, doing it before the law lands means you still choose your own terms.

What does an AOV cost for a personal trainer?

In insurer terms, personal training is a physical profession: you demonstrate movements, spot heavy lifts and spend the day on the gym floor. That puts you in a medium-high risk class, paying more than someone behind a desk. 2026 indications:

• ~€80-120 gross per month — trainer around 30, €2,500 insured monthly income, 30-day waiting period
• ~€50-80 per month — same profile with a 90-day wait — the premium lever with the biggest effect
• €150-380 per month — broader cover (€1,800-3,500 net/month insured, longer payout duration)

Two levers that structurally lower the premium: a longer waiting period (if your buffer covers 3-6 months, you do not need to insure those months) and a lower insured amount (insure your fixed costs, not your revenue). And premiums are tax-deductible, so the net cost lands roughly 30-40% below the gross figure.

Broodfonds: the collective alternative

A broodfonds is a group of 20-50 independents who each set aside a monthly amount (often around €90) and make donations to whoever falls ill — typically €1,000-2,500 net per month, for a maximum of two years.

The honest comparison: a broodfonds is an excellent bridge for shorter recoveries — an injury, surgery, a few months out. What it does not cover is permanent disability: after two years the payments stop. Hence the combination many physical professionals use: broodfonds for the first two years + an AOV with a two-year waiting period for everything after. The long wait makes that AOV considerably cheaper, and the broodfonds covers exactly that window.

Just starting out?

If you are new to freelancing and every euro of premium hurts, three things worth knowing:

• Build a buffer of 3-6 months of fixed costs first — that is your own waiting period, and it makes every insurance choice after it cheaper.
• Coming from employment or benefits? Look at the UWV voluntary insurance immediately: you can only join within 13 weeks of starting your business, with no medical screening.
• Arranging nothing is also a choice — but make it a conscious one: calculate what three months of not being able to train clients costs you in revenue, and what happens after.