Here's how €45.000 is taxed band-by-band in 2026, with and without the 30% ruling applied. The ruling excludes 30% of gross salary from Box 1 entirely, before any bands are applied — it doesn't just shave a rate off the top.
With 30% ruling
Taxable income: €31.500
Band 1 (35.75%)€11.261
Total Box 1 tax€11.261
Without ruling
Taxable income: €45.000
Band 1 (35.75%)€13.901
Band 2 (37.56%)€2.298
Total Box 1 tax€16.198
2026 Box 1 bands: 35.75% up to €38,883, 37.56% up to €78,426, 49.50% above. Holiday allowance (vakantiegeld) of at least 8% of gross salary is mandatory under Dutch law and is not shown as a separate deduction here since it's ordinary taxable income, usually paid as a lump sum around May.