Compare feed-in charges and feed-in fees
By Laurens Arends · updated 05-10-2026
Feed-in charges for solar panels: what do you pay?
This is how feed-in charges are calculated
Solar power that you don't use directly in your home goes onto the grid via the meter.
Every kWh fed back counts, not just the surplus after net metering.
Per kWh, per tier or as a fixed amount, as stated in your contract.
Charges and feed-in fee appear together on your annual bill.
Feed-in charges are costs that an energy supplier links to the electricity your solar panels supply to the grid. The supplier can calculate those costs per kWh fed back, work with feed-in tiers or charge a fixed amount. If you pay feed-in charges for solar panels, the supplier looks at all the electricity you have fed back to the grid. So it is not just about the surplus that remains after net metering.
Feed-in charges for solar panels do not come directly from your grid operator and are not a government fine either. They are set out in the supply contract with your energy supplier. According to research by the ACM from December 2025, suppliers incur three types of extra costs for solar panel owners: costs due to net metering, profile costs and imbalance costs.
The ACM examined data from sixteen suppliers and carried out checks at five suppliers. The regulator found no indications that the feed-in charges examined were unreasonably high or contained an extra profit margin.
Why does feeding back cost a supplier money?
Solar panels mainly feed back around sunny midday hours. At that moment there is a lot of electricity available and the wholesale price can be low or even negative. A supplier has to sell that electricity when the market value is low or negative.
In 2026, the same customer can offset the feed-in via the net metering scheme against electricity taken from the grid at a more expensive moment. As a result, the feed-in weighs on the energy supplier's finances. Those are the costs due to net metering. However, there are other costs the supplier has to take into account.
Profile costs arise because the consumption and feed-in pattern of a household with solar panels differs from that of a household without panels. The household, for example, buys electricity more often when the sun is not shining and the market price is higher.
Imbalance costs arise when actual consumption or feed-in differs from what the supplier predicted in advance. According to the ACM, no grid operator charges for a full electricity grid or imbalance costs of solar farms are passed on to households via feed-in charges. So these are actual costs, not hidden profit.
Per kWh, per tier or as a fixed amount
The four settlement models at a glance
1 · Standard: charges on all your feed-in
You pay feed-in charges on every kWh you feed back, in addition to the fee you receive.
| Feed-in | 1.500 kWh |
| Feed-in charge rate | € 0,13 per kWh |
| Costs per year | € 195,00 |
2 · Offset in the purchasing fee
No separate cost item: the supplier deducts the charges from the fee per kWh fed back.
| Fee without deduction | € 0,10 per kWh |
| Feed-in charges deduction | € 0,04 per kWh |
| Net fee | € 0,06 per kWh |
3 · Only on your annual surplus
You only pay on the part that you feed back on an annual basis in excess of what you take from the grid.
| Feed-in | 2.700 kWh |
| Consumption from the grid | 2.300 kWh |
| Basis for the charges | 400 kWh |
4 · No feed-in charges
Mainly with dynamic contracts: no fixed cost item, but your fee follows the hourly price.
| Feed-in costs | € 0,00 |
| Compensation | Hourly price at that moment |
| Please note | Hourly price can be negative |
With charges per kWh, the amount increases evenly with every extra kWh you feed back. With feed-in tiers, you pay one amount within a certain band. A small overshoot of a tier limit can therefore cause a jump in the charges. A fixed amount does not change with your feed-in, but can weigh relatively heavily if you feed back little.
According to ACM ConsuWijzer these methods are permitted if the conditions and amounts are clearly stated in the contract. Since 1 January 2026, suppliers are, however, required to show the feed-in charges per kWh fed back in their model contract. For other contracts, tiered scales and fixed amounts still occur. We find a price per kWh the clearest, because you can then work out without tier limits what an extra kWh of feed-in costs.
When calculating the feed-in charges at Vattenfall feed-in tiers are used, for example (official rates from 1 May 2026, reference date 30 August 2026). With 1.400 kWh of feed-in, you paid € 169 per year including VAT, while 1.600 kWh fell into the next tier and cost € 200 per year. The feed-in charges at Essent are also structured around feed-in tiers on the same reference date. Eneco does it differently again and works with kWh actually fed back.
Feed-in fee: what do you get?
The feed-in fee is the amount your supplier pays for solar power that is not net metered. Up to and including 2026, you only get that fee for the part of your feed-in that is higher than the electricity you take from the grid. If you take 2.300 kWh in a year and feed back 1.500 kWh, you can net meter all 1.500 kWh. In that example, there is no electricity left over for which you receive a separate feed-in fee.
The feed-in fee is lower than the full electricity rate you pay for consumption. Your consumption rate includes, among other things, the supply rate, energy tax and VAT. The fee relates to the value of the electricity you sell to the supplier and does not include compensation for energy tax you did not pay. Until 1 January 2027 the supplier sets the amount itself, but the fee must be reasonable and be stated in the contract.
With a fixed contract, the supplier may not change the agreed feed-in fee during the fixed term. With a variable contract, this is possible if the option to change is clearly stated in the terms and conditions and the supplier informs you at least one month in advance. With a dynamic contract, the feed-in fee moves with the current electricity price per hour or quarter-hour.
Difference between feed-in charges and feed-in fee
Feed-in charges are what you pay on the electricity you supply to the grid. The feed-in fee is what you receive in 2026 for the surplus that remains after net metering. The fee is not automatically higher than the charges: if you have no surplus, you receive no fee, while feed-in charges can apply to your entire feed-in. From 2027 you will receive a fee for every kWh fed back, but according to the ACM the feed-in charges can still turn out higher than the amount you receive.
Worked example of feed-in fee and feed-in charges for solar panels (2026)
For this example, we use Eneco's calculation model for a one-year fixed contract, with 25 February 2026 as the rate reference date. The household uses 2.800 kWh of electricity and generates 4.000 kWh. Of this, it uses 800 kWh directly in the home. The remaining 3.200 kWh go to the grid. At other times, the household takes 2.000 kWh from the grid.
In 2026 the household may net meter 2.000 of the 3.200 kWh fed back. For the remaining surplus of 1.200 kWh it receives a feed-in fee. The feed-in charges, however, are calculated on all 3.200 kWh fed back.
| Item | Calculation | Financial result |
|---|---|---|
| Supply rate (incl. VAT) | 2.000 kWh × € 0,12240 | € 244,80 to pay |
| Energy tax | 2.000 kWh × € 0,11729 | € 234,58 to pay |
| Net metering of supply rate | 2.000 kWh × € 0,12240 | - € 244,80 |
| Net metering of energy tax | 2.000 kWh × € 0,11729 | - € 234,58 |
| Feed-in fee on surplus | 1.200 kWh × € 0,14326 | - € 171,91 |
| Gross benefit from feed-in | € 244,80 + € 234,58 + € 171,91 | - € 651,29 |
| Feed-in costs | 3.200 kWh × € 0,13329 | + € 426,53 to pay |
| To receive | € 651,29 minus € 426,53 | - € 224,76 |
In this example, the feed-in charges therefore reduce the gross benefit from € 651,29 to € 224,76. That is a drop of about 65%. The charges apply to the entire feed-in of 3.200 kWh. As a result, the household pays € 426,53 in feed-in charges and receives only € 171,91 in feed-in fee. After all, net metering does not erase the physical feed-in. It is only a settlement on the energy bill.
Feed-in charges and feed-in fee per supplier
The table compares the current feed-in charges and feed-in fee on the same measurement date. Always assess the combination of both amounts for your feed-in. A high fee can go hand in hand with high feed-in charges, while a lower fee combined with low charges can still be more advantageous.
It is not necessarily the case that an energy supplier without feed-in charges is cheaper at the end of the day. No separate feed-in charges does not automatically mean that the contract is cheaper, because the supplier can also build costs into the supply rate or the standing charge. The amounts are updated daily.
How to calculate your feed-in
Use the electricity consumption and feed-in from your last annual bill. Don't just look at the total generation of your solar panels. Electricity you use directly in your home does not pass the electricity meter and therefore does not count as feed-in. The fixed calculation basis of EnergieAanbieding.nl uses 2.300 kWh electricity consumption, 900 m³ gas and 1.500 kWh feed-in per year. This is purely a comparison profile and not the average energy consumption for every household.
Up to and including 31 December 2026, you may use net metering. Your supplier offsets your feed-in against your consumption, up to a maximum of the amount of electricity you have taken from the grid. You only get the feed-in fee on a surplus after net metering. From 1 January 2027, net metering stops completely.
You then pay the consumption rate, energy tax and VAT on all electricity you take from the grid. For every kWh fed back you get a feed-in fee. Until 1 January 2030, that fee must amount to at least 50% of the agreed bare supply rate, so excluding energy tax and VAT.
Feed-in charges will not automatically disappear in 2027. Suppliers may continue to charge reasonable costs related to feed-in. From 2027, the feed-in fee itself may not be negative on a weighted average over a month. The cost structure may, however, change in 2027. The part that arises directly from net metering will lapse when consumption and feed-in are no longer offset against each other.
The low market value of solar power at busy hours, profile costs and imbalance costs will not disappear by themselves. Under the new rules, costs related to feed-in from 2027 may only be passed on to the feed-in customers concerned. In any case, you cannot simply carry a 2026 rate over to 2027.
| Item | Up to and including 31 December 2026 | From 1 January 2027 |
|---|---|---|
| Consumption from the grid | 2.300 kWh | 2.300 kWh |
| Feed-in to the grid | 1.500 kWh | 1.500 kWh |
| Net metering | 1.500 kWh | No longer possible |
| Separate feed-in fee | Over 0 kWh, because there is no surplus after net metering | Over all 1.500 kWh |
| Basis for feed-in charges | All 1.500 kWh fed back or the corresponding tier | All 1.500 kWh fed back |
| Calculation for feed-in | Value of net metering 1.500 kWh minus feed-in charges | 1.500 × feed-in fee minus feed-in charges |
Feed-in charges with a dynamic energy contract
With a dynamic energy contract consumption and feed-in are linked to the market price per hour or quarter-hour. According to the ACM study, net metering and profile costs are largely absent with such contracts. Suppliers with dynamic rates therefore often charge less or no separate feed-in charges. The price risk does not disappear, however. For solar power, you receive precisely the market price at the moment when many panels are producing, and that price can be low or negative.
In 2026 the net metering scheme also applies with a dynamic contract. The ACM believes that suppliers should net meter over the full annual bill and clearly explain how fluctuating prices are settled. From 2027, consumption and feed-in will no longer be offset against each other. A dynamic contract can then be advantageous if you use a lot of electricity directly, charge a car smartly or shift other consumption to sunny hours. If you mainly use electricity in the evening, you may feed back cheaply during the day and buy more expensively later.
Mass claim over feed-in charges
There is currently a collective action by Claimer.nl against feed-in charges that were added to some older energy contracts. The claim organisation argues that a supplier was not allowed to introduce those charges retrospectively if the original contract and the terms and conditions in force at the time did not provide a valid basis for doing so.
The reason for this includes two individual rulings by the Rechtbank Amsterdam of 25 September 2025 (ECLI:NL:RBAMS:2025:6644 and ECLI:NL:RBAMS:2025:6645). In those cases, according to the court, the amendment clause provided no basis for adding a completely new tariff component to the older contracts concerned. In the most recent independent public progress update of 9 July 2026, the number of participants and the date of a first hearing were not known.
Frequently asked questions about feed-in charges and feed-in fee
What are feed-in charges?
Feed-in charges are costs that an energy supplier links to the solar power you supply to the grid. According to the current comparison by 28 September 2026 the feed-in charges amount to roughly € 10,00 to € 20,28 per month. A supplier can charge per kWh, per feed-in bracket or with a fixed amount.
How high is the feed-in fee in 2026?
According to the table by 28 September 2026 the feed-in fee is between € 0,012 and € 0,183 per kWh. In 2026 you only receive this rate for feed-in that remains after net metering. With a dynamic contract the fee can change per hour or quarter of an hour.
Which supplier has the highest feed-in fee?
Op 28 September 2026 is Oxxio at the top of the comparison with € 0,183 per kWh. Do bear in mind that this does not yet mean that this is the most advantageous energy contract. For example, also look at the feed-in charges and the consumption rate.
Is an energy supplier allowed to charge feed-in charges?
Yes. According to ACM ConsuWijzer, a supplier may pass on costs for feeding back if they are clearly stated in the contract. The ACM supervises the reasonableness and transparency of the rates. With older contracts to which the charges were added later, the question may arise whether the supplier had a valid contractual basis for doing so. The mass claim over feed-in charges is specifically about this situation.
What happens to feed-in charges after 2027?
Feed-in charges do not disappear with the end of the net metering scheme. From 1 January 2027 you receive a fee for all electricity fed back, but a supplier may also continue to charge reasonable feed-in charges. After 2027, therefore, always compare the net fee.
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