2014 — 2016
China
The opening chapter. Shanghai and Shenzhen. First taste of systems at scale.
01
Six years of zero raises eroded my real pay by ~15%.
Flat $3,200/mo, 2014 — 2019; cumulative CN/IN inflation quietly compounded.
Compensation
Review.
Filed byRizwan
PositionMobile Lead
PeriodApril 2026
№ 1
Twelve years,
three continents,
one company.
2016 — 2019
India / China
Bridge years. Travel, integration, mobile takes shape.
2020 — 2024
India
Through the pandemic. Rebuilt from a 20% cut back to parity.
2024 — 2026
The Netherlands
Relocation. Mobile Lead. New market, new expectations.
The shape of things, in three numbers.
Raises since NL move
0%
Two full years at the same gross figure.NL Inflation, same window
~6%
Real earnings silently compressed.NL median, Mobile Lead
€90K
My gross sits €20K below this line.Source · CBS NL, Glassdoor, payslip
The ledger,
year by year.
Pre-tax monthly, USD at historical rates. Inflation: CBS (NL), World Bank (CN), IMF (IN).
| Year | Location | Monthly (USD) | Change | Inflation | Real Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | China | $3,200 | — | 2.0% | — |
| 2015 | China | $3,200 | 0% | 1.4% | −1.4% |
| 2016 | China | $3,200 | 0% | 2.0% | −2.0% |
| 2017 | India | $3,200 | 0% | 3.3% | −3.3% |
| 2018 | India | $3,200 | 0% | 3.9% | −3.9% |
| 2019 | India | $3,200 | 0% | 3.7% | −3.7% |
| 2020 | India | $2,548 | −20.4% | 6.6% | −27.0% |
| 2021 | India | $3,185 | +25.0%* | 5.1% | +19.9% |
| 2022 | India | $3,185 | 0% | 6.7% | −6.7% |
| 2023 | India | $3,822 | +20.0% | 5.7% | +14.3% |
| 2024 | Netherlands | $5,737 | relocation | 3.3% | new baseline |
| 2025 | Netherlands | $5,737 | 0% | 3.3% | −3.3% |
| 2026 | Netherlands | $5,737 | 0% | ~2.6% | −2.6% |
* The 2021 “25% raise” was measured from the COVID-cut base of $2,548 — still below the pre-cut $3,200. The 2024 figure is a cost-of-living relocation adjustment, not a performance raise.
Phase-Down
In Progress
2026 — 2031
In Progress
2026 — 2031
The 30% ruling is declining, not durable.
The ruling reduces taxable income in tiers, then expires. Gross pay stays flat while effective take-home shrinks — an automatic cut, absent any action.
Months 1 — 2030%Current tier.
Highest take-home.
Highest take-home.
Months 21 — 4020%Net drops
≈ €200 / month.
≈ €200 / month.
Months 41 — 6010%Another
≈ €200 / month cut.
≈ €200 / month cut.
After 600%Full Dutch tax.
Significant drop.
Significant drop.
market://amsterdam/roles — live · Apr 202606 / 10
rizwan@nl:~$ compare --role mobile-lead --city amsterdam
> where does €70K sit on the Amsterdam ladder?
Role
Range
Median
Mine
Gap
Mobile Lead · AMS
€86K — €94K
€90K
€70K
−€20K · outside
Lead Software Engineer
€75K — €90K
€82K
€70K
−€12K
Tech Lead
€75K — €100K
€90K
€70K
−€20K
Top NL Tech (Adyen, Picnic, Booking)
€88K — €200K
—
€70K
−€18K+ minimum
> verdict: below the floor for every comparable lead title. sources: Glassdoor, PayScale, 2026.
My package, today.
- ✓8% holiday allowance
- ✓30% ruling (phasing down)
- ×No office lunch
- ×No home-office budget
- ×No pension contribution
- ×No learning / conference budget
- ×No bonus or profit share
NL market standard.
- ✓8% holiday allowance (legal)
- ✓Commute reimbursement
- ✓Subsidized lunch · ~€150/mo
- ✓Home-office setup · €500 — €1,500
- ✓Employer pension · 5 — 10%
- ✓Training budget · €1K — €3K/yr
- ✓Bonus or profit share · 5 — 15%
A typical NL tech package adds €8K — €15K in annual value beyond base — making the total-comp gap wider than salary alone suggests.
Six things this report is really saying.
02
The COVID cut was never fully recovered.
The 2021 “25%” raise was from the cut base — still below pre-cut until 2023.
03
My salary is below the range for every comparable lead role.
€70K vs median €90K for Mobile Lead — a €20K gap, outside the band entirely.
04
The 30% ruling is about to phase down.
Net take-home shrinks automatically unless gross rises to compensate.
05
Scope has expanded: iOS + AI / cross-platform work.
The role has grown beyond the original hire terms — more surface, more value.
06
Benefits sit below NL market across the board.
No pension, no bonus, no lunch, no training — together worth €8K — €15K / yr.
My request, as filed —
€85—€95K / year
Aligns with the NL market range for Mobile Lead (median €90K), offsets the 30%-ruling phase-down, and corrects a decade of below-inflation adjustments.
Gross, base · not inclusive of benefits
Thank you for reading. I'd welcome the conversation that comes next.”
— RizwanMobile Lead · April 2026