Furthermore, it is important to remember that although the Netherlands has a reputation for its liberal use of tax filing deadlines extensions, you must not take anything for granted; the sooner you get your finances and tax affairs in order, the less likely you are to avoid any unnecessary stress, fines or inconvenience.
Nothing to Declare?
If your only income from the tax year has come from your salary, you will not need to file a tax return as payroll tax is taken directly from your salary.
If you believe you have income to declare but have not received an invitation to submit your Dutch tax return, you can submit a request through Belastingdienst to issue the appropriate tax form . You should also do this if you don’t have any taxable income to declare but instead have tax deductible expenses or wish to be considered for the combination tax credit that is available to Dutch residents with children.
For more information click through to the Belastingdienst website.
Security When Filing Your Return
The Belastingdienst was among the first tax authorities in the world to adopt an online tax return filing portal (although the M Form must still be submitted on paper, by post) so it is important that you ensure you have downloaded the software and established your login details well before the deadline and that any passwords are unique, secure, known only to you and are not easily guessable.
Furthermore, be sure to fill out your tax return only on a secure internet connection; never in an internet café, on a borrowed computer, over public Wi-Fi, or via a shared network.
Finally, remember that the Dutch Tax and Customs Administration will never email you in relation to your tax return outside of the official government Berichtenbox system; as such if you receive email correspondence that purports to be from Belastingdienst, it is likely to be a phishing attempt or other scam, so approach with caution.
Expat Financial Advisers in the Netherlands
Blacktower FM is a leading wealth manager with more than three decades of experience. If you live in the Netherlands and would like help structuring your finances in the way that best aligns with your retirement plans and other financial goals, contact our expat financial advisers in the Netherlands today.
We can assist with various aspects of expat financial advice in the Netherlands including tax structuring, retirement planning and expat investments.
*As per the Belastingdienst Tax Return website – accessed 23-04-19
This communication is for informational purposes only and is not intended to constitute, and should not be construed as, investment advice, investment recommendations or investment research. You should seek advice from a professional adviser before embarking on any financial planning activity. Whilst every effort has been made to ensure the information contained in this communication is correct, we are not responsible for any errors or omissions.
I recently attended the British Embassy Outreach Meeting in Perigueux and as you can imagine there were a lot of disgruntled expats wanting answers that, frankly, aren’t really available right now. Understandably, for many living through the turmoil and uncertainty of Brexit, there is a lot to take into consideration and some may even be contemplating moving back to the UK.