Taxation in the NetherlandsAlireza Parpaei

The government of the Netherlands gets most of its revenue from taxes. The Dutch Ministry of Finance (Ministerie van Financiën) is responsible for the implementation of national tax legislation, whilst the Belastingdienst (Dutch tax office) takes care of the actual execution of the legislation. Tax revenues largely finance government expenses. This includes subsidies for arts, culture, housing, childcare, healthcare, pensions, and social security benefits.

Dutch tax office (Belastingdienst)

The Belastingdienst, litterally “tax service”, or Dutch tax office, is the government department responsible for the assessment and collection of taxes. It is part of the Ministry of Finance. It takes care of:

  • The legislation and collection of taxes and social security contributions.
  • Paying out benefits related to income for childcare, rent and health care.
  • The import, export and transit of goods.
  • The detection of fraud (fiscal, economic and financial).

Expats and the Dutch tax office

Most expats in the Netherlands come into contact with the Belastingdienst when they:

You can access more of the above tax services online, for which you will need to log in using your DigiD. With DigiD you can log into websites of the government, educational institutions, healthcare organisations or your pension fund. Here’s more information about applying for a DigiD.

The Dutch tax system

What are the main tax types that you encounter whilst living and working in the Netherlands? Which taxes apply to everyone in the Netherlands? Are you required to complete the annual income tax return.

Find here the types of taxes in the Netherlands

Here’s what you need to know about the Dutch tax system and how to file you taxes

30% tax ruling

Are you a highly skilled migrant recruited from abroad and working now in the Netherlands? If so, see if you can apply for the 30% ruling tax advantage for expats in the Netherlands.

Tax advisors in the Netherlands

Doing your taxes is not fun. Even the Belastingdienst admits this, hence their slogan: “Leuker kunnen we het niet maken, wel makkelijker” (we can not make it more fun, but we can make it easier). If this is true for most Dutch citizens, it might be even more true for expats.

If you would like some help with your taxes, you should take a look at our list of Dutch tax services & advisors in the Netherlands.

Here’ s a full list of expatsHaarlem’s partners, including tax advisors.