Avoid tax panic attacks: top questions about Dutch tax

The bulbs are sprouting, winter is lifting and spirits are brightening: so, yes, it’s almost time for the Dutch tax office to send a blue envelope asking for your tax return. ‘If you file your tax by May, you get a refund before the summer holiday as they normally pay out in July,’ says an expert from tax adviser Blue Umbrella. ‘You can ask for an extension after May 1, but if you have to pay anything, the government can charge you 4% interest.’ Tax accountants will automatically file for an extension for you to spread their work through the year, and if you sign up to Blue Umbrella online for its personal tax filing service, it will do this free of charge. ‘You will now have to declare your global assets for “box 3” tax, which means all banks wherever they are located and property,’ says the Blue Umbrella adviser. ‘If you refinanced and paid a penalty for doing this, the penalty is also tax deductible,’ said the Blue Umbrella expert.