Tweet12-01-2011 om 12:00 by Amanda Potter

It’s January and that always means tax time. But rather than (the typically American response) fear, I try to approach taxes as my father taught me.  As a game. Here in the Netherlands, the tax laws may be different, but you can still approach taxes the same way; as a game of identifying your eligible deductions and obligations.

In the Netherlands the first thing you should watch for is the blue envelope from the Belastingdienst, the tax office. If you’ve lived full time for a year in the Netherlands, you can do your taxes online, but if you’re new you’ll need this paperwork to submit your taxes in print. The envelope will contain a taxes booklet for each person with all the forms you need to fill out as well as instructions to do so. Questions (in Dutch only) can be directed to the tax office by phone and the paperwork should be completed by April 1st.

As an expat, there are naturally a few other things to keep in mind. First of all, if you’ve migrated in the last year, you’ll need to fill out a form M. Expats also need to find out if they need to complete taxes for their native country in addition to the Netherlands. As Americans, for example, Dan & I are obliged to file taxes on all income regardless of where it was earned. Fortunately the Netherlands has agreements with many countries so you don’t have to pay taxes twice.

What should you do if you don’t receive your paperwork within a reasonable time in the new year? You can obtain the forms directly from the Belastingdienst via their website.

Get a Substitute

If you have trouble with Dutch, you may want to call in a substitute, a tax specialist or accountant, to handle your taxes for you. We did so for our Dutch taxes last year, and it made the process much easier. We used Partners in Tax and were pleased with Mr. Bob Meurs work (e-mail: bobmeurs@gmail.com or telephone: 06-40520377). Another option to explore is the free advisory service available by emailing Maastricht Region (go here for more information).

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