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Potential Box 3 tax rebates: Are you due a refund?
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Confused about all the recent rulings on how the Dutch government can and cannot tax your Box 3 worldwide assets? You're not alone! Orange Taxes explains what the law says and what you can expect from the upcoming process to challenge your previous tax bills.



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Get help with yours taxes today
Arnold Waal
Arnold Waal, born and raised in Amsterdam where his parents ran a B&B. After finishing the high business school and university tax degree Arnold started his career with a small typical Amsterdam tax advising company. Typical Amsterdam implies a joy in the work to be done with an eye for humor. Later on this small company grew and merged and that was time to leave and start his own typical Amsterdam tax advising company. The first employee, Eleonora, Arnold married. Both are now partners in Orange Tax Services and that has evolved to Tax-is-exciting BV, as Arnold actually thinks tax is exciting. The company employs a staff of 15 employees and the target clients is the international who needs help with the tax compliance. That can be from claiming back mortgage interest, to starting a company, or running a payroll. All communicated in English, all to make you comply with the rules and regulations. Born and raised in Amsterdam, the centre of the world. His company is based at the Keizersgracht 62 in Amsterdam and Zijlstraat 47 in Haarlem Arnold lives with his family in Haarlem Read more

Potential Box 3 tax rebates: Are you due a refund?

Paid partnership
May 13, 2025
Paid partnership

It's looking like Box 3 of the Dutch income tax return might be the making of a hot summer for 2025, as the tax office gets ready to advise on the procedure to claim some of your Box 3 tax back. Is it truly free money, or simply a paper trail that won't lead anywhere?

What Box 3 taxes are

In the Dutch tax system, your income and assets are divided into three boxes.

  • Box 1, in which your worldwide income, salary, and profit are reported. In this box, there is usually one main deduction: the mortgage deduction.
  • Box 2, where you report any share capital you hold that exceeds 5% of the total company capital in which you participate.
  • Box 3 is for reporting your worldwide assets. Your worldwide assets are taxed based on the assumption that a certain yield has been made. This system was introduced in 2001. The Dutch are world champions at not providing true yields, so a simple assumed yield was brought in as a solution.

High court resolution

At the end of 2021, the Dutch High Court ruled that this "assumed yield" system for Box 3 is illegal. The taxpayer should be able to counter the assumed yield calculation with the true yield, in order to get a fairer tax bill. A good verdict so far.

However, the court staff then confirmed that the true yield is the combined total of:

  • Rental income
  • Dividend income
  • Interest income
  • Realised capital gains
  • Unrealised capital gains

The last one is the odd one out. Global accounting rules agree that unrealised gains cannot be taxed. However, according to the Dutch high court, they can. In addition, the ruling determined that costs cannot be deducted from the true yield.

Forms from the Dutch tax office

This summer, the Dutch tax office will release the forms that can be used to challenge the assumed yield from Box 3 with the true yield. Anyone who has even a little knowledge of the housing market, the stock market and the cryptocurrency market knows that values have risen significantly over the past year.

In other words, your dividend, interest or rental income might have been marginal, but the unrealised capital gains mean that it is likely the assumed yield will still be the best choice for assessing your tax obligations.

It is expected that many taxpayers will complete the forms, but it seems likely that the vast majority will be disappointed by the outcome of their challenge.

2028: A new system

The plan is to introduce a completely new income tax system in 2028. However, a request to postpone this date has already been made. The reason for this is that the government is simply not able to make a Box 3 regulation that is legal and practical. All the proposals made so far have been ruled to be illegal.

Exciting times ahead!

Orange Taxes thinks tax is exciting! If you want help with a potential challenge to your previous years' Box 3 tax bills, contact info@orangetax.nl and they will be happy to help.

Get help with yours taxes today
By Arnold Waal