Staying on top of important financial dates in the Netherlands is important for everyone — whether you’re a bright-eyed international or a born-and-raised Dutchie.
Between tax deadlines, budget announcements, and wage adjustments, it’s handy to know what’s coming your way to plan ahead and steer clear of unwanted surprises.
Here’s an overview of the key Dutch financial dates to keep in mind for 2025.
Healthy finances start with a good banking partner — such as ING. As the biggest bank in the Netherlands, ING has you covered for everything: from savings accounts to insurance!
Taxes and income-related dates
What’s the key to enjoying your Dutch life to the fullest? Staying on top of your income and taxes.
To do so, mark these dates down in your agenda. 👇
January 1, 2025: Wealth tax calculation day
Each year, the Dutch tax authority (Belastingdienst) assesses your savings, investments and other assets to calculate your taxable wealth.
This is done every year on January 1, and your wealth on that day determines how much Box 3 tax (vermogensrendementsheffing) you’ll pay the following year.
And if your financial situation changes later on in the year? Geen problem, it’s January 1 that counts, so plan ahead to help you manage your tax burden.
January-March 2025: Municipal tax bills arrive
During the first few months of the year, you’ll get some unwelcome mail: bills for services like trash collection, sewage, and your regional water authority.
These can quickly add up to large sums, so it’s important to be prepared for the expense. For example, in Amsterdam, a single-person household can expect to pay:
- €201.73 for resident water system charge
- €352 for waste tax
- €140.40 for sewage charge
The exact timing of these bills can vary by municipality, but they are generally sent out between January and March.
These taxes are unavoidable for most residents, but the good news is that they can often be paid in instalments.
In some cases, lower-income households may be eligible to apply for a tax waiver, so it’s worth checking with your municipality to see if you fall in that category.
March 1, 2025: Income tax season begins
From March 1, 2025, anyone required to file an income tax return in the Netherlands (aangifte inkomstenbelasting) can start to file.
Each year, you’ll file your taxes for the previous calendar year, so in 2025 you’re filing your 2024 income tax.
Depending on your type of income, the Belastingdienst may provide a pre-filled return, making it easy-peasy. For freelancers and business owners, income tax season may be a little more complicated.
Either way, there are a few key dates to keep in mind here:
- April 30, 2025: Deadline to submit your tax return if you want to receive your assessment before July 1.
- May 1, 2025: Final deadline to submit your tax return without penalty, or
- May 1, 2025: Deadline to request an extension if you need more time to file. This usually extends the deadline until September 1.
March 2025: Property value assessments
In March of each year, homeowners in the Netherlands receive an assessment of the value of their property, called WOZ assessment, with WOZ standing for Waardering Onroerende Zaken (valuation of immovable property).
This estimated property value is used by the Belastingdienst to determine some of your taxes, including the income tax on homeownership.
Think your property has been overvalued? Then you have six weeks from the date you receive the assessment to file an objection.
May or June 2025: Holiday pay is deposited
With summer around the corner, many employees in the Netherlands will get their vakantiegeld (holiday pay) paid out in May or June.
This extra payment is intended to help cover your vacation costs (yes, it’s amazing!). Holiday pay is accrued throughout the year and is typically 8% of your gross annual salary.
Not sure if you’ll receive holiday pay? Good news: All full-time employees automatically receive vakantiegeld, as it is a legal requirement for employers to pay it.
Those who work part-time also receive vakantiegeld, but it may be included in their monthly salary instead of paid as a separate payment.
Staying home and putting your vakantiegeld towards your savings? An ING savings account offers heaps of nifty features to help you reach your financial goals.
July 1, 2025: Statutory holidays accrued last year expire
In the Netherlands, each employee is entitled to a minimum of four times their weekly working hours in statutory holidays each year. For example, if you work a 40-hour week, you’re entitled to at least 160 hours (20 days) of paid vacation.
However, all of these statutory holidays from the previous year must be used by July 1 of the following year.
If you fail to use your statutory holidays by this time, they expire — and we don’t want that to happen now, do we?
💡 Statutory vs non-statutory holidays: What’s the difference?
While statutory holidays (wettelijke vakantiedagen) are the minimum number of vacation days you are legally entitled to, non-statutory holidays (bovenwettelijke vakantiedagen) are extra vacation days granted by employers through contracts or collective labour agreements. These may have different expiration rules or can be paid out if unused.
End of January, April, July, October: Quarterly VAT returns are due for ZZP’ers
Self-employed in the Netherlands (ZZP’er)? That means you have to file your BTW (VAT) return every quarter — a.k.a. report the VAT you’ve charged clients for your work and the VAT you’ve paid for your business expenses.
The deadline to report these are the last day of January, April, July, and October for the previous quarter. This means you file your Q4 VAT of the previous year in January, and so on.
Benefits and allowances-related dates
One beautiful thing about the Netherlands is that the government can pay you allowances (toeslagen) to help cover certain costs.
Here are the important Dutch financial dates to keep in mind when it comes to these.
🤔 What are toeslagen in the Netherlands?
Toeslagen are government allowances to help residents cover essential costs. These include:
- zorgtoeslag (healthcare allowance),
- huurtoeslag (rent allowance),
- kinderopvangtoeslag (childcare allowance), and
- kindgebonden budget (child-related budget).
Eligibility depends on factors like income, household composition, and living situation.
20th of each month: Healthcare, rent, and childcare allowances arrive
If you’re eligible for any kind of government allowances, you can expect these to be paid out to you on the 20th of each month.
If the 20th falls on the weekend or a public holiday, your payment may be a few days early or late.
Before September: Deadline to retroactively apply for allowances
Were you eligible for a government allowance but did not apply for it? No worries, as you can retroactively apply to receive your allowances from the previous year.
When doing so, keep in mind the deadline of September 1.
You can apply for healthcare, rent, and supplementary child benefits for a specific year until 1 September of the following year. For example, you can apply for benefits from 2024 until 1 September 2025.
Other important financial dates in the Netherlands
There’s more? Yup, but we’re almost at the end. Get your agendas out one last time for these important financial dates in the Netherlands.
January 1 and July 1, 2025: Dutch minimum wage adjustments
Since 2024, the Netherlands no longer has fixed minimum monthly, weekly and daily wages.
Instead, there is now one minimum hourly wage, adjusted twice yearly to keep up with inflation and the cost of living.
The minimum hourly wage is indexed on January 1 and July 1 of each year. As of January 2025, the minimum hourly wages in the Netherlands are as follows:
| Age | Minimum hourly wage |
| 21 years and over | €14.06 |
| 20 years | €11.25 |
| 19 years | €8.44 |
| 18 years | €7.03 |
| 17 years | €5.55 |
| 16 years | €4.85 |
| 15 years | €4.22 |
September 16, 2025: 2026 budget announced
September 16, 2025 is a special day in the Netherlands: it’s Prinsjesdag (Prince’s Day)!
What’s that, you ask? It’s a ceremonial day when the Dutch government reveals the key plans for next year’s budget.
It is always celebrated on the third Tuesday in September, and can affect us common folk in two ways:
- Changes in taxes: The government may announce adjustments to income, sales, or property taxes that could impact your financial situation.
- Social benefits: Any changes in allowances like healthcare, childcare, or rent subsidies may affect your monthly payments.
December 2025: Year-end bonuses (hoera!)
We’ve officially made it to the end of the year (and the article) and you know what that means: You deserve a bonus!
Year-end bonuses are typically given in December, often in the form of a so-called “thirteenth month”.
However, whether or not you’ll receive one depends on your employer and your contract. While some companies automatically offer a bonus, often based on company performance or individual achievements, others may not provide one at all.
The easiest way to find out what applies to you is by checking your employment contract.
December 31: Deadline to switch your Dutch health insurance
In the Netherlands, you can change your zorgverzekering (health insurance) once a year, and the deadline to do so is December 31.
If you want to switch providers or adjust your coverage for the next year, you must cancel your current policy by this date. After canceling, you have until January 31 to choose a new insurer, but your new policy will be backdated to January 1 to ensure continuous coverage.
Why would you want to switch, you ask? Well, many people switch to get better coverage, lower premiums, or a policy that better fits their healthcare needs.
Health insurance options are endless in the Netherlands — so why not keep it all in one place and let ING handle it? Through ING, you can get insured with CZdirect, one of the largest health insurers in the Netherlands, with tens of thousands of contracted healthcare providers.
From taxes to allowances and government budgeting, the Dutch year is full of important financial dates to keep in mind. Now that you’re in the know, you can rest assured knowing you won’t have any nasty surprises. ✨
What other financial dates do you keep in your agenda? Share them in the comments below.