2022 budget and coronavirus measures

The Dutch government has announced its budget for next year, including some alterations to the tax regulations. There are not many changes, and in fact you might even call it a bit of a boring budget in the tax world. However, Blue Umbrella has pulled out the main points of interest.

Working from home

From next year, employers will be able to offer their staff a reimbursement of €2 a day in their pre-tax salary for working from home, to cover additional costs like drinks and heating, based on calculations on what it actually costs individuals, from the National Institute for Family Finance Information (Nibud).

You don’t need to work from home full time to access this benefit: it can be for a specific number of days per week too, and then you can keep a separate benefit paying €0.19 for every kilometre travelled to the office!

Study costs

If you have more than €250 in study costs related to a job, these can be deducted against income or future income. But from next year, this benefit will be scrapped; instead, you can request a subsidy for study costs from March 1 2022.

If you are studying on a multi-year course, you might want to consider paying the years ahead in 2021, when you will still qualify for the current study deduction.

Child benefit

A type of child benefit called IACK (income-dependent combined tax credit) is based on the parents’ income. Previously, if one partner was abroad, then this income was not counted. However, from 2022, the Dutch tax office will also consider income from a partner who is based abroad in determining the level of this benefit.

Stock options for employees

It has traditionally been difficult in the Netherlands to pay expensive employees (partly) in stock options because these are immediately taxed as a form of salary if they are converted into shares. From next year, the tax will only be levied once the shares can be traded. This will also take account of people’s contracts: if you are contractually forbidden from selling for five years, you don’t pay the tax before then.

Businesses: corona support ends

One important change, effective from October 2021: you can no longer delay tax payments, and any postponed payments will need to be repaid. You have 60 months to settle these debts (with the first payment due by October 31, 2022). This year, the interest rate is just 0.01%.

Next year, however, interest rates go up: from January 2022, the interest is 1%, from July it will be 2%, from January 2023 it will be 3% and from January 2024 it will be back to 4%. Contact a Blue Umbrella business advisor to join our business plan for personal help with negotiating a payback plan with the tax office.

For more advice on your taxes, and how you might be affected by changes in 2022, contact Blue Umbrella for expert, cost-efficient advice.