What (tax) measures can you, as an entrepreneur in the Netherlands, still take this year that can be advantageous for you? How can you anticipate changes that will apply from 2025? Ten practical tips.
Note! A number of these tips result from proposals from the 2025 Tax Plan and must still be approved by the Lower and Upper House. Also, new plans are constantly being announced or revised by the Cabinet; therefore, it is important to always contact your advisor to discuss.
1. Buy a van without motorcycle tax now
Entrepreneurs currently pay no motorcycle tax (BPM) if they buy a new van and use it for at least 10% business purposes. This exemption will be ended by 2025. This will cost you thousands of euros more, so buy a new van for your business this year.
Tip! You can still buy a van with no CO2 emissions without bpm in 2025.
2. Optimize your KIA
If you invest, you may be entitled to the small-scale investment deduction (KIA). The percentage of KIA decreases from a certain investment amount, so with larger investments it is often advantageous to spread them over several years (if you can). The application of the KIA is subject to a number of conditions. Therefore, discuss with your advisor whether you might therefore be better off postponing an investment at the end of this year until 2025 or bringing forward an investment planned for 2025.
3. Consider your box 2 tax planning in 2024 and 2025
The rate in box 2 in 2024 is 24.5% up to an amount of €67,000. If you have a tax partner, you can even pay dividends at 24.5% up to an amount of €134,000. However, any amount above that will be taxed at 33% in 2024. Therefore, pay dividends up to a maximum of €67,000 – or if you have a tax partner €134,000 – and take advantage of the lower rate. In 2025, you can distribute up to an amount of € 67,804 at 24.5% and with a tax partner up to an amount of €135,608. The proposal on Prince’s Day 2024 is to reduce the rate for any amount above that from 33% to 31% in 2025.
So if you want to pay out a large amount in dividends, it is better to pay out part of it in 2025. Keep in mind, however, that dividends as of 2025 may also affect the amount of your general tax credit and your assets in Box 3. A debt to your company in excess of €500,000 may also affect the decision to pay dividends. Check the effects of this and calculate whether, and if so how much dividend, you would be better off paying out in 2024 or rather in 2025.
4. Respond to changes in BOR and DSR
The business succession regulation (BOR) and the carry forward regulation (DSR) will change significantly as of 2025. For example, the amount of the 100% exemption will increase to € 1,500,000 (in 2024 still € 1,325,253), but the exemption above this will go from 83% in 2024 to 75% in 2025. This means that in 2024, the schemes could provide a greater benefit if the value of your business exceeds about €1,870,000. If the value of your company remains below that, then the schemes may provide a greater benefit in 2025. Therefore, consider whether you should transfer your business this year or wait until 2025. Take other considerations into account as well, such as the other changes that apply to the BOR and DSR as of 2025.
Tip! Because a business transfer is customized and one change as of 2025 may be to your advantage while the other is not, we always recommend consulting with one of our advisors. They can update you on all the changes likely to take effect as of 2025 and 2026 and advise you on your own situation.
5. Use your total free allowance
Under the working expenses scheme, under certain conditions, you do not pay any tax as an employer if you stay within the free margin with your allowances and benefits in kind to your staff. For 2024, the free margin over your total wage bill is 1.92% up to and including €400,000. Above € 400,000, the free margin in 2024 is 1.18%. Check whether you have any free space left and make use of it if you want to reward your employees extra, because a surplus of free space cannot be carried over to 2025.
Tip! If you already make maximum use of your free space and still want to do something extra for your employees at the end of the year, see if you can carry this forward to the beginning of 2025.
6. Check your provisional tax bill 2024
Check your provisional tax bill 2024. If the provisional bill is too low, change it as soon as possible. If you still pay the further provisional bill in 2024, this leads to lower assets as of January 1, 2025 in box 3 and you may save tax. Also, starting July 1, 2025, the Tax Office will charge interest of probably 6.65% on your 2024 tax bill. This is high, especially compared to the interest rate on a savings account. So avoid owing this high tax interest and check that your 2024 provisional bill is correct.
Tip! If you change the provisional tax bill more than eight weeks before the end of the year and the Tax Authorities do not succeed in imposing the further provisional assessment in time so that you can still pay this year, you can still take this tax debt into account on January 1, 2025.
Tip! For companies for which the fiscal year ends earlier than December 31, for example due to incorporation in a fiscal unity, the calculation of tax interest starts earlier, namely on the day that lies six months after the close of the fiscal year. Request a provisional assessment in time, i.e. within four months after the end of the fiscal year, to avoid tax interest in box 3.
7. One more time gift deduction corporate income tax
In the corporate income tax there is a regulation for gift deduction. It amounts to a maximum of 50% of the profit up to a maximum of €100,000. It has been proposed to abolish this gift deduction for fiscal years beginning on or after January 1, 2025. In addition, the proposal is to treat any gift made by a company to an ANBI or support foundation SBBI, as of 2025, as a dividend distribution by the company to the shareholder(s) withholding dividend tax and tax in box 2. Therefore, if your company wants to support a charity (ANBI or support foundation SBBI), do so in 2024.
Note! Of course, your company must make sufficient profit in 2024, otherwise the gift will not lead to a deduction.
8. Apply for the SEBA for the last time
You can apply for the Emission Free Company Cars Subsidy (SEBA) only in 2024. The subsidy applies when you purchase a new zero-emission electric company car with a maximum weight of 4,250 pounds. The subsidy depends on your company size and amounts to a maximum of €5,000 per car. Please note that you have not yet entered into a final purchase or financial lease agreement at the time you apply for the subsidy.
Note! Don’t wait too long to apply for the subsidy. At 7 October 2024 only € 20,000,000 (33%) budget was still available of the total budget of € 60,000,000. The counter at RVO.nl closes at noon on December 31.
9. Check your contracts and agreements with self-employed workers
As of January 1, 2025, the Tax and Customs Administration can again enforce if a working relationship you have with a self-employed worker or other non-employee should be considered an employment relationship. Although the Lower House agreed a softer landing when the enforcement moratorium is lifted on January 1, 2025, now is the time to review your employment relationships within your company and take action where necessary.
10. Optimize private assets composition
Your private assets composition on January 1, 2025 will again form the basis of the box 3 tax you pay in 2025. The rate in box 3 looks set to remain at 36% in 2025! Therefore, toward the end of 2024, assess your box 3 assets. For example, if you are planning to sell investments, then it seems wiser – in the context of the box 3 tax rate – to do so at the end of 2024 rather than the beginning of 2025. This is because of the much higher flat rate for investments than for bank and savings deposits. Of course, the box 3 tax should not be the only variable on which you base your decision. And notice, you may not exchange bank balances for other investments within three months.
More tips to reduce your box 3 assets include buying valuables in late 2024 instead of early 2025, gifting an amount in late 2024 instead of early 2025 and purchasing so-called green investments. These ‘green’ investments are still exempt up to an amount of €71,251 (tax partners €142,502) in 2024, but only up to an amount of €30,000 (tax partners €60,000) in 2025. In addition, you are entitled to a tax credit of 0.7% on your exempt ‘green’ investments.
Note! In recent rulings, the Supreme Court ruled that in box 3 you may take into account the actual return – as defined by the Supreme Court – if it is lower than the statutory flat rate return. Therefore, the statutory flat rate return is still relevant as of January 1, 2025. You can only deviate from this if you can prove that your actual return, calculated in the manner prescribed by the Supreme Court, is lower than this lump-sum return.
