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Settling in the Netherlands
Year one was about registering and filing your first return. Year two is when you buy a home and move in together. We show you what each one changes and where to go next.
Written by
Menno van der MadeHead of Tax - Tax Consultant
Reviewed by
Jessy te PaskeHead of Client Success
Updated 6 October 2026
Where to start
Your second year asks different questions
Settling in the Netherlands is the stretch after your first full tax year. This is when the decisions start to stack. Each one quietly changes what you owe and what you can claim back. This page is the map, not the manual.
Pick the moment you are in and we point you at the page that answers it. Your tax, mortgage and insurance questions land with one dedicated advisor, so nothing falls between them.
Somewhere else on the line? Start with arriving in the Netherlands, growing your life here or thriving here. You can also go back to my situation and pick again. Or read what changes when you hold assets abroad, earn foreign income or build substantial assets. Your 30 percent ruling may end in this stretch, so check what changes.
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Buying a home
One purchase moves your whole tax year
Buying a home changes your return in three places at once. The purchase costs, the mortgage interest and the yearly value of the home all land in your return. They do not arrive at the same time. Some only show up a year later.
You choose the house. A&H Finance arranges the mortgage. We file the return that follows it. Start with whichever of these three is closest to where you are today.
Transfer tax
The one-off tax you pay when the home changes hands. What you pay depends on your age and on your plans for the property.
Your return after buying
The first return after a purchase is the one worth getting right. It sets what you get back on your purchase costs and your interest.
Your household
Two of you, one tax picture
Live together and you may count as tax partners, whether you planned it or not. Once you are partners, your household income and assets decide which allowances you qualify for. Some deductions can then move between the two of you.
That works in both directions. It is worth knowing where you stand before you file. We check it with you and we file both returns side by side. If your partner lives abroad, different rules decide whether you count as partners.
Tax partners
We explain who counts as a tax partner and from what moment. You also see which items you may then divide between you.
Allowances
Rent, healthcare and childcare support depend on what your household earns. Partnering up changes what you qualify for. Rent allowance stops once you own your home.
Home insurance
Owning changes what you need. So does sharing the place with someone.
Your filing
From a yearly surprise to a monthly arrangement
Once you own a home, you no longer have to wait a year to settle up. A provisional assessment runs monthly, on the figures you expect for the year.
The return itself also gets fuller. More of your life is in it now.
Provisional assessment
Get your mortgage interest back monthly instead of waiting for the annual settlement. We apply for it and we keep it current.
Your annual tax return
This is the yearly check-up where everything you arranged this year comes together. One advisor, one conversation, one filing.
What you can deduct
The list is longer than you would expect. Homeowners pick up items they did not have as tenants.
Replies within one working day
“Year one is about getting it right. Year two is about checking what you can still claim. When people buy a home or move in together, there is almost always something worth a second look.”
Menno van der Made
Tax advisor
EN · NL
Your advisor
Not sure which moment is yours?
Tell us where you are and we tell you what to sort first. Your advisor knows your home, your partner and your return. You explain your situation once.
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Frequently asked
Settling in the Netherlands, answered
The five questions we hear most from people in their second or third year here. Yours not among them? Ask Menno
When do you become tax partners in the Netherlands?
It follows from how you live together, not from a choice you make. Marriage and a registered partnership count. So do several shared-household situations. We check where you stand before we file, because it changes both your allowances and your deductions.
Does buying a home change my tax return?
Yes. From the year you buy, your home becomes part of your return. Some costs go in as deductions. The property itself adds a yearly amount on the other side.
Can we still get allowances once we own a home?
Possibly. Healthcare and childcare support look at your household income and your assets. Rent allowance is the one that ends when you buy. Becoming tax partners is the bigger change. The test then looks at both of you together.
What is a provisional assessment?
It is a monthly arrangement with the Belastingdienst, the Dutch Tax Administration. It is based on what you expect to owe or get back over the year. Homeowners mostly use it so the deduction lands each month rather than once a year. You can start one, change it or stop it as your situation moves.
Do we file one return together or two?
You each file your own return. Tax partners can then move certain shared items between the two returns. That is where the work sits. We file both and we look at them as one picture. A partner living outside the Netherlands usually files nothing here, so check this first.
Your situation
Settling in the Netherlands? Start with one call
Book a free 20-minute call. We look at where you are and what can wait. You decide what happens after that.
What's included
A dedicated advisor
A draft before we file