Administration
Records that are in order save you tax interest, discussions with the tax authorities and above all time. These articles cover invoices, receipts, retention obligations, debtors and everything you keep track of month after month.
91 articles on this topic
Pro forma invoice: what is it and when do you use it?
A pro forma invoice looks like an invoice, but is not one. You use it for an advance payment, a customs declaration or a quote that needs to look like an invoice. What it contains and why it does not belong in your VAT return.
4 min read
Having your children work in your business: pay, tax and rules
Your son helps out in the business during the holidays, your daughter does the paperwork. If you pay them, that is a salary with payroll tax. From age 15 a simplified scheme is possible. How it works and what it brings.
6 min read
Accruals and prepayments at year-end: prepaid and still to pay
An annual subscription paid in November, an energy bill that only arrives in February: such amounts partly belong to another year. With accruals and prepayments you put them in the right year. When that is needed and how to book it.
5 min read
Income statement (IB60) as a freelancer: how to get one
A landlord, municipality or agency asks for your income statement. As a freelancer you have no annual statement from an employer, so the IB60 is your proof. Which years you can download, when the new year is ready and what it shows.
5 min read
UBO register: do you have to register, and how do you do it?
With a BV or general partnership you must record with the Chamber of Commerce who the ultimate beneficial owners are. With a sole proprietorship you do not. Who counts as a UBO, how to file and what happens if you forget.
5 min read
When are you a director-shareholder, and are you then insured for unemployment and sickness?
For the tax authorities you are a director-shareholder from 5 per cent, for employee insurance only if you cannot be dismissed against your will. What that means for your payroll, and why most director-shareholders have no safety net.
6 min read
Authorising your bookkeeper with the tax authorities
Your bookkeeper can file your returns without you lending out your login. How authorisation works for a sole trader and a company, what the deferral scheme gives you and what remains your responsibility.
5 min read
Automating subscription invoicing with fixed amounts and direct debit
If you work with a fixed monthly fee, you do not want to invoice by hand every month. How to set up recurring invoices and direct debit, and where the VAT moment and the year-end come in.
6 min read
Recording platform and transaction fees: gross turnover, net payout
A payment provider, marketplace or booking platform pays out net and withholds fees. Why you record the gross sale as turnover, how the VAT on those fees works and how to match the payout.
6 min read
Turnover, profit and income: what is the difference?
Turnover is what you invoice, profit is what remains after costs and your income is what the tax authorities ultimately tax. With a worked example from invoice to what really remains.
5 min read
Debit and credit: double-entry bookkeeping in plain language
Every entry has two sides that always match. What debit and credit mean, what a journal entry for an invoice looks like and why this is worth understanding even if software does it.
6 min read
Backing up and exporting your bookkeeping: staying in control
Your records must be kept for seven years, even if your software or laptop is gone. Which exports to make at a minimum, how to store them and who else should be able to access them.
6 min read
Sending invoices by email: is it allowed and how do you prove it?
A PDF by email is a full invoice, as long as your client accepts that form. But in a dispute you have to prove it arrived. How to arrange that and what to keep.
5 min read
A double payment or too much received: how to book it
A client pays twice or transfers too much. That is not turnover but a debt to your client. How to book it, what it does to your VAT and what happens if nobody claims the money.
6 min read
Bank feeds and matching: putting your bookkeeping on autopilot
A PSD2 feed pulls in your transactions automatically, after which you match them to invoices and receipts. How to set it up, keep track of the 180-day renewal and use rules without automating mistakes.
7 min read
Drawing up a contract for services: what goes in it?
An assignment based on a text message ends in discussion more often than a two-page contract. The eleven points that belong in it, plus the clauses that support your independence.
7 min read
VAT reverse-charged to you: how to book it and how to declare it
An invoice without VAT does not mean there is no VAT. You declare it and deduct it in the same return. Which box belongs to which situation, how to book it and when it does cost you money.
6 min read
Ledger accounts: a chart of accounts that works for freelancers
A ledger account is nothing more than a drawer you throw similar amounts into. Which twenty drawers you need, how the numbering works and which entries most often end up in the wrong place.
7 min read
Bookkeeping in Excel as a freelancer: is it allowed, and where does it pinch?
The law does not prescribe software, so Excel is allowed. Which tabs you need at minimum, the four mistakes that do not survive an audit, and the point at which switching is cheaper than holding on.
7 min read
A contingency plan for your business: what if you are out for a month?
Your filings continue, your clients wait and nobody can access your records. A one-page contingency plan stops a broken arm from hitting your business too.
6 min read
Working with other freelancers: who invoices and who is liable?
Taking on a job together works three ways: subcontracting, separate invoices, or a partnership. Each with its own consequences for VAT and liability.
6 min read
Correcting an error in a previous financial year: VAT, profit and the assessment
A forgotten invoice, a private expense booked wrongly or too much depreciation: you fix it with a correction return, an amended return or in the oldest open year.
6 min read
Hiring in staff: what you are liable for and how to limit it
Hire someone through an agency and you can be liable for payroll taxes and VAT the agency fails to pay. A blocked account and proper records prevent that.
6 min read
Booking damages and insurance payouts: taxed, and is there VAT on it?
Genuine damages are not revenue and carry no VAT. But the payout for your stolen van does count in your profit. How to book it per situation.
6 min read
Five checks before you file your VAT return
Ten minutes of checking prevents a supplement later. These five checks catch nearly every VAT mistake freelancers make.
5 min read
Agreeing and invoicing extra work: how to actually get paid for it
You may charge for work beyond the quote, but only if you warned the client in time. How to record extra work, invoice it and avoid arguments.
6 min read
Valuing work in progress: jobs that run over year-end
Work that is running on 31 December but not yet invoiced already counts towards your profit. You value it by the part you have completed, not only on delivery.
6 min read
Moving your business: Chamber of Commerce, VAT ID, invoices and permits
A new address means a change at the Chamber of Commerce within a week, new details on your invoices and website, and sometimes different municipal rules. Your VAT ID simply stays the same.
6 min read
Year-end checklist for freelancers: what to sort out before 31 December
The last weeks of the year decide how smoothly your tax return goes. Investments, stock, open invoices, the VAT correction for your car and your hours: the checklist to work through in December.
6 min read
Booking web shop returns and refunds: revenue, VAT and stock
A return reverses your revenue, lowers your VAT and brings a product back into stock. How to handle the right of withdrawal, the credit note, the VAT correction and the OSS properly in your records.
6 min read
Invoice numbers: the rules for consecutive numbering
An invoice number must be unique and consecutive, but you have more freedom than you think: several series, a year prefix or a separate series per activity. What is allowed, what is not, and what to do about a gap.
5 min read
Taking on an intern as a freelancer: accreditation, allowance and payroll
An intern is not an employee, but the moment you pay an allowance payroll administration comes into play. What to arrange in advance, what it costs and where the line with real employment lies.
6 min read
Registering a trademark: when a Chamber of Commerce entry is not enough
Your trade name at the Chamber and your domain give you no trademark rights. What a Benelux or EU trademark does do, what it costs and how an hour of work prevents a later rebrand.
6 min read
Moving a business asset to private use: settling up correctly
Your laptop, trailer or van moves into private use. For tax purposes that is a sale to yourself: you settle up on the value, possibly with VAT and sometimes with a disinvestment addition.
6 min read
When can you deduct the VAT on a purchase invoice?
No valid invoice, no VAT deduction. Which details are mandatory, what goes wrong with webshops and fuel receipts, and how to still fix a faulty invoice.
6 min read
Building a cash flow forecast: knowing when money gets tight
Profitable yet unable to pay your VAT: it happens more often than you would think. Twelve rows in a spreadsheet show months ahead which month will pinch.
6 min read
Reading your balance sheet and profit and loss account
Two statements, two questions: what do I own and what do I earn. How to read them, why profit is not the same as cash, and the five figures to check monthly.
6 min read
GDPR for freelancers: what you really must arrange with client data
A sole trader falls under the GDPR too. Privacy statement, processing agreements, retention periods and what to do after a data breach, without legal jargon.
6 min read
E-invoicing: what UBL and Peppol mean for your invoices
A PDF is not an e-invoice. With government bodies real e-invoicing is already mandatory and Europe is moving towards compulsory e-invoices. What you can set up now, without an expensive package.
5 min read
Applying for eHerkenning: when you need it and what it costs
A sole trader simply logs in to the tax portal with DigiD. With a bv or vof, eHerkenning level 3 is mandatory. Which level, which authorisation and which costs you can avoid.
5 min read
Keeping hour records: how to prove the 1,225 hours
The self-employed deduction stands or falls with your hour records. Which hours count, how to log them and why a list reconstructed in March rarely holds up.
6 min read
The 30-minute monthly routine that keeps your books always current
Six fixed steps at a fixed moment each month: invoices, receipts, bank, debtors, reserves and one look at your numbers. Never a filing-panic weekend again.
5 min read
Bartering services with another business: fine, but do invoice
You build a website, they design your branding: no money changes hands. For tax it is simply two assignments, both with invoice, VAT and revenue.
5 min read
Invoicing in dollars or pounds: rates, VAT and exchange differences
Invoicing in foreign currency is fine, but Dutch VAT must always show in euros too. Which rate to take and how to book the difference on receipt.
5 min read
Your client goes bankrupt: what to do with your outstanding invoices
When a client goes bankrupt, ordinary collection stops. File your claim with the trustee, stop work sensibly and at least recover the VAT.
6 min read
Raising your rate with existing clients: how to do it without friction
Keep your rate flat for years and you quietly hand in income every year. The best moment to raise, the right announcement and the clause that automates it.
6 min read
The simplified invoice: when a till receipt simply suffices
Up to € 100 including VAT an invoice needs only four details, and the buyer may still reclaim VAT with it. That saves hassle on small amounts.
5 min read
Payment terms and collection costs: what the law already arranged for you
Without agreement a 30-day term applies, large clients must pay SMEs within 30 days, and past due you may charge interest plus at least € 40 in costs.
6 min read
Tax deadlines for freelancers in 2026: the complete calendar
Four VAT deadlines, the income tax return before 1 May and the extension rules: every date a freelancer wants in the 2026 diary.
5 min read
Do you need annual accounts as a freelancer?
A sole proprietorship files no annual accounts with the Chamber of Commerce. But you do need a balance sheet and profit and loss account, if only for your return.
5 min read
Private withdrawals and deposits: how money moves between you and your business
Transferring money from your business account to private is not wages and not a cost. You pay tax on profit, whatever you withdraw. How to book it right.
5 min read
Reinvestment reserve: deferring tax after selling a business asset
Sell your van or machine for more than book value and that profit is taxed. The reinvestment reserve shifts the levy to your next investment.
6 min read
Lost the receipt: can you still deduct the cost?
For income tax you can often still substantiate costs, for VAT the invoice is sacred. What you can salvage per situation and how to prevent it.
6 min read
Making a quotation as a freelancer: what goes in and what is binding
A good quotation wins the job and prevents disputes afterwards. The fixed elements, fixed price or hourly rate, and the moment you are bound by it.
7 min read
WAZO and ZEZ: what is the difference?
WAZO is the act, ZEZ is the scheme for the self-employed within it. What that means if you freelance alongside a job.
4 min read
ZEZ benefit conditions: are you entitled?
Sole trader, director-shareholder or contributing partner: the ZEZ scheme is broader than many entrepreneurs think. A checklist of the conditions.
5 min read
Applying for the ZEZ benefit: step-by-step with deadlines
Apply four weeks before your leave, at the latest two weeks in advance. What you need, how to submit it and what goes wrong if you are late.
5 min read
ZEZ benefit amount: how to work out what you get
The ZEZ benefit is at most one hundred per cent of the minimum wage. Whether you reach that maximum depends on the hours criterion. With a worked example.
6 min read
Valuing stock: why your purchases aren't a cost yet
Many entrepreneurs think stock they've bought immediately lowers their profit. It doesn't. How stock valuation works at year-end.
7 min read
Cash records: how to keep track of cash properly
Do you handle cash? Then the tax authorities look extra closely. How to keep a cash book that survives any audit.
7 min read
Business insurance for freelancers: what do you really need?
Liability, legal expenses, contents: which policies make sense and which premiums can you deduct? We set it out.
7 min read
Pregnant as a freelancer: how the UWV's ZEZ benefit works
As a pregnant freelancer you are entitled to at least sixteen weeks of benefit under the ZEZ scheme. Many entrepreneurs do not know this and miss out. Here is how to apply.
8 min read
Terms and conditions as a freelancer: why you want them and how to set them up
Terms and conditions are not mandatory, but without them you are weaker in disputes about payment, liability or extra work. Here is what to include and how to make them binding.
7 min read
Sick as a freelancer without disability insurance: what are your options?
No employer to keep paying you, no government safety net: a freelancer who falls ill without disability insurance is on their own. About bread funds, voluntary UWV insurance, your buffer and the mandatory disability insurance on its way.
7 min read
The work-related costs scheme and free margin in 2026
The free margin lets you give staff tax-free allowances. In 2026 that is 2% over the first 400,000 euros of payroll. Exceed it and an 80% final levy follows.
7 min read
Outsourcing your bookkeeping: this is what you provide (and nothing more)
What do you actually need to provide when a bookkeeper does your records? Less than you think. A complete overview, from onboarding to the monthly routine.
7 min read
Behind on your bookkeeping? How to catch up without panic
Months of unprocessed receipts and invoices: it happens to more freelancers than you think. This step-by-step plan gets your records back in order.
7 min read
Switching bookkeepers: how it works (and what to expect)
Doubting your current bookkeeper? Switching is easier than you think. This is the best moment, this is what you need and this is how the handover works.
7 min read
Tax audit or books investigation: what to expect and how to prepare
A letter from the tax authorities announcing a books investigation: no reason to panic, but a reason to prepare. What does the inspector look at, what are your rights and obligations, and what do you do beforehand?
8 min read
Error in a sent invoice? Here is how to fix it with a credit invoice
Wrong amount, wrong VAT rate or the wrong client: you do not simply edit a sent invoice. A credit invoice fixes it properly. This step-by-step guide shows how.
7 min read
Record retention: 7 years, and 10 years for property
You keep your records for seven years, property data for ten. What may be digital, what counts as core records and what you must never discard.
6 min read
VAT return for self-employed: how it works step by step
The VAT return is a stressful moment for many entrepreneurs, but it doesn't have to be. We explain step by step how it works.
7 min read
Creating your first invoice: what must be on it?
Your first assignment is in and now you need to invoice. Which details are mandatory? We list everything.
7 min read
How much should you set aside for tax?
As a self-employed person, tax isn't deducted automatically. So how much do you reserve? We give practical rules of thumb.
7 min read
Provisional assessment: handy or not?
With a provisional assessment you pay your tax in advance, spread out. When is that smart and when not? We explain.
7 min read
Avoiding tax interest: here's how
If you pay tax late, the tax authorities charge interest. That can add up. We explain how to avoid it.
7 min read
Drawing up an opening balance at the start
At the start of your business you make an opening balance. What's on it and why is it important? We explain.
7 min read
Accounts receivable: getting invoices paid on time
Late payments are a common problem for self-employed people. With good receivables management you prevent hassle. We give practical tips.
7 min read
Depreciation: linear, declining and residual value explained
Large investments are depreciated over several years. But how does depreciation work exactly? We explain the methods.
7 min read
Capitalise or deduct directly from profit?
A purchase can sometimes be deducted directly, sometimes you must capitalise and depreciate it. How do you know which? We explain.
7 min read
Payroll taxes: how does the system work?
As an employer you withhold payroll taxes from salary. But what do they consist of exactly? We explain the system.
7 min read
Disability (AOV) and mandatory insurance
If you fall ill as a freelancer, your income disappears. A disability insurance protects you. We explain how it works and what's changing.
7 min read
Mandatory pension scheme per sector: does it apply to you?
In some sectors participation in a pension fund is mandatory, also for the self-employed. We explain when this applies.
7 min read
Building a buffer as a freelancer: how much is enough?
A financial buffer gives peace of mind during setbacks. How much should you have aside as a freelancer? We give practical guidelines.
7 min read
Choosing bookkeeping software: what to look for?
Good bookkeeping software saves time and errors. But what to look for when choosing? We give practical criteria.
7 min read
Passing costs on to your client: how does VAT work?
Passed-on costs usually follow the VAT rate of your own service, not the original receipt. Including the exception for disbursements.
6 min read
What to do with a client who doesn't pay?
A client who doesn't pay is frustrating and bad for your cash flow. We give a step-by-step plan to still get your money.
7 min read
Keeping personal and business separate: why and how
Mixing personal and business is a common mistake. We explain why separating is important and how to do it.
7 min read
Keeping a mileage record: what must be in it?
For the mileage allowance or to avoid the addition you need a watertight trip record. We explain what must be in it.
7 min read
Booking advances and deposits: when is VAT due?
With a deposit, VAT is due immediately even though you have delivered nothing yet. How to book it and avoid corrections later.
6 min read
Storing receipts digitally: does the tax office allow it?
Yes, scanning is allowed and the paper can go. Provided the reproduction is reliable and remains accessible for seven years. The conditions and the pitfalls.
6 min readRather not figure this out yourself?
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