Starting
Just started or still orienting? From registering with the Chamber of Commerce to your first invoice and first tax return: these articles walk through everything you'll encounter in your first year.
52 articles on this topic
Starting a business under 18: consent, legal emancipation and tax
There is no minimum age to start a business, but as a minor you need your parents' consent. From 16 legal emancipation is possible. How registration works, what happens with a bank account and which taxes you pay.
6 min read
Requesting a Chamber of Commerce extract: which type do you need?
A bank, client or municipality asks for an extract from the Business Register. There are three variants: free viewing, digitally certified and on paper. Which one you need when, how quickly you get it and how recent it must be.
4 min read
Director's liability: when your BV does not protect you
A BV shields your private assets, but not always. With sloppy records, late annual accounts, an unreported tax debt or an excessive dividend you can become personally liable as a director.
7 min read
One BV is not a holding structure: how to add a holding company afterwards
With one BV your assets and your risks sit in the same company. You can add a holding company on top later through a share merger, without settling box 2 tax. How it works, what it costs and what to watch out for.
7 min read
Back from a company to a sole trader: when it pays and how it works
If your profit structurally falls, the company costs more than it earns. The tax-neutral return, the taxed route, the box 2 claim and the practical handling of contracts and staff.
7 min read
Setting up a private limited company: the steps, the costs and what changes
At the notary you are done in a week, but the real bill comes afterwards: annual accounts, corporate tax, payroll and a customary salary. Every cost listed.
7 min read
Freelancing through an agency or secondment firm
An agency brings in assignments you would not find yourself, but it changes who your client is. The contract types, the margin, self-billing and the four clauses to watch.
7 min read
Legal presumption at a low hourly rate: what has been passed and what has not
The act presuming an employment contract at a low hourly rate passed the Senate in June 2026. The often-quoted figure of 38 euros is not in the act, and neither is a date of entry into force.
6 min read
What does it cost to start as a freelancer? The bill, itemised
Registering with the Chamber of Commerce is the smallest amount. The real bill sits in insurance, equipment and the months without turnover. Two budgets, plus the VAT you get back.
7 min read
Finding your first clients as a freelancer: what works and what it costs
Most first assignments come from your own network, not from adverts. Five channels with lead time and cost, what you may deduct for tax, and why you should not get stuck with a single client.
7 min read
Shielding your address at the Chamber of Commerce: what is possible
Your residential address as an owner is already shielded, your business address is not. Work from home and your home address is simply online. How to take it out, what it costs and where the address still remains visible.
6 min read
How many clients do you need as a freelancer?
There is no minimum of three clients. The number does count in the overall picture, and with one client the question of employment grows.
6 min read
Handing your business to your child: settling up or rolling over
Handing your business to your child normally means settling up on hidden reserves and goodwill. A rollover can change that, but it comes with a waiting period.
6 min read
A business alongside your job: what may your employer forbid?
Since 2022 a side-activities clause is only valid with an objective justification. What your contract says and how to ask permission without friction.
6 min read
Taking over an existing business: what to watch for in tax terms
Are you buying the assets and the clients, or the shares? That determines your VAT, your depreciation and what you are liable for. Plus: goodwill is written off over ten years.
7 min read
Bringing private belongings into your business: value, depreciation and VAT
You owned your laptop, tools or camera before you started. Bring them into the business and you depreciate their current value. No investment deduction and no VAT refund, but a lower profit.
6 min read
Starting as an international freelancer in the Netherlands: residence, BSN and registration
Without Dutch nationality you can start a sole trader business here, but the order matters: first the right to work self-employed, then your BSN, then the Chamber of Commerce. Plus why the 30% ruling does not apply to freelancers.
6 min read
Starting a dropshipping business: who is the seller and which VAT applies?
You hold no stock, but for tax you are the seller. Which VAT you charge depends on where the parcel comes from and goes to: the Netherlands, the EU or outside the EU, with OSS and IOSS.
7 min read
Starting a franchise as a freelancer: entry fee, royalties and VAT
With a franchise you buy a formula, but for tax you are simply an entrepreneur. You capitalise and depreciate the entry fee, royalties and marketing fees are immediate costs. How to process it, with a worked example.
6 min read
Private liability with a sole trader business: how far does it really go
A sole trader business has no wall between the company and your private assets. What that means for your savings, your home and your partner, and the four measures that keep the risk small.
6 min read
Choosing and changing your SBI code: small detail, big effects
Your business activity code does not set your tax, but it does affect bank acceptance, subsidy eligibility and which sector you fall under. How to choose it well and how to change it.
5 min read
Starting a business from social assistance: how the Bbz works
The Bbz scheme gives you a preparation period, guidance and a supplementary benefit while your business gets going. What your municipality asks and which tax traps it contains.
6 min read
Writing a business plan as a freelancer: only what you actually need
Not thirty pages, but eight components and three budgets. When a plan is genuinely required, which figures belong in it and where most plans turn too optimistic.
6 min read
Selling your sole proprietorship: goodwill, cessation profit and a clean handover
A sole proprietorship is sellable too: client base, stock and name carry value. How the price forms, what the tax authority counts and what belongs in the contract.
6 min read
What must legally appear on your business website
Registration number, contact details, a privacy statement and for a web shop a list of extras: the legal parts of your site in one checklist.
6 min read
Choosing a trade name: the rules and the checks to run first
Your trade name may not mislead or resemble an existing name or trademark too closely. Four checks up front prevent a forced rename.
6 min read
Multiple activities under one sole proprietorship: how to set it up
A web shop besides your trade, or teaching besides design work: all allowed within one sole proprietorship. Extra trade names are free; mind the VAT.
6 min read
Converting a sole proprietorship into a bv: three routes and timing
As profit or risk grows, the bv comes into view. The three ways to convert your sole proprietorship, with the letter-of-intent deadlines.
7 min read
Freelancing alongside your studies: tax, student finance and benefits
Earning as a student entrepreneur no longer affects your student finance. What you do arrange: registration, VAT or the small business scheme, care benefit and your first tax return.
7 min read
Starting as a freelancer from unemployment benefit
With the UWV starter scheme you keep part of your benefit for 26 weeks while building your business full-time. How it works, and what the rules are.
7 min read
Starting a general partnership with a business partner
Starting a business together? The vof is the simplest form. What you arrange at the Chamber of Commerce, what deductions each partner gets and why the contract is essential.
7 min read
Setting your hourly rate as a freelancer: how to get it right
What should you charge per hour? Your old gross salary is a poor starting point. How to work towards a rate you can actually live on.
7 min read
From side earnings to a business: when do you have to register?
Selling something occasionally is not a business, doing paid jobs every week is. Where is the line between hobby, side earnings and business, and when do you need to register with the Chamber of Commerce and the tax authorities?
7 min read
Entrepreneur for income tax vs. for VAT: the difference explained
You can be liable for VAT without being entitled to the self-employed deduction, and vice versa. Two taxes, two different definitions of entrepreneur. We explain how that works and what it means for you.
7 min read
Online bookkeeper or a local office: which suits you?
A bookkeeper no longer needs to be on your street. But is online really better? The differences in price, speed and personal contact.
7 min read
Doing your own bookkeeping or outsourcing: what makes sense for a freelancer?
Doing your own books saves money, but costs time and knowledge. When is outsourcing the better choice? An honest comparison with concrete numbers.
7 min read
Starter's deduction ends in 2027: use 2026 while you can
The government plans to abolish the 2,123 euro starter's deduction as of 1 January 2027, without a transition scheme. What does that mean for you as a (starting) freelancer, and what can you still do in 2026?
7 min read
Choosing a bookkeeper: what does it cost and what to look for?
What does a bookkeeper cost, what do you get and what should you watch for? And what's the difference between sole-trader and BV bookkeeping? We set it out.
7 min read
The small business scheme (KOR): for whom and for whom not?
With the KOR you don't charge VAT and don't file VAT returns. But it's not advantageous for everyone. We explain when it is.
7 min read
Sole trader or BV: when is switching advantageous?
Many entrepreneurs wonder whether they should switch to a BV. The answer depends mainly on your profit. We explain.
7 min read
Part-time freelancing alongside a job: tax, hours and pitfalls
Your two incomes are added together in box 1, so your profit is taxed at your top rate. How to avoid an assessment and check the hours criterion.
8 min read
False self-employment and the DBA Act: what does it mean for you?
Since 1 January 2025 the tax authorities enforce fully again on false self-employment. What is it and how do you prevent problems? We explain.
7 min read
Applying for a VAT number and what to do with it
When you register you get a VAT number. But what's the difference between your two numbers and what do you do with them? We explain.
7 min read
Holding structure: why and when?
Many entrepreneurs work with a holding above their operating BV. What are the benefits and when is it sensible? We explain.
7 min read
Hiring your first employee: tax checklist
Hiring your first employee is a big step with tax obligations. We list what you need to arrange.
7 min read
Hiring a freelancer or employee: false self-employment
Hiring a freelancer or taking someone on staff? The choice has consequences, especially with stricter enforcement on false self-employment.
7 min read
Model agreements and the DBA Act
A model agreement can help to clearly record the relationship with your client. We explain how it works.
7 min read
Registering with the KvK: steps, costs and your VAT number
Registration costs a one-off fee of just over eighty euros, you get your KvK number on the spot and your VAT ID follows within weeks. What to bring to the appointment.
6 min read
Sole trader vs. freelancer: what's the difference actually?
Many people use 'freelancer' and 'sole trader' interchangeably. But is there a difference? We explain it clearly.
6 min read
Common mistakes in your first year as a freelancer
The first year as an entrepreneur is full of pitfalls. We list the most common mistakes, so you avoid them.
7 min read
Stopping or pausing as a freelancer: what to arrange fiscally?
Stopping your business or pausing it temporarily? There are fiscal matters to arrange. We list them.
7 min read
Opening a business account: is it required and what does it cost?
A business account is not mandatory for a sole trader but is for a private limited company. Still, it is almost always sensible. What it costs and what to look for.
6 min readRather not figure this out yourself?
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