Recording platform and transaction fees: gross turnover, net payout
Written by Ilias Aarrass6 min read · Published on · Last reviewed on 
In short
Your turnover is the gross sale the customer paid rather than the net payout from your payment provider or platform: the withheld fee is recorded as a separate cost, with fees for the payment handling itself VAT-exempt and commissions and subscriptions taxed or reverse charged to you.
- Use a suspense account per provider; its balance is money still in transit and belongs on your balance sheet.
- Download the settlement report monthly, because it often contains the only VAT breakdown.
- Record a return as a credit note against your turnover rather than as a cost.
- With consumers you may never pass on more in transaction fees than the actual cost of the payment method.
You sell for € 100 and € 96.40 arrives in your account. That happens with every payment provider and on every platform: they withhold their fees and pay out the rest, often bundled per day or week. If you only record what comes in, your turnover is wrong, you remit too little VAT and you miss a deduction. This article explains how to do it properly: gross sales as turnover, the withheld fees separately, and a payout you can match in one go.
Your turnover is the gross sale, not the payout
The customer pays € 100, so your turnover is € 100 including VAT. The € 3.60 of fees the provider deducts changes nothing: those are your costs and you record them separately. If you only record the € 96.40 as turnover, you remit too little VAT and your costs are too low. In an audit that stands out, because your gross sales can be traced from the platform's reports.
With marketplaces such as a webshop platform or a booking site it works the same, with one extra question: who is the seller? If you sell in your own name through the platform, the full sale price is your turnover. The platform is then only your service provider. See selling through platforms and tax and, if you run a webshop, bookkeeping for e-commerce.
A weekly payout from a payment provider
- Sales that week
- € 2,420 including 21 per cent VAT, so € 2,000 turnover and € 420 VAT
- Transaction fees
- € 72, withheld by the provider
- Payout to your bank
- € 2,348
- Entry
- turnover € 2,000, VAT € 420, costs € 72, bank € 2,348
- Check
- the provider's suspense account is nil after matching
Result: By using a suspense account per provider, you always see which money is in transit. If an amount remains at year-end, it is a claim on the provider and belongs on your balance sheet.
VAT on transaction fees and commissions
This is where it often goes wrong, because there are two kinds of fees. Fees for the payment transaction itself, such as the fee per card or bank transfer, fall under the VAT exemption for financial services. So there is no VAT on them and nothing to reclaim. That is the same reason there is no VAT on your bank charges; see is there VAT on bank charges.
Other fees from the same party are taxable: a monthly subscription, an integration, a dashboard or a marketplace commission. If that supplier is in the Netherlands, the invoice shows 21 per cent VAT. If they are in another EU country, the VAT is reverse charged to you and you report it in your return to deduct it in the same return; see receiving and recording reverse-charged VAT and VAT on invoices from foreign platforms.
| Fee | VAT | What you do |
|---|---|---|
| Per-transaction fee from a payment provider | exempt | record as a cost, reclaim nothing |
| Monthly subscription or integration from that provider | 21 per cent or reverse charged | deduct the VAT, and report it if reverse charged |
| Commission from a Dutch marketplace | 21 per cent | deduct the VAT |
| Commission from a foreign platform | reverse charged to you | report and deduct in the same return |
| Chargeback fees | usually exempt | record as a cost, check the statement |
How to set it up in practice
Create one suspense account per provider or platform in your chart of accounts. Record sales against that suspense account, record the payout to your bank against it too, and record the withheld fees as a cost. What remains on the suspense account is money still in transit. If you use a bank feed, that is one line per payout; see bank feeds and matching.
Download the settlement report from the platform every month and keep it with your records. That report is your evidence for both your turnover and your costs, and with many providers it is also the only place the VAT breakdown appears. Without it you cannot explain the difference between your turnover and your bank movements if asked.
What this gets you
Besides accurate records, this setup shows you something you otherwise miss: what your payment path really costs. At a few per cent per transaction, on € 60,000 of turnover that quickly adds up to a few thousand euros a year. That is a negotiating point with your provider and sometimes a reason to offer customers a different payment method.
All those fees are fully deductible, like your bank charges and your software. See which costs are deductible for the overview, and passing on costs to your client if you want to charge transaction fees on. In that case, note that with consumers you may not pass on more than the actual costs.
- Record the gross sale as turnover, with the correct VAT.
- Record the withheld fee as a separate cost.
- Use a suspense account per provider and match the payout against it.
- Keep the monthly settlement report with its VAT breakdown.
- Record returns as a credit note against turnover, not as a cost.
Frequently asked questions
Is my turnover the amount the provider pays out?
No. Your turnover is what the customer paid, excluding VAT. The withheld fees are a separate cost. If you only record the payout, your turnover, VAT and costs are all three wrong.
Is there VAT on transaction fees?
Not on the payment transaction itself: those are exempt. Subscriptions, integrations and marketplace commissions are taxable, and with a foreign supplier that VAT is reverse charged to you.
How do I match a bundled payout?
Through a suspense account per provider. Sales go in, the payout and fees go out, and the balance is what is still in transit. That balance belongs on your balance sheet at year-end.
Can I pass transaction fees on to my customer?
With business clients you may agree that. With consumers you may never pass on more than the actual cost of the payment method, and for some methods it is not allowed at all.
Sources
- VAT exemption for payment servicesBelastingdienst · belastingdienst.nl
- Reporting services from other EU countriesBelastingdienst · belastingdienst.nl
Sources checked on
This article provides general information based on the rules known for 2026 and does not replace personal tax advice. For your specific situation, we're happy to take a look with you.
