About the author

Ilias Aarrass

Tax specialist and bookkeeper, owner of Fiscly Finance

Background

Ilias completed his bachelor's in tax law at the University of Amsterdam and went on to study for his master's at Vrije Universiteit. That means he doesn't just know what belongs in a return, but where a rule comes from: which law sits underneath it, what it was meant to do and where the line runs.

You only notice that difference when things get complicated. On a standard return it hardly matters. On the question of whether your home office is deductible, whether your car is better off on the business or privately, or how to deal with a client who might treat you as falsely self-employed, it is the difference between a guess and a reasoned answer.

He is a young tax specialist, and that works in your favour: digital, quick to reach, and thinking in terms of the question in front of him rather than office hours. Where it gets interesting fiscally, he goes back to the source.

Why he does this

Most freelancers he speaks to aren't afraid of paying tax. They're afraid of missing something, or of paying too much without knowing it. That unease is rarely in the numbers and almost always in not knowing. Creating clarity there is the point, and it is why this knowledge base exists.

It is also why Fiscly Finance works with fixed monthly pricing. An hourly rate makes people careful about asking questions, and that is exactly the wrong way round. You should be able to call without doing the maths first.

How this knowledge base is written

Amounts, rates and thresholds are checked at the source: the Dutch tax authorities, the Chamber of Commerce and published legislation. Each article shows when it was last reviewed.

When a rule changes he updates the existing article rather than publishing a second one next to it. So what you read still holds next year.

An article is general guidance, not personal advice. For a specific situation he'd rather take a look with you.

Direct contact