Box 3 Tax in the Netherlands: should you file the ‘Opgaaf Werkelijk Rendement’?
If you have bank accounts, savings, investments, or rental properties in the Netherlands, you may be familiar with Box 3 taxation. Normally, the Dutch tax authorities (Belastingdienst) tax a deemed return on your assets instead of your actual income. However, following court rulings, taxpayers may now choose to report their actual returns instead. This can potentially lower your Box 3 tax liability. To facilitate this, the Dutch tax authorities introduced the Opgaaf Werkelijk Rendement (OWR) form. Starting July 2025, taxpayers will receive letters with the deemed return for a given tax year and the option to report their actual return. Filing the OWR is voluntary and must be done separately for each tax year. It is only worth filing if your actual return is lower than the deemed return.