Box 3 tax in the Netherlands for expats
Your savings, investments and property abroad can fall within Dutch box 3. We help you plan across your assets, in English, alongside your tax adviser.
The box 3 tax-free allowance in 2026 is € 59,357 per person. Fiscal partners have a combined allowance of € 118,714. The box 3 tax rate is 36%, charged on your box 3 income (the return), not on the value of your assets. If your actual return is lower than the deemed return, the Belastingdienst taxes your actual return. As a resident, your assets abroad also count. Only expats who used the expat scheme before 2024 can still keep them out, through the partial non-resident option, up to and including 2026. The proposed tax on actual gains from 2028 is not yet law.
How does box 3 tax in the Netherlands work in 2026?
The tax-free allowance is € 59,357 per person, or € 118,714 for fiscal partners together. The box 3 tax rate is 36%, charged on your box 3 income (the return), not on the value of your assets. If your actual return is lower than the deemed return, the Belastingdienst taxes your actual return.
The deemed return percentages depend on the type of asset or debt. They are not all final yet.
- Bank balances: 1.28%, provisional.
- Investments and other assets: 6.00%, final. This includes a second home.
- Debts: 2.70%, provisional.
The provisional percentages become final in early 2027. Those final percentages then apply to the final assessment for 2026.
Your own home that is your main residence belongs in box 1, not box 3. A second home and a home you let belong in box 3.
Source: Belastingdienst2026
The figures come from the Belastingdienst's box 3 figures for 2026, alongside its property guidance consulted on 15 October 2026.
Do my savings, investments and property abroad count in box 3?
Yes, as a resident, it makes no difference whether your assets and debts are in or outside the Netherlands. This includes bank accounts abroad and a home you let abroad.
A second home abroad also belongs in box 3. The Belastingdienst says you must use its market value in an unoccupied state on 1 January of the year before the tax year.
For income from abroad, the Belastingdienst says that declaring it does not always mean paying Dutch tax on it. That depends on the agreements with the other country. You may be entitled to double tax relief if a tax treaty says you pay the tax in that country, and also where there is no treaty and no Dutch tax is due. You are not entitled to it if the treaty gives the Netherlands the right to tax. How a treaty works out for your property or investments abroad is a question for your tax adviser.
Source: BelastingdienstSection 1315 October 2026
The explanatory notes to the 2025 tax return, section 13, the page on second homes and “I live in the Netherlands - where do I pay tax on income from abroad?” were consulted on 15 October 2026.
I have the 30% ruling. Do I still have to declare my assets abroad in box 3?
If you can still use the partial non-resident option, you are treated as a non-resident for box 2 and box 3 even though you live in the Netherlands. Under that option, your savings and investments, in the Netherlands or abroad, do not go into box 3. The option is only available while your expat scheme runs.
The Dutch name is partiële buitenlandse belastingplicht. For box 3, you then declare only these assets and the related debts:
- Dutch property: Your real estate in the Netherlands.
- Property rights: Your rights relating to real estate in the Netherlands.
- Profit rights: Your right to profits from a Dutch business.
- Related debts: Debts connected with these assets, such as a mortgage on Dutch real estate.
From 1 January 2025 you can no longer choose this option in your tax return. If you used the expat scheme before 2024, transitional law lets you use it up to and including 2026. If your expat scheme started in 2024 or later, the option is not open to you, so your assets abroad count in box 3.
If your expat scheme ends during the year, you answer the box 2 and box 3 questions as a resident for the period after it ends. You can still make the choice until your income tax assessment is final and can no longer be challenged.
Under the transitional law, 2026 is the last year this option can be used. After that, savings and investments abroad come into box 3.
Source: Belastingdienst15 October 2026
The Belastingdienst page “Partiële buitenlandse belastingplicht” was consulted on 15 October 2026.
Do I pay box 3 on a Dutch home if I live abroad?
Yes, for Dutch real estate that is not your own home, such as a holiday home or a let property. A Dutch home that counts as your own home goes in box 1, also as a non-resident. The Netherlands does not tax your whole wealth under these rules. Debts relating to your Dutch real estate also count.
This includes a mortgage on your holiday home in the Netherlands. Read more about a second home as a non-resident.
Source: the Belastingdienst page “Wonen in het buitenland - Nederlands inkomen”.
What changes in box 3 in 2027 and 2028?
The 36% box 3 tax rate for 2027 is set in law. The tax-free allowance proposals for 2027 and the proposed tax on actual gains from 2028 are not yet law. We therefore plan with the 2026 rules and update when the proposed changes become law.
There are two proposals for the 2027 tax-free allowance: € 60,098 and € 30,846. Neither has been adopted. The deemed return percentages for 2027 have not yet been published.
The House of Representatives passed the actual return bill on 12 February 2026. The Senate postponed its vote until it has dealt with an announced amending bill (novelle).
That amending bill would extend the tax on actual gains to all financial instruments, such as shares, bonds and options, from 2028, and to other assets from 2030. On 14 October 2026 it had been announced but not yet submitted to parliament. None of these proposed changes is law yet.
Source: Government letter and Eerste KamerDossier 36 748; article 2.13 Wet IB29 September 2026
The sources are the government letter of 29 September 2026, Eerste Kamer dossier 36 748 and article 2.13 of the Income Tax Act for 2027, with the proposal status reported as at 14 October 2026.
How can you help me plan around box 3?
We provide independent financial planning in English. We map which of your assets fall in box 1 or box 3 and plan alongside your tax adviser. We agree our fee with you beforehand.
We weigh choices such as investing privately or through a BV and setting money aside for your children.
We are an independent, AFM-licensed financial adviser in Naarden. Our licence number is 12046005.
This is general information, not tax advice. We do not file tax returns.
Frequently asked questions
What is the box 3 tax-free allowance in 2026? +
The box 3 tax-free allowance in 2026 is € 59,357 per person. Fiscal partners have a combined allowance of € 118,714. The box 3 tax rate is 36%, charged on your box 3 income (the return), not on the value of your assets.
Do I pay box 3 on my savings and investments abroad? +
As a resident, your savings and investments abroad count in box 3. If you still use the partial non-resident option, your savings and investments do not go into box 3. For income from abroad, double tax relief depends on the agreements with the other country.
Does my home abroad count in box 3? +
As a resident, a second home abroad and a home you let abroad count in box 3. Your own home that is your main residence belongs in box 1, not box 3. A second home abroad is valued at its market value in an unoccupied state on 1 January of the year before the tax year.
I have the 30% ruling. Do I still have to declare my foreign assets? +
Only if you used the expat scheme before 2024. Then transitional law lets you use the partial non-resident option up to and including 2026, and your savings and investments do not go into box 3. If your expat scheme started in 2024 or later, the option is not open to you and your foreign assets count in box 3. It applies only while your expat scheme runs. After the scheme ends, you answer the box 2 and box 3 questions as a resident. Under the transitional law, 2026 is the last year it can be used.
I live abroad and own a home in the Netherlands. Do I pay box 3? +
Yes, for Dutch real estate that is not your own home, such as a holiday home or a let property. A Dutch home that counts as your own home goes in box 1, also as a non-resident. Debts relating to the box 3 property also count, such as its mortgage. The Netherlands does not tax your whole wealth under these rules.
Can I pay tax on my actual return instead of the deemed return? +
If your actual return is lower than the deemed return, the Belastingdienst taxes your actual return. For 2026, the deemed return is 1.28% for bank balances, 6.00% for investments and other assets, and 2.70% for debts. The bank balance and debt percentages are provisional and become final in early 2027.
Could someone please explain the new box 3 system for 2028? +
It is not yet law. The House of Representatives passed the actual return bill on 12 February 2026, but the Senate postponed its vote until it has dealt with an announced amending bill (novelle). That amending bill would extend the tax on actual gains to all financial instruments from 2028 and to other assets from 2030. On 14 October 2026 it had not yet been submitted to parliament. We plan with the 2026 rules and update when the proposed changes become law.
Can you file my tax return? +
No, we do not file tax returns. We provide independent financial planning in English and work alongside your tax adviser. We map your assets across box 1 and box 3 and agree our fee beforehand.
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