Obtain the data required for the payroll taxes

Once you employ an employee you must file payroll tax returns. You will need the employee's details to file these payroll tax returns. The new employer submits the following details to you:

  • the employee's name and initials
  • the employee's date of birth
  • the employee's Citizen Service Number (Burger Service Nummer or BSN for short)
    When your employee has yet to be issued a BSN then you use the employee's personnel number during the interim period. You can find more information about the BSN under 'Citizen Service Number'. You can also visit government.nl.
  • the employee's address
  • the employee's postcode and town/city
  • when the employee does not live in the Netherlands, the state in which the employee lives and the region
  • a request to apply a payroll tax reduction

The employee supplies these data, either on paper or in a digital format, provided with a date and a signature. To supply the data, the employee can use the ‘Model Statement of data for payroll taxes’. However, you and your employee are allowed to use your own model containing the data set out above. It is also sufficient to submit a copy of a valid proof of identity together with all the aforementioned data (including the request to apply the payroll tax reduction, if the employee wants you to apply it, as well as a signature and a date).

If you re-hire an employee, you do not need to ask the employee to resubmit all the payroll taxes details. However, this is subject to the condition that no changes have taken place in the intervening period. On re-entering your employment the employee will need to sign the earlier statement to confirm that the details are still correct.

When you have not received the payroll taxes details from your employee before the first working day – or on the first working day when you employ the employee on their first working day – then you apply what is referred to as the anonymous rate.

Inspection of the details and entry in your records

Once you have received the payroll taxes details from your employee you must inspect the details and enter them in your records.

Check the employee's place of residence

Starting on 1 January 2019, you need to know what country your employee resides in in order to know which payroll tax table to use (see: 'Calculating wage tax/national insurance contributions'). Therefore make sure you have received the right place of residence from your employee. Just because your employee gives a place of residence in the Netherlands does not mean that he is a resident of the Netherlands.

An employee who has a permanent residence in this country is a resident of the Netherlands. When an employee lives or stays in both the Netherlands and abroad, the question arises whether they are a resident of the Netherlands. The employee is only a resident of the Netherlands if their social and economic life takes place here. For example, if the employee's family lives abroad, the children go to school there, and the employee maintains bank accounts there, then the employee is not a resident of the Netherlands. You need to assess whether the country of residence indicated by your employee matches the other information you have about them. If it does, you can assume that country as their residence.

You therefore determine where an employee lives on the basis of all the facts and circumstances known to you. For example: the place of residence that the employee provides to you as one of the details of payroll taxes, travel allowances that you pay them and details for assessing the insurance obligation.

Retention of payroll taxes details and submission of the details

You must retain the payroll taxes details for at least 5 calendar years after the termination of the relevant employee's employment. You retain these details with your payroll records. We may request you to furnish these details.

Javascript is disabled in this web browser. You must activate Javascript in order to view this website.