In this guide
Box 3 — the Dutch tax on savings and investments — has changed repeatedly since the Supreme Court’s 2021 ruling. Court rulings, repair legislation, replacement legislation and delays have made it hard to plan around, and the obvious question each autumn is: what happens next year, and how much will it cost me?
So this article does something narrow on purpose. It sets out what is confirmed, what is scheduled and what is not yet known, each with its source and verification date. Where a 2027 figure is not published, we say so instead of guessing.
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💡 Related: the 1 January reference date, how box 3 works on savings and investments, how to invest as an expat in the Netherlands, voorlopige aanslag explained.
How box 3 works right now
Box 3 does not tax your wealth directly, and it does not tax your actual income from that wealth. It taxes an assumed return on the value of your assets on 1 January, then applies a flat rate to it. Three moving parts: your asset mix on 1 January (different assumed-return percentages apply to bank deposits, to investments and other assets, and to debts), the tax-free allowance (heffingsvrij vermogen), which is deducted first and doubles for fiscal partners, and the box 3 rate applied to the result.
For 2026 the Belastingdienst publishes 1.28% for bank deposits, 6.00% for investments and other assets, 2.70% for debts, a rate of 36%, and a tax-free allowance of €59,357 per person (€118,714 with a fiscal partner). The investments percentage is already fixed; the bank-deposit and debt percentages remain provisional until early 2027 (berekening box 3-inkomen 2026; heffingsvrij vermogen, which lists €57,684 for 2025).
The structural problem is obvious once you see it: someone with a savings account earning 1% and someone with a portfolio that fell 10% are both taxed on an assumption. That is what took the system to the Supreme Court, and why the replacement law exists.
What is confirmed for 2027
The forfaitary system continues. The Wet werkelijk rendement could start on 1 January 2028 at the earliest and has not yet been adopted, so 2027 remains a year of assumed-return percentages, a tax-free allowance and a flat rate.
The proposed 2027 numbers. The Belastingplan 2027 package, presented on 15 September 2026, contains no new box 3 measures, so the 2027 figures follow from the existing law and indexation:
| Box 3 parameter | 2026 | 2027 (Belastingplan 2027 package) |
|---|---|---|
| Rate | 36% | 36% |
| Tax-free allowance per person | €59,357 | €60,098 |
| With a fiscal partner | €118,714 | €120,196 (2 × the per-person amount) |
| Assumed return, investments and other assets | 6.00% | not yet published by the Belastingdienst |
| Assumed return, bank deposits | 1.28% (provisional) | set afterwards, based on actual rates |
| Assumed return, debts | 2.70% (provisional) | set afterwards, based on actual rates |
The 2027 column reflects the proposals in the Belastingplan 2027 package, taken from the Fiscale sleuteltabel 2027 (rijksoverheid.nl, 15 September 2026, checked 29 September 2026). Parliament still has to adopt the package before 1 January 2027. The confirmed figures appear on the Belastingdienst’s box 3 pages, which is the source to trust over any secondary summary, including this one.
The counter-evidence principle still matters. Following Supreme Court rulings, taxpayers whose actual return was lower than the assumed return should be taxed on the actual return. In practice that is an evidence exercise: annual statements covering every account and asset for the full year.
The planned switch to actual returns, and why you should care now
As proposed, the Wet werkelijk rendement box 3 shifts the basis from an assumed return to your real one. Broadly, recurring income — interest, dividends, rent — becomes taxable as it arises, while value changes on assets such as listed shares are taxed annually, with separate treatment for real estate. Details can still change through the amending bill, so treat any summary, including this one, as provisional.
The legislative position, checked on 24 September 2026 on the Eerste Kamer dossier 36.748: the bill was submitted to the Tweede Kamer in May 2025 and passed there on 12 February 2026. The Eerste Kamer debated it in plenary on 30 June 2026, but at the request of a senator the vote on the bill itself was postponed until the announced amending bill (novelle) has been dealt with; on 7 July 2026 the chamber voted on a motion about withdrawing the bill. On 22 September 2026 the Senate finance committee discussed a progress letter from the ministers on adjusting box 3 and decided to hold an oral consultation. In short: not adopted, not law, earliest possible start 1 January 2028, with the actual date to be set by royal decree if it passes. The government’s own explanation of the plan is on rijksoverheid.nl.
Whatever the final timing, two consequences follow for expat savers, and neither requires a 2027 figure.
Record-keeping becomes the whole game. A system based on actual returns needs actual numbers, per account, per year. If your assets sit across a Dutch bank, a foreign bank, an international broker and a crypto exchange, start collecting complete annual statements now rather than reconstructing 2027 from memory in 2029. The same discipline already helps under today’s counter-evidence route.
Asset category stops driving the outcome. Under an assumed-return system, what an asset is determines the bill; under an actual-return system, what it earned does. That shifts the relative attractiveness of cash versus investments in a way nobody can quantify for you in advance — a reason to avoid dramatic restructuring on speculation.
The expat angle: worldwide assets and treaties
If you are a Dutch tax resident, box 3 in principle looks at your worldwide assets: foreign savings accounts, an international brokerage account, cryptocurrency, and a flat you still own back home — subject to tax treaties, which commonly allocate taxing rights over foreign real estate to the country where it sits and provide relief in the Netherlands.
Three practical points cause the most trouble:
Currency and valuation dates. Box 3 works on values at a fixed reference date, and assets held in another currency have to be translated at that date whether the rate suited you or not. If you hold several currencies, a Wise multi-currency account at least makes balances and conversions legible in one place at year end — a record-keeping benefit rather than a tax one.
Foreign property. Do not assume it is either taxed twice or ignored: the treaty position decides, and it is country-specific.
Dual filing obligations. US citizens in particular may face reporting duties elsewhere on the same assets, separate from box 3.
If you are working out where to hold cash, best savings accounts in the Netherlands covers the Dutch options, and how to invest as an expat plus the ETF platform comparison cover the investment side. To pay box 3 monthly instead of in one lump, see voorlopige aanslag explained.
What to do this autumn
Do not restructure on speculation. The 2027 figures are an indexation of the current system, not a change of course, and the structural change is 2028 at the earliest and not yet law.
Fix your record-keeping. One folder per year, an annual statement for every account and asset, foreign ones included. It serves the counter-evidence route now and the actual-return system later. And know your 1 January position, because under the current system the reference date drives the bill.
Check the figures yourself when the tax package lands, on the Belastingdienst box 3 pages.
Get advice if the amounts are meaningful — cross-border assets, foreign property, or a portfolio large enough that a percentage point matters. The best tax advisors for expats guide covers who works in English.
My final thoughts
Box 3 has been a moving target for so long that it is tempting to stop following it. Two things are worth avoiding: paying an assumed-return bill that was higher than the real return without ever gathering the evidence, and making structural decisions on headlines about a law that has not commenced.
The calm version: 2027 is more of the same, with a slightly higher proposed allowance (€60,098), the same 36% rate, and assumed-return percentages that are still to be published; the real change, the move to actual returns, is still waiting for the Eerste Kamer. What helps in between is unglamorous — complete annual records, knowing your position at the turn of each year, and proper advice before restructuring anything.
We will update this article when Parliament has adopted the 2027 package and the Belastingdienst publishes the final figures.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is box 3 changing in 2027?
Not structurally. The bill that would replace the forfaitary system with taxation of actual returns — the Wet werkelijk rendement box 3 — was passed by the Tweede Kamer on 12 February 2026, but the Eerste Kamer postponed its vote after the 30 June 2026 debate until announced amendments (a novelle) are dealt with, so it is not law yet (status 24 September 2026). Its earliest commencement date is 1 January 2028. 2027 therefore stays under the existing forfaitary system. The Belastingplan 2027 package presented on 15 September 2026 proposes to keep the rate at 36% and to raise the 2027 tax-free allowance to €60,098 per person through indexation; Parliament still has to adopt the package.
What are the 2026 box 3 figures?
For the 2026 provisional assessment, the Belastingdienst lists 1.28% for bank deposits, 6.00% for investments and other assets, 2.70% for debts, a box 3 rate of 36%, and a tax-free allowance (heffingsvrij vermogen) of €59,357 per person — double that for fiscal partners. The Belastingdienst notes that the investments percentage is already fixed while the bank-deposit and debt percentages are still provisional and are finalised in early 2027.
What does the Wet werkelijk rendement actually change?
It moves box 3 from taxing an assumed return on your assets to taxing your actual return. In broad terms that means income such as interest, dividends and rent is taxed as it arises, while value changes on assets like shares are taxed on an annual mark-to-market basis, with a separate treatment for property. Because the design details determine your outcome, read the government's own explanation rather than a summary before making decisions.
Do I pay Dutch box 3 tax on savings held abroad?
If you are a Dutch tax resident, box 3 in principle covers your worldwide assets — foreign bank accounts, foreign brokerage accounts, cryptocurrency, and second properties abroad — subject to tax treaties, which commonly allocate taxing rights over foreign real estate to the country where the property sits and give relief in the Netherlands. This is exactly the area where a cross-border adviser earns their fee, because treaty treatment differs by country.
Can I still object if my real return was lower than the assumed one?
Dutch Supreme Court rulings established that taxpayers whose actual return is lower than the statutory assumed return should be taxed on the actual return, and the Belastingdienst's current box 3 pages reference exactly that principle. The practical requirement is evidence: you need records of what your assets actually earned across the whole year. Keep annual statements for every account, including foreign ones.
Should I move savings abroad to reduce box 3?
Moving assets between countries does not remove them from box 3 while you are a Dutch tax resident, and it can add reporting obligations and currency risk. Restructuring to reduce tax is a decision for a qualified adviser who can see your whole position — not something to do on the basis of an article, including this one.