Non-calendar financial year (gebroken boekjaar)
A financial year that does not coincide with the calendar year, for example 1 July to 30 June. The 12-month filing deadline runs from the end of that financial year.
What does a non-calendar financial year mean?
A financial year that does not coincide with the calendar year, for example 1 July to 30 June. The 12-month filing deadline runs from the end of that financial year.
A non-calendar financial year starts or ends outside the calendar year boundary. The balance sheet date and reporting period must be clear. The statutory filing deadline also counts from the actual end of the financial year.
How does it work?
The financial year of a legal entity is the calendar year, unless the articles of association designate another financial year (art. 2:10a DCC). Changing it therefore requires an amendment of the articles by notarial deed (art. 2:234(1) DCC). All deadlines count from the end of that financial year: the board of a BV prepares the annual accounts within five months (art. 2:210(1) DCC) and the entity files at the latest twelve months after the end (art. 2:394(3) DCC).
Which threshold amounts apply depends on the start date. The raised size criteria apply to financial years that began on or after 1 January 2024; for a financial year that began in 2023 they may be applied voluntarily (Stb. 2024, 52). The corporate income tax return follows the same financial year: file within five months after the end.
Example
A garden centre (BV) has a financial year from 1 October to 30 September, so that the spring sales and the stocktake in the quiet autumn fall in one financial year. Financial year 2025/2026 ends on 30 September 2026. Preparation and corporate income tax return: by 28 February 2027 at the latest. Filing: within eight days after adoption and in any case by 30 September 2027 at the latest. Turnover from October to December 2025 belongs to this financial year, not to calendar year 2025.
In the annual accounts
Dating of the balance sheet, P&L and notes; publication follows this end date.
Difference from an extended financial year
A non-calendar financial year simply lasts twelve months, just not from January to December. An extended or shortened financial year differs in length, such as a first financial year from incorporation on 1 September to 31 December of the following year. That is a one-off transition; see a first financial year of eighteen months.
Common mistakes
- Calculating filing from 31 December
- Comparing calendar-year turnover without conversion
What to watch for
- Read the articles of association. If they say nothing about the financial year, it is the calendar year, even if the bookkeeping is set up differently.
- Calculate the deadlines from the actual end date, for example with the filing deadline calculator.
- VAT returns and annual statements for staff continue to follow the calendar year; align the VAT and payroll tax liability with the balance sheet date of the financial year, not with 31 December.
Legal basis and source
art. 2:10a and 2:394(3) DCC
Frequently asked questions
When must I file for a financial year that ends on 30 June?
By 30 June of the following year at the latest. The twelve-month period in article 2:394(3) DCC runs from the end of the financial year.
Can I decide myself to switch to a non-calendar financial year?
Not without amending the articles of association. The general meeting resolves on the amendment and the notary records it in a deed. The transition produces one extended or shortened financial year.
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Preparing Dutch annual accounts?
Your first set of annual accounts is free, for every size class. Create an account and prepare the annual accounts of your Dutch company under Title 9 of Book 2 of the Dutch Civil Code.
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