Operating cash flow (operationele kasstroom)
Operating cash flow (operationele kasstroom) is the cash flow from ordinary business activities, corrected for the timing of payments and receipts.
What does operating cash flow mean?
Operating cash flow (operationele kasstroom) is the cash flow from ordinary business activities, corrected for the timing of payments and receipts.
It can be calculated with the direct or indirect method. A positive operating amount is not a complete picture of investments or repayments.
How does it work?
RJ 360 counts as operating activities the transactions and events that lead directly to income and costs in the profit and loss account: receipts from customers, payments to suppliers and employees, and tax on profit paid. Interest paid may, up to and including financial year 2026, be shown here or under financing activities. For reporting years starting on or after 1 January 2027 it is as a rule a financing cash flow, and interest and dividends received are investing cash flows (RJ Statement 2026-6).
Under the direct method these receipts and payments themselves are shown. Under the indirect method the result is adjusted for depreciation, provisions and changes in working capital. The outcome shows whether the company can pay its repayments, replacement investments and dividend from its own activities.
Example
A caterer (BV) for 2026: operating result € 60.000, depreciation € 22.000. Working capital changes: receivables € 14.000 higher, inventory € 3.000 lower, payables € 6.000 higher, VAT and payroll tax payable € 2.000 higher. On balance that costs 14.000 − 3.000 − 6.000 − 2.000 = € 3.000. Cash flow from operations: 60.000 + 22.000 − 3.000 = € 79.000. After € 9.000 of corporate income tax paid, operating cash flow is € 70.000. From this the BV pays € 5.000 interest, € 30.000 repayment and € 25.000 of new kitchen equipment; € 10.000 remains.
In the annual accounts
Cash flow statement, if prepared.
Difference from EBITDA
EBITDA is operating result plus depreciation: a profit measure from the profit and loss account. Operating cash flow goes further and also processes what has stayed tied up in receivables, inventory and payables, and the tax paid. In the example EBITDA is € 82.000 and operating cash flow € 70.000.
Common mistakes
- Equating operating cash flow with EBITDA
- Showing investments as operating costs
What to watch for
- Compare the outcome with profit over several years. If it structurally lags behind, money is getting tied up in inventory or receivables.
- Set it against the repayments of the coming year, which you state in the notes (art. 2:375(6) DCC).
- For medium-sized and large entities it is a mandatory heading of the cash flow statement; micro and small entities calculate it only for their own use or for a financier.
Legal basis and source
RJ 360
Frequently asked questions
Can operating cash flow be negative while there is profit?
Yes. With rapid growth, inventory and receivables rise faster than profit, and that money has not yet come in. A large tax payment for an earlier year can also make the result temporarily negative.
Is VAT part of operating cash flow?
Yes. Receipts from customers and payments to suppliers include VAT, and the remittance to the Dutch Tax Administration (Belastingdienst) is an operating payment.
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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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