The short answer
Dutch law has four size classes. For financial years starting on or after 1 January 2024 the upper limits are: micro €450,000 assets, €900,000 turnover, under 10 employees; small €7.5 million, €15 million, under 50; medium-sized €25 million, €50 million, under 250. An entity must meet two of the three at two consecutive balance sheet dates.
Updated 6 October 2026
Thresholds from financial years starting in 2024
| Class | Total assets | Net turnover | Average number of employees |
|---|---|---|---|
| Micro entity | ≤ €450,000 | ≤ €900,000 | < 10 |
| Small entity | ≤ €7.5 million | ≤ €15 million | < 50 |
| Medium-sized entity | ≤ €25 million | ≤ €50 million | < 250 |
| Large entity | > €25 million | > €50 million | ≥ 250 |
Each row gives upper limits, and an entity does not have to stay within all three. At least two of the three criteria at two consecutive balance sheet dates establish a class under articles 2:395a(1), 2:396(1) and 2:397(1) DCC, subject to the statutory group and transition rules. If an entity passes only one micro criterion, it is not micro merely because its headcount is low. KVK's English table uses rounded bands; the statutory test and the financial-year starting date matter at exact boundary amounts.
These limits were set by the decree of 5 March 2024 (Stb. 2024, 52) and apply to financial years starting on or after 1 January 2024; an entity may also apply them to a financial year that started in 2023. The two-consecutive-dates test still applies, and the explanatory note to the decree allows the new limits to be used for the previous year's comparative figures as well. Recalculate when a group acquisition, disposal or unusual year changes the balance sheet or turnover basis. The class calculator (in Dutch) is a starting aid, not an audit opinion.
What is prepared and what becomes public
| Class | Accounts prepared for adoption | Usual KVK publication |
|---|---|---|
| Micro | Limited balance sheet and limited profit and loss account; no notes, only a few disclosures at the foot of the balance sheet (art. 2:395a(3)–(6) DCC) | Limited balance sheet only (art. 2:395a(8) DCC) |
| Small | Balance sheet, profit and loss account and limited notes | Abbreviated balance sheet and notes (art. 2:396(8) DCC); the profit and loss account is not published |
| Medium-sized | Fuller annual accounts, notes and management report; statutory audit normally applies | Simplified balance sheet and profit and loss account, detailed notes, management report and auditor's report |
| Large | Full Title 9 reporting, management report and statutory audit | Extensive accounts, notes, management report and auditor's report |
Prepare (opmaken), adopt (vaststellen) and file (deponeren) refer to different acts. The management board may have to prepare a profit and loss account that a micro or small entity need not publish. The public version is a legally defined subset, not a missing half of the internal accounts. KVK's contents table lists the principal published documents. The filing guide explains the digital routes.
A management report (bestuursverslag) is not required for micro and small entities, while medium-sized and large entities must prepare one (art. 2:391 DCC); a medium-sized entity may leave out non-financial performance indicators (art. 2:397(8) DCC). The audit requirement in article 2:393(1) DCC falls away for micro and small entities under articles 2:395a(6) and 2:396(7) DCC. The auditor must be a registeraccountant (RA), an Accountant-Administratieconsulent (AA) with certifying authority or a statutory auditor admitted under the Dutch audit firms act (art. 2:393(1) DCC). Where a group, regulated sector or special rule affects the entity, check that position separately. Even without an audit, an adviser may prepare or compile accounts, but a compilation engagement is not the same as a statutory audit.
A numerical classification example
Suppose a BV has €6.8 million in assets, €17 million net turnover and 42 employees on each of the 2024 and 2025 balance sheet dates. It exceeds the small turnover ceiling of €15 million, yet stays within the €7.5 million asset ceiling and below 50 employees. Two small criteria are still met in both years, so the small class can apply, subject to group and other rules. Do not label it medium-sized on turnover alone.
Now change 2025 assets to €8 million and employees to 55 while turnover remains €17 million. The BV stays small for 2025, because it has exceeded the limits at only one balance sheet date. If it exceeds them again at the end of 2026, it is medium-sized for financial year 2026. The accountant should document the two dated sets of figures, calculations and any group totals; the conclusion should be reviewable by somebody who did not prepare the spreadsheet.
Group and practical checks
For the size test a Dutch entity adds the assets, turnover and employees of the group companies it would itself have to consolidate, in practice its own subsidiaries (art. 2:396(2) DCC); the figures of a foreign parent or of sister companies are not added. The 403 exemption is a separate matter with its own conditions, including the parent's liability and group accounts; it is not a general waiver for every wholly owned BV. Read the foreign-parent BV guide before using a parent's figures as a substitute.
- Verify the exact financial year start and the prior balance sheet date.
- Keep asset, net turnover and average employee calculations with their source records.
- Check group consolidation and special-sector rules before using stand-alone totals.
- Document which full accounts were adopted and which shorter copy was filed.
- Revisit the class when ownership, workforce or trading scale changes.
A size result also guides software selection. A micro workflow with a short public balance sheet differs from a medium-sized workflow needing an audit trail, detailed notes and a statutory auditor. See the software guide and the Dutch glossary for terminology.
Sources
Frequently asked questions
Is one year above a threshold enough to change class?
No, with one exception. An entity changes class only when it is above or below the limits at two consecutive balance sheet dates (art. 2:396(1) DCC). For a newly formed entity the first balance sheet date alone decides the class for its first and second financial years (art. 2:398(1) DCC).
Does a small BV publish its turnover?
No. A small entity files only an abbreviated balance sheet and notes (art. 2:396(8) DCC); the profit and loss account, and with it net turnover, stays private.
Who signs accounts without an audit?
All management board members and any supervisory directors sign, and a missing signature must be explained (art. 2:210(2) DCC for a BV). An audit exemption does not change that responsibility.
Can the 2024 thresholds be used for a financial year that started in 2023?
Yes, by choice. The decree of 5 March 2024 (Stb. 2024, 52) applies to financial years starting on or after 1 January 2024 and may be applied to financial years that started on or after 1 January 2023. The earlier limits were €350,000 and €700,000 (micro), €6 million and €12 million (small) and €20 million and €40 million (medium-sized).
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