Dutch GAAP versus IFRS for Dutch companies
IFRS is open to every Dutch company, but it does not switch off Dutch company law. Compare the effort before following the parent's framework.
The short answer
Any Dutch Title 9 entity may prepare its accounts under EU-endorsed IFRS instead of Dutch GAAP (art. 2:362(8) DCC), and EU-listed groups must for their consolidated accounts. Even under IFRS, Title 9 still governs the management report, audit, filing and legal reserves. Dutch GAAP differs mainly on goodwill amortisation, lessee leases and deferred tax, and lets companies import several IFRS standards.
Updated 30 October 2026
Key facts
| Statute | Art. 2:362(8)–(10) DCC; IAS Regulation (EC) 1606/2002 for listed groups |
| Standards | RJ 105 (new for financial years from 1 January 2026); RJk A1.103–A1.105 |
| Only EU-endorsed IFRS | Standards not yet endorsed by the European Commission cannot be applied as such |
| Small entities | A small entity applying IFRS in its company-only accounts loses the art. 2:396 exemptions (RJk A1.105) |
Who may or must use IFRS
A company whose securities are listed on a regulated market in the EU must prepare its consolidated accounts under EU-endorsed IFRS under the IAS Regulation (RJ 105.101). Every other Title 9 entity may choose EU-endorsed IFRS for its consolidated accounts, its company-only accounts or both, provided it applies all standards that are relevant to it (art. 2:362(8) DCC). The option covers only IFRS as endorsed by the European Commission, and the notes must state which framework was used (lid 10).
US GAAP is not an option for Dutch statutory accounts. The law does allow a Dutch company whose group spreads internationally to follow norms accepted in another EU member state (art. 2:362(1) DCC), which can suit a subsidiary of a German or French group. The RJ also allows US GAAP for one topic, pensions (RJ 271.101).
Four combinations, one that is not allowed
| Consolidated accounts | Company-only accounts | |
|---|---|---|
| Combination 1 | Title 9 (Dutch GAAP) | Title 9 (Dutch GAAP) |
| Combination 2 | IFRS | Title 9, with Dutch GAAP measurement |
| Combination 3 | IFRS | Title 9 presentation and notes, with the IFRS measurement bases of the consolidated accounts |
| Combination 4 | IFRS | IFRS |
| Not allowed | Title 9 | IFRS |
These options follow from the three sentences of art. 2:362(8); RJ 105.102 sets them out as combinations 1 to 4. Combination 3 is popular with Dutch holding companies of IFRS groups because the company-only equity and result then match the consolidated figures, and RJ 105 explains the practical points, such as intercompany transactions. RJ 105 applies to financial years starting on or after 1 January 2026; the combinations themselves follow from the law and also applied before.
What Title 9 still requires under IFRS
Article 2:362(9) DCC lists what an IFRS preparer still applies: Divisions 7 to 10 (management report, other information, audit and publication) and a set of individual articles, including the statement of the framework used, the legal reserves for capitalised formation and development costs, revaluations and currency translation, the presentation of equity, the list of participations, the KVK number, average employees, audit fees and directors' remuneration (RJ 105.402).
One consequence surprises many small groups: in the RJ's reading, switching the company-only accounts to IFRS gives up the small-company reliefs, so the short public filing and the audit exemption are lost (RJk A1.105). For a small Dutch subsidiary of an IFRS group, Dutch GAAP with selected IFRS options is often the lighter path.
Main measurement differences
| Topic | Dutch GAAP (RJ) | IFRS | IFRS route inside Dutch GAAP? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Goodwill | Amortised over its useful life, with a rebuttable presumption of at most twenty years (RJ 216.221); at most ten years if the life cannot be estimated reliably (art. 2:386(3) DCC) | Not amortised; tested for impairment at least yearly | No |
| Leases (lessee) | Operating leases stay off the balance sheet; payments are expensed on a straight-line basis (RJ 292.210–211) | Right-of-use asset and lease liability for nearly all leases (IFRS 16) | Yes: IFRS 16 in full (RJ 292.101) |
| Revenue | RJ 270 and RJ 221 | IFRS 15 | Yes: IFRS 15 in full, including construction contracts (RJ 270.101a) |
| Credit losses | Loss recognised when there is objective evidence of impairment (RJ 290.533) | Expected credit losses (IFRS 9) | Yes: the IFRS 9 impairment model with IFRS 7 disclosures (RJ 290.101) |
| Pensions | Dutch approach in RJ 271 section 3 | IAS 19 | Yes: IFRS or US GAAP pension rules in full (RJ 271.101) |
| Deferred tax | Nominal value or present value (RJ 272.404) | No discounting | Not applicable |
| Development costs | Capitalised when the criteria are met (RJ 210.224); a legal reserve is required (art. 2:365(2) DCC) | Capitalised when the criteria are met | Legal reserve applies under both |
From financial year 2027 the RJ also adjusted its cash flow chapter in response to IFRS 18: interest and dividends received are investing cash flows and interest and dividends paid are financing cash flows; interest received, interest paid and dividends received may stay under operating activities where lending or investing is part of normal operations (RJ 360.213 and 360.213a). For RJ chapters per topic, see the RJ standards (in Dutch).
Worked example: the same year in both frameworks
A fictitious Dutch BV acquired a business at the start of 2025, recognising goodwill of €600,000 with an expected useful life of ten years. On the same day it signed a five-year office lease at €48,000 a year, paid at each year end, with an incremental borrowing rate of 5%.
| Year 2025 | Dutch GAAP (no IFRS options) | IFRS |
|---|---|---|
| Goodwill amortisation | €60,000 | €0, unless impaired |
| Lease expense | €48,000 | Depreciation €41,563 and interest €10,391 on a right-of-use asset and liability of €207,815 |
| Total charge to profit | €108,000 | €51,954 |
| Lease on the balance sheet at year end | Nothing; €192,000 of remaining payments disclosed as a commitment | Right-of-use asset €166,252 and lease liability €170,206 |
| Effect on EBITDA | Lease cost reduces EBITDA by €48,000 | Lease cost falls outside EBITDA |
Profit before tax is €56,046 higher under IFRS in the first year. The lease difference reverses over the term, because total lease cost is €240,000 under both frameworks; the goodwill difference persists unless IFRS impairment catches up. A group reporting pack under IFRS therefore needs a reconciliation from the Dutch statutory accounts, or the Dutch company adopts IFRS 16 within Dutch GAAP to narrow the gap.
Choosing a framework
- Align with the parent if the group reports under IFRS and the Dutch company is large enough to carry the extra disclosure; consider combination 3 for holding companies.
- Stay with Dutch GAAP, perhaps with IFRS 15, IFRS 16 or IFRS 9 options, if the main aim is a light filing for a small or medium-sized company.
- Plan the transition: a first-time IFRS adopter may use fair value as deemed cost for certain assets, which in company-only IFRS accounts requires a revaluation reserve (RJ 105.403).
- Check that every standard you intend to apply has been endorsed in the EU before the reporting date.
IFRS and Jaarrekening.io
Jaarrekening.io prepares accounts under Title 9 with the RJ or RJk, in the formats of the Dutch formats decree; it does not prepare IFRS accounts, and listed companies that must report under EU-IFRS are outside its annual accounts route. A Dutch subsidiary that keeps Dutch GAAP for its statutory accounts can use it alongside the group's IFRS reporting. The application is available in English; the annual accounts it prepares are in Dutch.
Sources
Frequently asked questions
Can a Dutch BV prepare its statutory accounts under IFRS?
Yes. Art. 2:362(8) DCC lets any Title 9 entity use IFRS as endorsed by the European Commission, applying all relevant standards. If it prepares consolidated accounts under Dutch GAAP, its company-only accounts must also follow Dutch GAAP. Title 9 still governs the management report, audit, filing and legal reserves.
What is combination 3 in the Netherlands?
Combination 3 means consolidated accounts under IFRS and company-only accounts under Title 9 that use the IFRS measurement bases of the consolidated accounts (art. 2:362(8), third sentence, DCC; RJ 105). It keeps company-only equity and result in line with the group figures while the presentation and notes follow Dutch law.
Is goodwill amortised under Dutch GAAP?
Yes. Goodwill is amortised over its expected useful life, with a rebuttable presumption in RJ 216 that this is at most twenty years, and over at most ten years if the life cannot be estimated reliably (art. 2:386(3) DCC). Under IFRS goodwill is not amortised but tested for impairment.
Do Dutch GAAP lessees put leases on the balance sheet?
Only finance leases. Under RJ 292 an operating lease stays off the balance sheet and its payments are expensed on a straight-line basis, with commitments disclosed. A company may instead apply IFRS 16 in full, which brings nearly all leases onto the balance sheet.
Can a small company use IFRS and keep its small-company exemptions?
Not in the RJ's view. RJk A1.105 says that a small company using IFRS for its own accounts gives up the reliefs of art. 2:396 DCC, so it loses the short public filing and the audit exemption. For a small subsidiary of an IFRS group, Dutch GAAP with selected IFRS options is usually the lighter route.
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