Preparing the balance sheet: statutory layout, models and a worked example
The balance sheet shows what a Dutch legal entity owns at the balance sheet date and how that is financed. The law prescribes the main layout; the model and level of detail depend on the size class.
The short answer
The balance sheet shows the size and composition of the capital at the end of the financial year. On the asset side are fixed and current assets, on the liabilities side equity, provisions, liabilities and accruals. A BV uses model A or B from the Besluit modellen jaarrekening (Dutch decree on annual accounts models); a small BV may also choose model C or D.
Updated 30 October 2026
Key facts
| Legal basis | art. 2:362(2) DCC (function), art. 2:364 DCC (main layout), art. 2:365 to 2:376 DCC (line items) |
| Models | A or B for BV and NV; also C or D for a small entity (art. 1 Besluit modellen jaarrekening) |
| Comparative figures | For each item, as far as possible the amount of the prior year (art. 2:363(5) DCC) |
| Public | Micro and small: an abridged balance sheet; medium-sized: a simplified one; large: the full one |
What the law requires of the balance sheet
The balance sheet with the notes presents fairly, clearly and consistently the size of the capital and its composition in asset and liability items at the end of the financial year (art. 2:362(2) DCC). It is a snapshot; what happened during the year is in the profit and loss account.
At the top of the balance sheet you state whether the appropriation of the result has been incorporated in it. If not, the result for the financial year appears as a separate item in equity (art. 2:362(2) DCC and art. 2:373(1) DCC).
Two rules limit your freedom in the layout. You may not offset assets and liabilities against each other where the law prescribes separate items (art. 2:363(2) DCC). And the layout may only deviate from that of the previous year for good reasons; you explain the difference (art. 2:363(4) DCC).
The main layout: what goes where
The distinction between fixed and current depends on the purpose: if an asset serves the business on a lasting basis, it is a fixed asset (art. 2:364(1) DCC).
| Main item | What falls under it | Article |
|---|---|---|
| Intangible fixed assets | Development costs, concessions, permits and intellectual property, purchased goodwill | art. 2:365 DCC |
| Tangible fixed assets | Business buildings and land, machinery and installations, other fixed business assets such as fixtures and fittings | art. 2:366(1) DCC |
| Financial fixed assets | Participating interests, long-term receivables from group companies, other securities | art. 2:367 DCC |
| Stocks | Raw materials and consumables, work in progress, finished goods and goods for resale | art. 2:369 DCC |
| Receivables | Trade receivables, receivables from group companies, other receivables, prepayments and accrued income | art. 2:370 DCC |
| Securities and cash | Short-term investments; cash and balances at banks | art. 2:371 and 2:372 DCC |
| Equity | Issued capital, share premium, revaluation, statutory, articles-based and other reserves, undistributed profit | art. 2:373(1) DCC |
| Provisions | Obligations that are probable or certain, but whose amount or timing is uncertain | art. 2:374(1) DCC |
| Liabilities | Loans, amounts owed to banks and suppliers, taxes and contributions, accruals | art. 2:375(1) DCC |
Valuation per item is covered under tangible fixed assets, stocks, receivables, equity and provisions.
Model A or model B
The Besluit modellen jaarrekening gives the BV and the NV two models for the balance sheet. Model B places assets and liabilities side by side, with the same total on both sides. Model A is the vertical form: under current assets you deduct current liabilities, so that the result of current assets minus current liabilities becomes visible. Then follow non-current liabilities, provisions and equity.
A small entity may also use the more concise models C or D. For micro-entities the decree does not apply; they follow the list in art. 2:395a(4) DCC. An item without an amount is omitted, unless an amount must be stated for the prior year (art. 4 Besluit modellen jaarrekening).
Worked example: the balance sheet of a small BV
An installation company prepares the balance sheet at 31 December 2025, before appropriation of the result. All amounts in this example are fictitious.
| Assets | € | Equity and liabilities | € |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tangible fixed assets | 85.000 | Issued capital | 1.000 |
| Stocks | 40.000 | Other reserves | 94.450 |
| Receivables | 120.000 | Result for the financial year | 44.550 |
| Cash and cash equivalents | 65.000 | Provisions | 10.000 |
| Non-current liabilities | 60.000 | ||
| Current liabilities | 100.000 | ||
| Total | 310.000 | Total | 310.000 |
Equity is € 1.000 + € 94.450 + € 44.550 = € 140.000. In model A you read the same figures differently. Current assets are € 40.000 + € 120.000 + € 65.000 = € 225.000. After deducting € 100.000 of current liabilities, € 125.000 remains: the working capital. Assets minus current liabilities is € 210.000, and that amount is financed with € 60.000 of non-current liabilities, € 10.000 of provisions and € 140.000 of equity.
The bank loan is € 80.000 in total. Of this, the BV repays € 20.000 in 2026. That part has a remaining term of at most one year and therefore does not count among the liabilities with a term of more than one year (art. 2:375(2) DCC). A medium-sized or large entity also states the repayment of the following financial year separately (art. 2:375(6) DCC).
Detail and publication per size class
| Component | Micro | Small | Medium-sized | Large |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Requirements: two of three, at two consecutive balance sheet dates (financial years from 1-1-2024) | assets ≤ € 450.000, net turnover ≤ € 900.000, < 10 employees | assets ≤ € 7,5 mln, net turnover ≤ € 15 mln, < 50 employees | assets ≤ € 25 mln, net turnover ≤ € 50 mln, < 250 employees | At least two limits for medium-sized exceeded |
| Prepare balance sheet | Fixed and current assets, equity as one item, provisions, liabilities as one item with maturity up to and over one year (art. 2:395a(4) DCC) | Main layout of art. 2:364 with equity broken down (art. 2:396(3) DCC); model C or D allowed | In full, model A or B | In full, model A or B |
| Make balance sheet public | The abridged balance sheet (art. 2:395a(8) DCC) | The abridged balance sheet with notes (art. 2:396(8) DCC) | Simplified under art. 2:397(5) DCC | In full |
| Accruals and prepayments | May be omitted for other operating costs, with a statement at the bottom of the balance sheet (art. 2:395a(3) DCC) | Include | Include | Include |
Common mistakes
- Offsetting. A debtor with a credit balance is a liability, a creditor with a debit balance a receivable. The bookkeeping package often shows them offset.
- Forgetting the repayment portion. What you repay on a loan next year is no longer a liability with a term of more than one year.
- Hiding the current account with the shareholder. Receivables from loans and advances to shareholders are stated separately (art. 2:370(1)(e) DCC); see DGA current account.
- Booking a fall in value as a provision. You process that on the asset itself (art. 2:374(2) DCC).
- Mixing up balance sheet total and equity. For the size class, the value of the assets counts, not the equity.
If the balance sheet does not balance, follow the balance sheet does not balance. If equity is negative, read negative equity.
The balance sheet in Jaarrekening.io
In Jaarrekening.io the balance sheet arises from the trial balance you import: each ledger account is linked to a statutory line item and the amounts add up according to fixed calculation rules. You retrieve the prior-year figures from the annual accounts filed with the KVK, from a pdf or from the trial balance of that year; check what has been carried over.
Sources
- Art. 2:362 DCC: function of the balance sheet and statement of the appropriation of result (wetten.overheid.nl)
- Art. 2:363 DCC: no offsetting, consistent layout, comparative figures (wetten.overheid.nl)
- Art. 2:364 DCC: main layout of the balance sheet (wetten.overheid.nl)
- Art. 2:373 DCC: equity items (wetten.overheid.nl)
- Art. 2:375 DCC: liabilities, terms and repayment in the following financial year (wetten.overheid.nl)
- Art. 2:395a DCC: abridged balance sheet of the micro-entity (wetten.overheid.nl)
- Art. 2:396 DCC: balance sheet of the small entity (wetten.overheid.nl)
- Besluit modellen jaarrekening: models A to J for balance sheet and profit and loss account (wetten.overheid.nl)
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between a balance sheet and a trial balance?
The trial balance is a list of all ledger accounts with their balance. The balance sheet contains only the assets, the equity and the liabilities, arranged in the statutory line items.
Do I prepare the balance sheet before or after appropriation of profit?
Either is allowed. The balance sheet may present the capital taking into account the appropriation of profit, or the proposal for it as long as it is not fixed. At the top you state which choice was made (art. 2:362(2) DCC).
What do I do if assets and liabilities are not equal?
First check whether debit and credit in the trial balance are equal and whether the result is included in equity. Then look for accounts that are not yet linked to a line item.
May negative equity appear on the balance sheet?
Yes, the balance sheet must show the actual position. Negative equity does call for an assessment of continuity and for a note if that is doubtful (art. 2:384(3) DCC).
Read more
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.
Get started