RJ 160 events after the balance sheet date: recognise, disclose or leave
A lot can happen between the balance sheet date and the adoption of the annual accounts. RJ 160 determines, per type of event and per period, whether you adjust the figures, only disclose or do nothing.
The short answer
RJ 160 distinguishes events that say more about the situation at the balance sheet date, which you recognise in the figures, from events that create a new situation, which you do not recognise but disclose if the financial consequences are material (art. 2:380a DCC). Timing matters too: before preparation, between preparation and adoption, or afterwards. Micro and small entities follow RJk A4.
Updated 30 October 2026
Key facts
| Legal basis | art. 2:384(2) DCC, art. 2:362(6) DCC, art. 2:380a DCC |
| Version | RJ 160 version 2025 applies from financial year 2026 (preferential dividend clarified; IFRS paragraphs moved to RJ 105); financial year 2025: version 2021 |
| Micro and small | RJk A4, version 2025 from financial year 2026, with a diagram and an example for preferential dividend |
| Date of preparation | State in the notes (RJ 160.401; RJk A4.110) |
| Small entity publishes | Without the information of art. 2:380a DCC (art. 2:396(8) DCC) |
Two kinds of events
What is decisive is whether the event says something about the situation as it already was at the balance sheet date, or ushers in a new situation (RJ 160.103; RJk A4.101). A court ruling on a claim from last year, the selling price of inventory that was already obsolete at the balance sheet date, the final price of a purchase from before the balance sheet date or the discovery of fraud say something about the balance sheet date. An acquisition, a fire, a changed tax rate or a new guarantee after the balance sheet date do not. A fall in share prices after the balance sheet date usually belongs to the second kind (RJ 160.207).
Three periods, three rules
In applying the accounting policies, prudence is exercised. Profits are recognised only insofar as they have been realised at the balance sheet date. Obligations that originate before the end of the financial year are taken into account if they became known before the annual accounts were prepared. Foreseeable obligations and possible losses that originate before the end of the financial year may be taken into account if they became known before the annual accounts were prepared.
| Period | Event says something about the balance sheet date | Event creates a new situation |
|---|---|---|
| a. Balance sheet date to preparation | Recognise in the figures and update the notes (RJ 160.201 and 160.402; RJk A4.103 and A4.111) | Do not recognise; disclose if the financial consequences are material (art. 2:380a DCC; RJ 160.404; RJk A4.112). Do recognise if the going concern assumption falls away |
| b. Preparation to adoption | Recognise insofar as indispensable for the insight (art. 2:362(6) DCC; RJ 160.202) | Do not recognise, unless the going concern assumption falls away and the annual accounts must be prepared on a liquidation basis (RJ 160.206) |
| c. After adoption | If the annual accounts fall seriously short: notice to shareholders and to the Business Register (RJ 160.203). Otherwise correction in the next annual accounts (RJ 150) | Belongs to the next financial year |
Events after the balance sheet date that are not included in the balance sheet or profit and loss account and that have material financial consequences for the legal entity and the companies included in its consolidated annual accounts taken together are disclosed, stating the size of those consequences.
The date of preparation therefore marks the boundary. That is why you state that date, with day, month and year, in the notes (RJ 160.401; RJk A4.110). A medium-sized or large entity also describes in the management report how such events affect expectations (art. 2:391(2) DCC; RJ 160.407).
Dividend and preferential dividend
A dividend that is declared only after the balance sheet date is not a liability at the balance sheet date. If you prepare the balance sheet before appropriation of the result, which the RJ recommends, the result appears as a separate item in equity and you mention the proposal in the notes. With a balance sheet after appropriation, the proposed dividend may be shown as a separate component of equity or under liabilities (RJ 160.208; RJk A4.108). More: dividend after the balance sheet date.
Preferential dividend prescribed by the articles of association is a liability at the balance sheet date, if there is then sufficient freely distributable equity; that applies with a balance sheet before and after appropriation. If the board of a BV has not approved the distribution, you state that. If there is too little distributable equity, a medium-sized or large entity mentions the overdue amount in the notes (RJ 160.209); for a small entity that is a choice (RJk A4.109, clarified from financial year 2026).
Case: five events at Bouwbedrijf Hendriks BV
Bouwbedrijf Hendriks BV (fictitious, medium-sized, equity € 4,2 million) has a financial year equal to the calendar year. The board prepares the 2026 annual accounts on 15 April 2027; the general meeting adopts them on 10 June 2027.
| Date | Event | Type and period | Consequence for the 2026 annual accounts |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20-02-2027 | The court orders Hendriks to pay € 85.000 in damages for a leak on a project from 2025. At the balance sheet date a provision of € 40.000 was held. | Says something about the balance sheet date; period a | Provision to € 85.000: € 45.000 extra expense in 2026 |
| 03-03-2027 | A batch of facing bricks for a project cancelled in November 2026, carrying amount € 120.000, is sold for € 95.000 after selling costs. | Says something about the balance sheet date; period a | Write down to € 95.000: € 25.000 expense in 2026 |
| 01-04-2027 | Hendriks buys a competitor for € 1,2 million, financed with a new loan of € 1,0 million. | New situation; period a | Do not recognise; in the notes the nature and financial consequences (art. 2:380a DCC) and in the management report the effect on expectations |
| 20-05-2027 | A supplier grants € 12.000 retroactive discount on 2026 purchases. | Says something about the balance sheet date; period b | Not indispensable for the insight with € 4,2 million equity: do not prepare again; the discount goes into 2027 |
| October 2027 | An internal project review shows that the margin on a 2026 project was recognised € 300.000 too high. | After adoption; period c | Correct as a material error in the 2027 annual accounts (RJ 150); if seriously short, also a notice under art. 2:362(6) DCC |
The 2026 result falls by € 70.000 before tax because of the first two events. The dividend proposal of € 250.000 from April 2027 is not a liability on 31 December 2026; Hendriks prepares the balance sheet before appropriation of the result.
What each class does
| Class | Recognise | Disclose and publish |
|---|---|---|
| Micro | Yes, events that say something about the balance sheet date (Section 6 applies to valuation) | No notes (art. 2:395a(6) DCC), unless the annual accounts would otherwise fall seriously short, such as when the going concern assumption falls away; from financial year 2026 that information is also filed (RJk M1.202 and M1.401) |
| Small | Yes (RJk A4.103) | Material new events in the notes (RJk A4.112) and the date of preparation (A4.110); in the filed notes the information of art. 2:380a drops out (art. 2:396(8) DCC) |
| Medium-sized | Yes (RJ 160) | Notes (RJ 160.404 to 160.406), date of preparation, management report; for an acquisition after the balance sheet date also the information from RJ 216 |
| Large | Yes (RJ 160) | As medium-sized |
Article 394 applies only to a balance sheet abridged in accordance with paragraph 3 and the notes. In the published notes, the information referred to in article 380a is omitted.
Common mistakes
- Reversing every loss after the balance sheet date into the old year, even if the cause arose only after the balance sheet date.
- Not stating a date of preparation, so that it is unclear up to when information was taken into account.
- Showing an ordinary dividend proposal as a liability with a balance sheet before appropriation of the result.
- As a small BV, filing the paragraph on events after the balance sheet date, although the law removes it from the public notes.
- For an event affecting the going concern assumption, only adding a paragraph without assessing whether a liquidation basis is needed; see RJ 170.
How it works in Jaarrekening.io
The Jaarrekening.io questionnaire asks about events of material importance after the end of the financial year, their nature and the financial consequences, with examples. For a small entity those details go into the notes of the prepared annual accounts, but not into the publication version. Whether an event changes the figures is for you to decide: the app does not process any entries for you.
Sources
- Art. 2:384 DCC: taking into account until preparation (para. 2) (wetten.overheid.nl, in Dutch)
- Art. 2:362 DCC: adoption and notice (para. 6) (wetten.overheid.nl, in Dutch)
- Art. 2:380a DCC: events after the balance sheet date in the notes (wetten.overheid.nl, in Dutch)
- Art. 2:396 DCC: small entity, publication without art. 2:380a (para. 8) (wetten.overheid.nl, in Dutch)
- RJ Publication 2025-3A: clarification of preferential dividend (RJ 160.209) (rjnet.nl, in Dutch)
- RJ Publication 2025-10: diagram of events after the balance sheet date in RJk A4 (rjnet.nl, in Dutch)
Frequently asked questions
Up to which date does an event after the balance sheet date count?
Until the annual accounts are prepared, you recognise everything that says something about the situation at the balance sheet date (art. 2:384(2) DCC). Between preparation and adoption you adjust only insofar as indispensable for the insight (art. 2:362(6) DCC). That is why you state the date of preparation in the notes.
Does a small BV have to disclose events after the balance sheet date?
In the prepared annual accounts, yes, if the consequences are material (art. 2:380a DCC, RJk A4.112). In the notes that the small BV files with the KVK, this information is left out (art. 2:396(8) DCC). A micro entity has no notes, except in exceptional situations such as loss of the going-concern assumption.
Is a dividend proposal after the balance sheet date a liability?
No. An ordinary dividend that is proposed or declared after the balance sheet date is not an obligation at the balance sheet date. With a balance sheet before appropriation of the result you mention the proposal in the notes; with a balance sheet after appropriation it may be shown as a separate component of equity or under liabilities. Preferential dividend under the articles of association is a liability if there is sufficient freely distributable equity at the balance sheet date (RJ 160.208 and 160.209).
What do I do if something comes to light after adoption?
If the adopted annual accounts fall seriously short in giving the required insight, the board must report that immediately to the shareholders and file a notice with the Business Register, with an auditor's report if there was an audit (art. 2:362(6) DCC). A material error that is less serious you correct in the next annual accounts under RJ 150.
Is a fall in share prices after the balance sheet date a reason to write down?
Normally not. A fall in prices after the balance sheet date usually reflects circumstances arising after that date and does not change the figures at the balance sheet date (RJ 160.207, RJk A4.107). If the fall is large, disclosure may be needed.
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