Is the CIT return included in the price of the annual accounts?

The short answer

Not automatically. Annual accounts, the corporate income tax (Vpb) return and filing are separate jobs. Have the quote state what is included.

Legal basis: art. 2:362 and 2:394 DCC; engagement terms

What does the quote for annual work cover?

A price for 'annual work' can cover several services, but that does not follow from the words annual accounts. Ask whether the corporate income tax return, publication documents and submission are charged separately. Also check whether the quote covers your whole structure or only one BV. Only then compare the total prices.

The annual accounts describe equity and result under the applicable reporting framework. The corporate income tax (Vpb) return translates the tax position into the data the Dutch Tax Administration (Belastingdienst) asks for. Even when many figures match, tax adjustments or loss relief can require additional work. Art. 2:362 DCC concerns the view given by the annual accounts; the tax return has its own basis and procedure. Therefore have it described explicitly who prepares the tax calculation, who reviews the return and who actually files it. A tax charge calculated in the report is no proof that the return has been sent.

Which additional services do you ask about?

Also ask about the conditions behind the price. Does the firm assume clean records, completed payroll entries and a reconciled VAT position? Are correction rounds and a discussion included? A quote may state a fixed amount for normal circumstances and treat extra work separately. That need not be unreasonable, but it must be clear in advance. Report special items immediately: participations, foreign activities, a fiscal unity, loans to the director-major shareholder (DGA) or a non-calendar financial year. A low price for a simple file is not without more comparable to a quote that already covers such work.

Put amounts on the same basis, for example all amounts excl. VAT, and ask whether software or portal use is invoiced separately. Also note work outside the reporting year, such as adjusting a provisional assessment or answering questions after filing. Ask how extra work is announced and approved. You can make a simple comparison with columns for preparation, tax return, publication, discussion and support. Fill in only confirmed items. Avoid a price comparison based on assumptions about what another provider will probably do. It is precisely missing items that cause surprises afterwards.

How do you compare amounts excl. VAT?

Keep the engagement confirmation and link each service to a deliverable. For the annual accounts that is the final report; for the return a copy with its submission status; for filing the receipt. The entrepreneur or the board remains involved in checking and approving the information supplied. If the return is not in the quote, you can have it done separately, but make sure it connects well to the annual accounts file. That way you do not unknowingly pay twice for the same preparation, and you do not discover too late that nobody has taken on the tax filing.

Sources

• Dutch Tax Administration: provisional corporate income tax assessment
• KVK: final deadline for filing annual accounts

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