What do the annual accounts of a Dutch foundation (stichting) look like? An example with figures
A Dutch foundation (stichting) without a large enterprise prepares a balance sheet and a statement of income and expenses within six months after the financial year (art. 2:10 DCC). Below is a full example: income € 61.000, expenses € 51.000, balance € 10.000, balance sheet total € 66.000. Preparing them is mandatory; filing with the KVK usually is not.
The short answer
A Dutch foundation (stichting) without a large enterprise prepares a balance sheet and a statement of income and expenses within six months after the financial year (art. 2:10 DCC). Below is a full example: income € 61.000, expenses € 51.000, balance € 10.000, balance sheet total € 66.000. Preparing them is mandatory; filing with the KVK usually is not.
Updated 30 October 2026
What the law requires of an ordinary foundation
A foundation whose enterprises do not reach net turnover of at least € 7,5 million in two consecutive financial years (or which has no enterprise) falls outside Title 9. Only art. 2:10 DCC applies to it: the board keeps accounting records and, within six months after the financial year, prepares a balance sheet and a statement of income and expenses. The law does not prescribe a model. Anyone who wants to know which topics are worthwhile can fall back on RJ 640 for organisations without a profit motive or, for a small organisation, RJk C1 (C1.102 uses the same thresholds as for small entities: assets up to € 7,5 million, income up to € 15 million, fewer than 50 employees). A foundation that raises money from the public looks at RJ 650 or RJk C2.
If the foundation does fall under Title 9, it becomes an ordinary set of annual accounts by size class; read the threshold of article 2:360(3) for that. This example assumes a foundation far below that limit.
The foundation in the example
Stichting Buurtmoestuin Zuid (fictitious) runs a community garden with a greenhouse, a shed and a small hall. One paid project manager works there; volunteers help otherwise. The board has three members, there is no supervisory board. Financial year: calendar year 2025. The board prepares the documents before 30 June 2026.
Statement of income and expenses for 2025
| Line item | 2025 |
|---|---|
| Municipal grant | € 38.000 |
| Gifts and donations | € 12.500 |
| Hire of hall and shed | € 6.500 |
| Participants' contributions | € 4.000 |
| Total income | € 61.000 |
| Land rent | € 9.000 |
| Seeds, plants and materials | € 8.500 |
| Project manager's salary (incl. social security charges) | € 24.000 |
| Insurance | € 2.400 |
| Depreciation of greenhouse and tools | € 3.100 |
| Other management costs | € 4.000 |
| Total expenses | € 51.000 |
| Balance of income and expenses | € 10.000 |
Balance sheet at 31 December 2025
| Assets | 31-12-2025 | Equity and liabilities | 31-12-2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Greenhouse and tools (tangible fixed assets) | € 18.600 | Continuity reserve | € 30.000 |
| Grant receivable and other receivables | € 6.400 | Free reserve | € 14.600 |
| Bank and savings account | € 41.000 | Designated fund for children's project | € 8.000 |
| Accounts payable | € 3.900 | ||
| Participants' contributions received in advance | € 2.500 | ||
| Accrued expenses | € 7.000 | ||
| Total assets | € 66.000 | Total equity and liabilities | € 66.000 |
The arithmetic check: 18.600 + 6.400 + 41.000 = 66.000. Equity 30.000 + 14.600 + 8.000 = 52.600, liabilities 3.900 + 2.500 + 7.000 = 13.400, together 66.000. On 1 January the greenhouse and tools stood at € 21.700; without new purchases and after € 3.100 depreciation, € 18.600 remains.
What the reserves and the fund tell you
A foundation has no shareholder who receives profit. The result stays in the foundation and is allocated to a reserve or fund (under art. 2:285(3) DCC the purpose of the foundation may not be to make distributions to founders or members of its bodies, and to others only if they have an ideal or social purpose). That is why the balance sheet shows what the money is intended for:
- Continuity reserve € 30.000: a buffer so that the running costs can continue to be paid for a while. The board determines the amount and can explain it, for example as four months of fixed costs.
- Designated fund € 8.000: a donor has determined that the money goes to the children's project. The fund rose from € 4.000 to € 8.000, so € 4.000 of the balance went there.
- Free reserve € 14.600: the board may spend this on the purpose as it sees fit. At the start of 2025 it was € 8.600; the remainder of the balance, € 6.000, was added.
The balance of € 10.000 is allocated as follows: € 4.000 to the designated fund and € 6.000 to the free reserve. Equity started at € 42.600 (30.000 + 8.600 + 4.000) and ends at € 52.600.
A short explanation: what belongs in it
Because the law does not prescribe notes, the foundation keeps its explanation short and useful for those who read the figures: grantor, bank, supervisor. A useful explanation has four parts.
- Accounting policies: measured at purchase price less depreciation; greenhouse and tools depreciated on a straight-line basis over ten years.
- Origin of the income: what is grant, what is gift, what is own revenue. Grantors often ask for this separately.
- Allocation: how the designated fund works and how the reserves are built up.
- Events after the balance sheet date and a sentence on continuity: for example that the grant for 2026 has been awarded.
Common mistakes
- Recognising a promised grant for next year as income in this year.
- Putting money that a donor has tied to a purpose in the free reserve.
- Not reconciling the bank and savings balance with the statements on 31 December.
- Not allocating the balance: then the balance sheet does not balance or it is unclear what the money is for.
How it works at Jaarrekening.io
Jaarrekening.io only prepares the annual accounts of a foundation if it falls under article 2:360(3) DCC. A foundation below that limit has no annual accounts route in the app; the bookkeeping with VAT return is available. The first annual accounts in your account are free, for every size class. The app does not file anything with the KVK.
Sources
- Art. 2:10 DCC: accounting records and annual balance sheet and statement of income and expenses, text in force from 1 July 2026 (wetten.overheid.nl)
- Art. 2:300 DCC: annual accounts of the foundation under Title 9, text in force from 1 July 2026 (wetten.overheid.nl)
- Art. 2:360 DCC: scope of Title 9, text in force from 1 July 2026 (wetten.overheid.nl)
- KVK: Am I obliged to file my annual accounts?
- Raad voor de Jaarverslaggeving (Dutch Accounting Standards Board): guidelines (RJ 640, RJk C1 and C2)
Frequently asked questions
What is in the annual accounts of a foundation?
For an ordinary foundation at least a balance sheet and a statement of income and expenses, prepared within six months after the financial year (art. 2:10 DCC). These come with a short explanation of the accounting policies, the origin of the income and the reserves. Only if Title 9 applies is it a full set of annual accounts by size class, in which the foundation replaces the profit and loss account with an operating account (art. 2:361(2) DCC).
Is a designated fund the same as a designated reserve?
No. A designated fund arises when a third party, for example a donor, has tied the money to a purpose; the board cannot lift that. A designated reserve is set up by the board itself and the board can also dissolve it.
Does a foundation have to have its annual accounts audited?
The law does not require that of a foundation outside Title 9. A grantor, a bank or the articles of association may require an audit or a compilation report. If the foundation does fall under Title 9, the audit rules of art. 2:393 DCC apply by size class.
Who adopts the annual accounts of a foundation?
For a foundation under Title 9, the body designated by the articles, otherwise the supervisory body, otherwise the board (art. 2:300(3) DCC). Outside that, the articles decide.
Do I have to file the annual accounts of my foundation with the KVK?
Only if the foundation maintains a registered enterprise with net turnover of at least € 7,5 million in two consecutive financial years (art. 2:360(3) DCC). Below that you do not need to file anything. An ANBI status does bring a separate obligation to publish on the internet.
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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.
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