What must Dutch annual accounts comply with?
The law sets requirements for what Dutch annual accounts must show and for how they come about. Six substantive requirements and four formal steps.
The short answer
Dutch annual accounts must enable readers, under accepted standards, to form a sound judgement of equity and result (art. 2:362(1) DCC). They are faithful, clear and systematic, include income and expenses regardless of payment, do not net items that must be stated separately and show the previous year alongside. Formally: prepare within five months, sign, adopt, file.
Updated 30 October 2026
Key facts
| Key article | art. 2:362 DCC: view, faithful, clear and systematic, income and expenses, supplementing or departing, language and currency |
| Classification | art. 2:363 DCC: no netting, materiality, consistent classification, comparative figures |
| Formal | BV: prepare within 5 months, sign, adopt (art. 2:210 DCC); file within 8 days, no later than 12 months (art. 2:394 DCC) |
| The RJ | The law refers to 'standards that are regarded as acceptable in society'; the RJ is the most important elaboration of them |
Six substantive requirements
- Sound view. A reader must, on the basis of generally accepted standards, be able to form a sound judgement of equity and result and, as far as the annual accounts allow, of solvency and liquidity (art. 2:362(1) DCC). This is the overarching requirement; the rest is elaboration.
- Faithful, clear and systematic. The balance sheet and the profit and loss account, each with the notes, present the size of equity and the result in that way (art. 2:362(2) and (3) DCC). Systematic means: according to fixed accounting policies, year after year.
- Income and expenses by financial year. They are recognised regardless of whether they led to receipts or payments in that financial year (art. 2:362(5) DCC). An invoice for a service from December is an expense of December, even if you pay it in January.
- Supplement or depart if the view requires it. If that is necessary for the view, you give more information than the law prescribes, or depart from a provision and explain in the notes why (art. 2:362(4) DCC).
- No netting, materiality and consistency. Assets and liabilities or income and expenses that must be shown separately are not netted. Items of negligible importance do not have to be shown separately. The classification departs from the previous year only for sound reasons (art. 2:363(2) to (4) DCC).
- Comparative figures. For each item the amount of the preceding financial year is shown as far as possible; where necessary you adjust that amount for comparability and explain the difference (art. 2:363(5) DCC).
In addition there are rules on language and currency: the items are described in Dutch, unless the general meeting chooses another language, and under conditions the annual accounts may be in a foreign currency (art. 2:362(7) DCC). See annual accounts in dollars and annual accounts in English.
Four formal steps
For a BV: the board prepares the annual accounts within five months after the end of the financial year, with a possible extension of at most five months by the general meeting (art. 2:210(1) DCC). All directors and supervisory directors sign them (paragraph 2). The general meeting adopts them (paragraph 3). The BV then files them within eight days after adoption, and no later than twelve months after the end of the financial year (art. 2:394(1) and (3) DCC). Different time limits apply to a foundation, association or cooperative; see who has to file the annual accounts.
Signing is not a formality: if the signature of a director or supervisory director is missing, the reason must be stated. See who signs the annual accounts.
And the RJ?
The law prescribes a lot, but leaves a lot open. Where the law is silent, practice fills in with the Guidelines for annual reporting (Richtlijnen voor de jaarverslaggeving): the RJ for medium-sized and large entities, the RJk for micro and small. The RJ is not law. Anyone who departs from it must still give the view the law requires and justify a departure. See is the RJ mandatory. The models for the layout of the balance sheet and profit and loss account are also not in the law but in an order in council (art. 2:363(6) DCC).
Case: trading company De Linde BV
De Linde BV closes its financial year on 31 December 2025. In January 2026 it receives an invoice of € 12.100 (including € 2.100 VAT) for repair work carried out in November 2025. The director wants to book the invoice in 2026, 'because the payment is only then'.
- Income and expenses by financial year (art. 2:362(5) DCC): the work was carried out in 2025. The cost of € 10.000 (the VAT is deductible and does not count) belongs in 2025, with a liability of € 12.100 on the balance sheet at 31 December, against which stands a receivable of € 2.100 from the Dutch Tax Administration (input VAT).
- Comparative figures (art. 2:363(5) DCC): if the cost is in 2026 and not in 2025, 2025 and 2026 are not comparable. If 2025 has already been adopted and filed, the question is whether this is an error that must be corrected. See can I correct filed annual accounts.
- Sound view (art. 2:362(1) DCC): € 10.000 is material for a BV with an annual result of € 90.000; leaving out the cost makes the result too high.
The outcome: the invoice is booked in 2025. The annual accounts thereby comply with the core rule that income and expenses belong to the financial year in which they arise.
How it works at Jaarrekening.io
The app monitors the time limits for preparing, adopting and filing per legal form, checks that the balance sheet and trial balance balance and asks for the disclosures your size class needs. The judgement on measurement and on what the view requires stays with the board.
Sources
Frequently asked questions
What must annual accounts comply with?
Art. 2:362 DCC: they give a sound view of equity and result, faithfully, clearly and systematically, with the income and expenses of the financial year. In addition, the rules of art. 2:363 DCC on netting, materiality and comparative figures apply, as do the formal steps of preparing, signing, adopting and filing.
What does 'sound view' mean?
That a reader can form a sound judgement of equity and result from the annual accounts, and where possible of solvency and liquidity (art. 2:362(1) DCC). If a provision stands in the way of that view, you depart from it and explain this.
Do annual accounts have to be in Dutch?
In principle yes: the items are described in Dutch, but the general meeting can choose another language (art. 2:362(7) DCC). When filing, French, German or English annual accounts are permitted if no Dutch ones have been made (art. 2:394(1) DCC).
Is the RJ a statutory requirement?
No. The RJ is an elaboration of the acceptable standards to which the law refers. Anyone who departs from it must still give the view the law requires.
What are the formal requirements for a BV?
Preparation within five months (extendable by five), signing by all directors and supervisory directors, adoption by the general meeting (art. 2:210 DCC), and filing within eight days after adoption and no later than twelve months after the financial year (art. 2:394 DCC).
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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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