What does filing the annual accounts with the KVK cost?

Short answer

The KVK charges no fee for filing. Preparation, any accountant work and the SBR software used can cost money, though.

Basis: art. 2:394 DCC

What costs does the KVK charge for filing?

You file digitally via the KVK portal Zelf Deponeren Jaarrekening or via suitable financial software with SBR, depending on your size class. See https://www.kvk.nl/deponeren/zelf-deponeren-jaarrekening/.

According to the KVK, filing the annual accounts itself is free, also via SBR. An authorisation or portal route may have other practical conditions, but do not pay an amount to an intermediary under the impression that it is a statutory KVK fee for filing. Check for your size class whether Zelf Deponeren Jaarrekening, SBR software or another permitted digital route fits. A small BV can often enter the data itself via the portal; a company subject to audit additionally needs an accountant and suitable digital documents.

Where do costs arise after all?

Costs arise mainly in preparing, checking and the tool used. The price of an accountant or software package differs per engagement; therefore ask for a quote with clearly described work.

The costs of preparation depend on the bookkeeping, the help chosen and the audit required. Think of reconciling bank and debtors, processing depreciation, writing the notes and preparing the publication version. An SBR package may require a licence; some routes require certificates. So do not only ask what 'filing' costs, but which services are in the price. Set two quotes side by side, for example: €300 for a preparation package and €900 for a compilation engagement are not directly comparable if the work differs.

How do you compare two routes on the same assumptions?

Incomplete bookkeeping can cause extra investigation work. Compare quotes on the same work, including corrections, publication version and any accountant's report.

Make a list of concrete deliverables: full annual accounts, publication version, any auditor's report, help with corrections and archive export. Calculate separately for a holding company and a subsidiary, unless the quote explicitly covers a group. Also ask who does the actual sending and who checks the receipt. A cheaper package without export option can cause extra manual work. Legal responsibility for correct and timely filing remains with the board, even when a service provider submits the file. Therefore keep the confirmation yourself and check the financial year in the register.

Calculation example for the total cost of a year-end close

Suppose you close the books yourself and submit via the KVK portal. The KVK charges €0 for the filing itself, but you spend time checking the trial balance, preparing notes and recording the shareholders' resolution. If you choose software priced at €200 for preparation and an adviser who charges €400 for review, your spend is €600 excluding any VAT. Those fictitious amounts are solely a calculation example and not any provider's rate. Always compare a quote on the same VAT basis and the same work.

For a medium-sized entity, a statutory audit is generally also needed; that engagement can be financially much larger than the technical sending. Ask whether the quote includes checking group figures, a second round of corrections and the digital accountant's report. With several BVs, the price may apply per legal entity or per financial year. Also have it recorded who checks the KVK processing and what happens in case of an error message from Digipoort. Without those agreements, an amount described as 'file annual accounts' says little about the actual division of tasks. The KVK exemption from filing fees does not remove these other costs.

How it works at Jaarrekening.io

Jaarrekening.io charges nothing for filing: the app sends nothing to the KVK; you file yourself or via your accountant, and at the KVK that is free. The app creates the publication version and the XBRL file. For preparation, the first annual accounts in your account are free; after that you pay once per financial year according to size class.

What the free first annual accounts include →

Sources

• KVK: costs and routes for filing
• KVK: filing yourself

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