Netherlands crypto tax guide: How to report your transactions

In many places, crypto taxes focus on what you earn from selling or trading digital assets. But the Netherlands’ tax authority, the Belastingdienst, cares more about what you hold than what you sold. Aside from a few cases where crypto functions as income, these assets fall under wealth tax.

As a result, residents are taxed on the value of the crypto they hold, regardless of whether they traded during the year. In this Netherlands crypto tax guide, we’ll explore crypto tax policies to help you accurately calculate what you owe and stay compliant with the Belastingdienst.

Is crypto taxable in the Netherlands?

Cryptocurrency is taxable in the Netherlands, but it’s treated as a wealth asset that falls under Box 3 of the income tax return.

The Dutch government has proposed major reforms slated for 2028. In the meantime, the current transitional rules apply, where tax is based on deemed (assumed) returns rather than actual gains. The Belastingdienst assesses the total value of your assets, including crypto, as of January 1 each year, and applies a fixed deemed rate of return to calculate your taxable amount.

You can elect to report your actual returns instead of the deemed returns, but if you do, you lose the right to claim a tax-free allowance.

When and where do you pay crypto taxes?

The tax filing window opens March 1, with most returns due before May 1. You can file on the Belastingdienst portal. You should receive a tax assessment from Belastingdienst, after which you either pay or receive a refund.

Who collects crypto taxes?

The Belastingdienst is responsible for administering and enforcing all taxes in the nation. When you file taxes, you’ll send your income form to the Belastingdienst for processing, and they’ll calculate how much you owe.

How are crypto gains and losses taxed in the Netherlands?

There are no capital gains tax rates in the Netherlands. Instead, crypto is taxed under Box 3. Rather than reporting your crypto transactions throughout the year, you must declare the total value of your holdings on your annual income tax return. The Belastingdienst uses fixed percentages to calculate the deemed return on these holdings. ​Here is how the deemed return is calculated:

Start with the value of your savings and investments, including crypto holdings, as of January 1 at midnight. Next, subtract the tax-free allowance, which for the 2025 tax year is €57,684 for individuals and €115,368 for those filing with a tax partner.

Then you’ll take the remaining asset value, divide it into categories if applicable, and multiply by the relevant return rates. The 2025 deemed rates are:

• Bank balances: 1.37%
• Debts: 2.70%
• Investments and other assets (including crypto): 5.88%

Finally, add together the deemed returns from these categories, and multiply the total by the Box 3 tax rate of 36%.

For example, if your taxable crypto amount is €10,000 after applying the Box 3 allowance, the deemed return would be:

€10,000 × 5.88% = €588

The Box 3 tax would then be:

€588 × 36% = €211.68

Although the Belastingdienst defaults to the deemed returns method, you can elect to report your actual returns if they result in a lower tax bill. If you use this calculation, however, the tax-free allowance doesn’t apply.

For crypto, the actual return (werkelijk rendement) is generally calculated as:

Value on December 31 − value on January 1 − purchases during the year + sales during the year

For example, if your crypto was worth €15,000 on January 1 and €13,000 on December 31. During the year, you bought €5,000 of crypto and sold €4,000. Your actual return would be:

€13,000 − €15,000 − €5,000 + €4,000 = −€3,000

Because the result is negative, your actual return is treated as €0. You may still need to report your crypto holdings, but this actual-return calculation would not create taxable Box 3 income.

Can I report crypto losses?

You generally can’t deduct crypto losses in the Netherlands in the same way you might deduct capital losses in some other countries. Under the standard Box 3 method, the Belastingdienst mainly looks at the value of your crypto and other assets as of January 1.

However, under the actual return method, decreases in the value of crypto can count as negative returns and can offset positive returns from other Box 3 assets in the same year.

If your total actual Box 3 return is negative, the Belastingdienst sets it to €0, and the negative return cannot be carried forward to another year.

Is stolen or lost crypto deductible?

Losses from crypto scams or exchange bankruptcies are generally not separately deductible. However, they may affect your Box 3 position if they reduce the value of your crypto assets. Because these cases are fact-specific, it’s best to speak with a tax adviser or accountant before filing.

Which crypto transactions are taxable in the Netherlands?

For most private investors, the Netherlands does not tax each crypto transaction separately. Instead, crypto is taxed based on the portfolio’s value or changes in value, depending on the method used.

Holding crypto

Even if you stash your crypto away in cold storage and leave it untouched for years, you’ll have to pay taxes based on the presumed value of those holdings. Whatever your digital assets are worth on January 1 generally counts toward your taxable Box 3 total.

Buying and selling crypto

You won't owe tax directly on profits from crypto purchases or sales, but buying and selling crypto changes your total holdings, which can affect your Box 3 position.

Gifting crypto

Giving or receiving crypto can have two tax effects. First, the recipient may owe gift tax if the gift exceeds the annual gift tax exemption. For 2025, the general exemption is €2,690, while parents can give a child up to €6,713 tax-free. Second, if the recipient still owns the crypto on January 1, it may count toward their Box 3 assets.

Spending crypto

Like selling crypto, spending it doesn't trigger a direct tax. However, disposing of crypto reduces your total holdings, potentially lowering your Box 3 tax base.

What’s considered taxable income?

Some crypto activity can fall into Box 1, which covers income from work, business, or other earned income. You’ll report those earnings as taxable income in Box 1.

Staking, rewards, and referral bonuses

The Dutch tax treatment of staking rewards, airdrops, referral bonuses, and similar crypto rewards is not clear-cut. Box 1 taxation may apply if the rewards are connected to work, services, promotional activity, or business operations. Referral bonuses, for example, are more likely to look like income if you receive them for actively referring customers or promoting a platform.

Crypto mining

If you only mine cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin (BTC) or Dogecoin (DOGE) as a hobby, chances are they’ll be taxed as wealth assets under Box 3. However, if your mining revenue exceeds your costs, the Belastingdienst states that this may constitute income from other work or profit from a business, which must be declared in Box 1.

DeFi activity

Dutch tax rules around decentralized finance (DeFi) are less defined than for other crypto activities. But there’s a chance that crypto earned from activities like yield farming might be considered income, if they’re done professionally and/or at a large scale.

For example, if you trade crypto daily with AI trading bots or manage clients' digital assets, any DeFi yield you earn is likely to qualify as income under Box 1.

Since DeFi tax treatment in the Netherlands is still evolving, consulting a crypto tax professional is strongly recommended.

How is crypto income under Box 1 valued?

When reporting crypto income in the Netherlands, you need to know the fair market value (FMV) of each token in euros at the time you receive it.

What Netherlands tax rates apply to crypto income?

The Dutch government sets tiered income tax percentages that depend on your total yearly earnings. The 2025 rates are:

• 35.82% for annual income up to €38,441
• 37.48% for annual income between €38,441 and €76,817
• 49.50% for annual income of €76,817 and above

Are there any other taxes that apply to crypto?

Nearly all crypto activities will fall under Box 1 or Box 3 reporting. However, there may be a few cases where inheritance or gift taxes apply to crypto earnings, depending on the value of those transactions and your relationship to the person who gifted them.

Which crypto transactions are not taxable?

The following crypto activities are not taxable in the Netherlands:

• Buying or selling crypto with euros: Purchasing or selling crypto is not a taxable transaction in itself, but buying and selling crypto does affect the value of your holdings and how much tax you pay.
• Transferring between your wallets: Moving crypto between exchange accounts or self-custodial wallets is not a taxable event and does not change your tax position.
• Swapping one token for another: Trading one token for another does not immediately change the value of your holdings or your tax position.

How do I report and file my crypto taxes in the Netherlands?

Filing your crypto taxes in the Netherlands is manageable, especially with the free tools and services available.

What tax forms do I need to file?

Most private investors report the total value of their crypto holdings alongside other assets and savings in Box 3 of their annual income tax return (aangifte inkomstenbelasting). If any crypto activity qualifies as income rather than wealth (for example, profitable mining), that income is reported separately in Box 1.

How can I file?

You can file your income tax form in the Netherlands through a free Aangifte Inkomstenbelasting app for Android and iOS if your tax situation is straightforward. If you want to submit your actual return (werkelijk rendement) for Box 3, you'll need to file through the Mijn Belastingdienst portal instead, as the app does not support this option.

When is the tax filing deadline?

May 1 is the official deadline for filing the previous year’s taxes. However, you can request a filing extension from the Belastingdienst.

File crypto taxes simply and securely with CoinTracker

Reporting crypto under the Dutch tax system means pulling together several figures: your portfolio value on 1 January for Box 3, Box 1 income, and a breakdown of the change in value of your holdings to compare the actual return method against the deemed return method.

CoinTracker handles all of this in one place. It calculates your Box 1 income, your portfolio value for the deemed return method, and a full breakdown of changes in value for those who want to evaluate or submit an actual return.

​Take the stress out of crypto tax season. Create a free CoinTracker account and let our platform do the heavy lifting.

Disclaimer: This post is informational only and is not intended as tax advice. For tax advice, please consult a tax professional.