General Tax Information
What taxes to expect
Each year there are two taxes related to living in the Hague. There is one waste tax, which was €313 in 2022, and one water tax, which was €200 in 2022. In addition to this, in your first year at AvB you will also receive an unwaivable €30 water tax and a waivable €80 waste tax. Most people received their first taxes around the Winter holidays, although this can vary hugely per person. It can also happen that there are issues with delivering the tax invoice to your mailbox. If you want to check for tax invoices, you can also find them on mijnrbg.derbg.nl under aanslagen and on https://mijn.denhaag.nl/home/overzicht.htm under belastingszaken, for the water tax and waste taxes respectively.
Tax waivers in the Netherlands usually work on a reimbursement basis, meaning that you will have to pay for the tax, even if you you get the tax waived. You can apply a waiver if you have paid your taxes less than 3 months ago OR you have yet to pay your taxes. If you apply for a tax waiver before you have paid your tax, you will automatically receive an extension of the tax deadline, which will last until you receive a decision regarding your tax waiver. This will allow you to can pay the tax using the reimbursement money.
Privacy
The municipality will request a lot of information. Especially the bank account overview can be rather privacy sensitive. The reason they want this documentation is so they can assess your application and calculate your tax waiver. The municipality is obligated not to retain this information after “the proper execution of its task and in compliance with its legal obligations”.
For more information regarding the municipality's privacy policy, please click this button:
Water Tax Waiver
General information
At some point, usually around the Winter holidays, you will receive a letter from the Regionale Belasting Groep asking you to pay a water tax. This bill is divided in two. One part of the bill is for the wastewater treatment system and the due amount for it is approximately €80, if you live alone and in Den Haag for a year. However, this part of the bill cannot be waived. What can be waived is the second part of the bill which is the user charge for the water system. The due amount for it is of €119.67 if you live alone and in Den Haag for a year. In your first year at AvB you will most likely also receive another unwaivable €30 tax for the first AUG-DEC period.
Please note that since you can only apply for a tax waiver for the €119,37 part, that you will not get a tax deadline extension for the €80 part when you apply for a water tax waiver!
Applying for the tax waiver can take a long time, because it can take quite some time to gather all the required documents. Filling out the actual form should only take about 20 minutes.
You are more likely to be eligible for a tax waiver if:
Your income is at or below the income support level (‘bijstandsniveau’)
You do not have a savings account
To apply you will need:
A DigiD (You are supposed to be able to apply for the tax waiver without a DigiD, but there are significant technical issues in doing so)
A Dutch bank account
The tax invoice document. This is the document that you received in your mail inbox. (Alternatively you can find this invoice document on mijnrbg.derbg.nl under aanslagen)
For a waiver you will need the following documents:
A complete set of bank statements from the past three months of all your bank accounts (chequing and savings). This includes ALL bank accounts under your name, including foreign accounts. The overview of the bank and savings accounts from the last month can be more difficult to find depending on what bank you are using. Usually, you can find it on both the app and the website of your particular bank. Look for the headings documenten (documents) or zelfservice (self-service) or zelf regelen.
Your health insurance policy
Most recent proof of rent benefit and health benefit. You can find this proof on mijn.toeslagen.nl under mijn beschikkingen. The document is called voorblad. This should include at least two proofs of payment
The most recent rent specification meaning your rent contract and the breakdown of the service costs. This can be the most recent rental increase, or the housing/DUWO contract if you have just moved. You also need to send proof you paid your rent at least twice.
Send the most recent overview of your income (payroll). Do you have a fluctuating income? Then you have to send the overview of the last three months. If you live in a shared room, you also need to send the other persons documents concerning income.
If your parent(s)/caretaker(s) give you either a budget or you receive money for your study/student life from your parent(s)/caretaker(s), the financial transaction(s) of the last month. If the amount that you receive fluctuates, the financial transactions over the last three month will be required.
If you receive a student grant/student financing, the documentation thereof. This includes Scholarships and Student loans that you receive outside of the Netherlands.
The Statement of Registration for the current year. This will act as proof that you are enrolled at LUC. It is a document often called LEI_VVI, which you can find on USIS under communications and in the email that you received that confirmed your enrollment at LUC.
If you live with multiple people in your house, you will need most of these documents for all those living with you.
In order to start your procedure for an exemption you will have to ask for an exemption form. You can do that either by phone at
(+31)(0)88 291 11 99 or online.
Procedures
Step 1
To apply for a tax waiver for this type of tax, you will need to go to https://mijnrbg.derbg.nl/ and log in with your DigiD.
After you log in for the first time, the RBG will ask you whether you want to give them your phone number and email so they can send e-mails with updates regarding policies etc. To accept, select (1). To decline, select (2). Once selected, press (3) to continue.
Step 2
Click on Documenten uploaden
Step 3
Then click on the empty box (1). Select Upload van de door RBG gevraagde bijlagen voor kwijtschelding (2). Then click Uploaden documenten (3), and upload all the documents required for the application (see above).
Step 4
Next, press kwijtschelding.
Step 5
They will then ask if they have your permission to request the relevant information from the government. Pressing yes means that RBG will create the tax waiver application automatically. Pressing no means that you will have to apply manually, and that you will have to apply again next year. After you have made your decision, press Doorgeven toestemming. If you have clicked yes, you will receive a confirmation.
Waste Tax Waiver
You can apply for a tax waiver either before you have paid tax waiver, or within 3 months after you have paid the tax invoice. If apply for the tax waiver before you have paid the tax invoice you will get an extension of payment till you have received the response to your application.
The municipality tries to respond to your application within 13 weeks.
If your application for a tax waiver gets accepted, you will still have to pay the tax invoice. This is because the tax waiver will come in the form of a reimbursement, rather than a reduction of taxes. The amount of this compensation is based on several factors, including salary, rental increases, student financing, etc. As of 2022, this reimbursement will be 90%, 95% or 100% of the waste tax.
For more information regarding how the municipality determines your capacity to pay the tax, click here or go to https://www.denhaag.nl/en/taxes/exemption-from-municipal-taxes/capacity-to-pay.htm.
Applying for the tax waiver can take a long time, because it can take quite some time to gather all the required documents. Filling out the actual form should only take about 20 minutes.
You are more likely to be eligible for a tax waiver if:
Your income is at or below the income support level (‘bijstandsniveau’)
You do not have a savings account
To apply you will need:
A DigiD (You are supposed to be able to apply for the tax waiver without a DigiD, but there are significant technical issues in doing so)
A Dutch bank account
The tax invoice document. This is the document that you received in your mail inbox. (Alternatively you can find this invoice document on https://mijn.denhaag.nl/home/overview.htm under Municipal Taxes)
For a waiver you will need the following documents:
A complete set of bank statements from the past three months of all your bank accounts (chequing and savings). This includes ALL bank accounts under your name, including foreign accounts. The overview of the bank and savings accounts from the last month can be more difficult to find depending on what bank you are using. Usually, you can find it on both the app and the website of your particular bank. Look for the headings documenten (documents) or zelfservice (self-service) or zelf regelen
Your health insurance policy
Most recent proof of rent benefit and health benefit. You can find this proof on mijn.toeslagen.nl under Mijn beschikkingen. The document is called Voorblad. This should include at least two proofs of payment
The most recent rent specification meaning your rent contract and the breakdown of the service costs. This can be the most recent rental increase, or the housing/DUWO contract if you have just moved. You also need to send proof you paid your rent at least twice.
Send the most recent overview of your income (payroll). Do you have a fluctuating income? Then you have to send the overview of the last three months. If you live in a shared room, you also need to send the other persons documents concerning income.
If your parent(s)/caretaker(s) give you either a budget or you receive money for your study/student life from your parent(s)/caretaker(s), the financial transaction(s) of the last month. If the amount that you receive fluctuates, the financial transactions over the last three month will be required.
If you receive a student grant/student financing, the documentation thereof. This includes Scholarships and Student loans that you receive outside of the Netherlands.
The Statement of Registration for the current year. This will act as proof that you are enrolled at LUC. It is a document often called LEI_VVI, which you can find on USIS under communications and in the email that you received that confirmed your enrollment at LUC.
If you live with multiple people in your house, you will need most of these documents for all those living with you.
To avoid any technical ssues with the online application process, please get these documents ready BEFORE you start the application process.
Procedures
Step 1
Visit https://www.denhaag.nl/en/taxes/exemption-from-municipal-taxes/apply-for-a-tax-waiver.htm to start the application process.
Step 2
Log in with your DigiD, and click Volgende.
Step 3
You should then see a confirmation of your data. Click Volgende again if it is correct.
Step 4
Fill in your e-mail address in at (1), and your phone number at (2). If you do not have a Dutch phone number, fill in a fictitious phone number starting with 07. Because of a technical bug you are not able to fill in an international phone number here. You will be able to fill in your actual phone number later.
Step 5
If you get this error message, try putting in the international phone number, but without the country code. For example, instead of +420 123456789, 01 23456789.
Once done, click Volgende. You will once again see a confirmation of your data. Click Volgende if it is correct.
Step 6
Then you will get to a page that looks like this. The question asked is whether or not you are filling this application in for yourself. Click Ja and Volgende.
Step 7
You will then see the question Biljetnummer 1*. You can find this number on your tax invoice document. (See the encircled number on the example tax invoice on page 1)
Fill this number in at (1). Fill it in without the dots. If you are applying for multiple municipality taxwaivers at the same time, click (2) to add another Biljetnummer form. Once done Do NOT click Verwijderen. This is Dutch for remove. Click Volgende.
Step 8
Click Huurwoning (rental house). Click Volgende.
Step 9
For the question Heeft u inwonende kinderen jonger dan 18 jaar? (Do you have children that live with you and are younger than 18?), assuming this is NOT the case, fill in Nee.
Click Ja for Bent u student? (Are you a student?)
For Bent u zelfstandig ondernemer? (Are you self-employed?), assuming this is NOT the case, fill in Nee.
Click Volgende.
Step 10
Fill in the number of co-inhabitants other than you that are older than 18 years. For AVB students this is 0. Click Volgende.
Step 11
You will then come to a page where you will have to fill in your monthly income revenues.
At (1) fill in your net salary.
At (2) fill in the amount you get from study financing. This is not only Dutch student financing, usually from DUO. Money from parents/caretakers and scholarships also count as study financing here.
At (3) fill in your pension.
At (4) fill in 0, assuming you do not receive spousal alimony. partneralimentatie is Dutch for spousal alimony.
At (5) fill in income tax. If you have one job, you will usually not have income tax. If you have multiple jobs, you will have to pay income tax. Check this with your employer.
Step 12
At (6) fill in how much healthcare allowance you receive. You can find how much it is on mijn.toeslagen.nl
At (7) fill in how much rent benefit you receive. For AVB students who have applied for and received rent benefit this will be 193 euros. If you are not an AVB student, you can find the amount on mijn.toeslagen.nl
At (8) fill in how much woonkostentoeslag you receive. If you receive rent benefit, you will not be able to receive woonkostentoeslag. Most third-years will not be able to apply for woonkostentoeslag either, since you are required to have lived in the particular house for at least one year. To see if you are able to apply for woonkostentoeslag, click here.
Click Volgende.
Step 13
You will then get a page where you have to indicate your spendings.
At (1) fill in how much rent you have to pay. For students studying at AVB, this is €588 in 2021-2022, and €619 in 2022-2023.
At (2) fill in 0 assuming you do not have to pay spousal alimony. This is the amount you have to pay in spousal alimony.
At (3) fill in 0 assuming you do not have to pay child alimony. This is the amount you have to pay in child alimony.
At (4) fill in how much you pay in healthcare premium monthly. This is not your deductible nor your deposit.
Click Volgende
Step 14
Next, fill in how many motorized vehicles you own. Click Volgende.
Step 15
Next, at (1) fill in your IBAN for your bank account(s). If you have multiple bank accounts, click (3) to add more bank accounts.
At (2), fill in how much money you have on the IBAN you filled in at (1).
Click Volgende
Step 16
Next, the municipality will ask whether or not you have any outstanding debts with the Dutch Tax Authorities (Tax Debts). Once answered, click Volgende.
Step 17
Next, there will be a bit of space for putting extra information. If you have an international phone number, this is the place where you explain that you were not able to fill in your actual international phone number, followed by your actual phone number. You can also elaborate here on your financial situation. For example: I am a international student from France. My parents send me 200 euros a month for living costs, and they pay for my rent directly.
Step 18
Next, the municipality will ask for your permission in automatically resubmitting your application next year. If you agree to this, they will have the right to check all the previous information again. After you have answered, click Volgende.
Step 19
Next, scroll down all the way, and click Ik stuur de bijlagen nu digitaal mee. (I will send the attached documents digitally). Click Volgende.
Step 20
Next, click Choose files and upload the documents that are specified on page 2. Click Volgende when this is done. You will get a confirmation page. Click Volgende yet again.
Step 21
Lastly, you will get a summary of all your information. Scroll all the way down. Press Akkoord, if you have filled in the application truthfully. Then press Volgende to finish your application. You have finished your application. If you want to save your application on your device, press Formulier opslaan(Klik Hier).