How to reimburse transportation costs when filing a declaration (reisaftrek)?
07.08.2019In the Netherlands, it is customary to compensate employees for travel to and from work, but this is not the employer's responsibility. If you are not reimbursed for travel, this does not mean that you will have to travel to work solely at your own expense! There is a transport deduction (reisaftrek) that will allow you to offset part of your travel costs when filing your tax return.
Reisaftrek is deducted from the tax base, reducing the amount on which taxes are calculated. You will not save the entire amount of the deduction, but only the taxes charged on it.
Conditions for receiving reisaftrek:
- You pay travel expenses from your own funds.
- The distance to work by public transport exceeds 10 km.
- You commute to work regularly (at least 40 days a year).
- Travel to and from work occurs within 24 hours.
- You have documents confirming your travel.
You can confirm the fact of travel expenses with a public transport statement (openbaarvervoerverklaring) or a travel statement (reisverklaring).
Many transport companies already independently transmit information about trips to the tax office: find out on your carrier’s website whether they do this. If yes, then you do not need a separate document - you need a monthly or annual pass issued in your name. If the carrier does not transmit information to the tax office, you need to obtain a statement from him.
If you use an OV chip card in your name or purchase single travel tickets, you must contact your employer to obtain reisverklaring. In this case, single tickets must be kept and presented.
What is the amount of the transport deduction?
The maximum reisaftrek amount for 2024 is 2578 euros, for 2023 - 2354 euros. The actual amount of the deduction depends on the cost of travel and the number of trips.
Various types of legal deductions and discounts significantly reduce the tax burden for Dutch residents. The main thing is to take everything into account correctly! In order not to make a mistake, it is better order filing a declaration from specialists.
