Do I need an accountant?
Short answer
An accountant is not mandatory. With a simple sole proprietorship, you can do your bookkeeping and tax returns yourself. An accountant pays off if your time is expensive, if you have a BV, staff or international customers, or if you want to be sure you use every deduction and make no mistakes.
Updated on · Reviewed by the tax advisers at Boekhoudvriend
The question is mainly what your time is worth and how much risk you want to take. A mistake in your VAT or income tax can easily cost more than a year of bookkeeping.
Doing it yourself works if
- You have a sole proprietorship with few transactions
- Your customers are in the Netherlands and you use one VAT rate
- You have the time and inclination to keep up with the rules
An accountant pays off if
- You have a BV or holding company
- You have or are about to hire staff
- You sell internationally or work with reverse-charge VAT
- You want a mortgage or want to grow into a BV
- You would rather run your business than do admin
Sources
This answer is general information, not personal advice. Your own situation may work out differently, so feel free to ask our team.