Tax return 2026: 10 tips to get more tax back

Tip 1: Mortgage interest deduction — including closing costs

Mortgage interest is often the biggest deduction for homeowners. But many people forget that the closing costs of the mortgage are also deductible in the year of purchase: notary fees for the mortgage deed, valuation costs, advice and brokerage fees and the NHG guarantee premium.

What it yields: With a mortgage of €280,000 and 4.2% interest, the annual interest deduction is around €11,760. After deducting the imputed rental value (0.35% of the WOZ value), this provides a tax benefit of around €3,900 per year at an income in the first bracket (36.93%).

Read more about mortgage interest deduction →

Tip 2: Healthcare costs you didn't know about

The healthcare costs deduction is one of the most underestimated deductions. In addition to doctor's costs, the following are also deductible:

• Transport to the hospital or specialist (€0.23 per km)
• Diet costs based on a doctor's statement (fixed amounts per diet)
• Costs for hearing aids, wheelchairs and other medical aids
• Costs for home nursing or informal care support
• Extra clothing and bedding due to illness (fixed amounts)

A threshold applies: only the amount above the threshold is deductible. But for seniors and the chronically ill, multiplication factors apply that significantly increase the deduction.

Read more about deducting healthcare costs →

Tip 3: Donations to charities (ANBI)

Do you donate to charities, churches or cultural institutions? Then you can deduct that — also retroactively for earlier years. A periodic donation (committed for 5 years) is extra beneficial: no threshold, everything deductible.

Tip: Did you make several small donations? Add them up — together they may exceed the threshold.

Read more about deducting donations →

Tip 4: Costs for the maintenance of children

Do you have children who are (partly) financially dependent on you and are younger than 30? Then under certain conditions you can deduct the maintenance costs. This applies particularly if your child is studying and has too little income themselves. Fixed amounts per quarter apply depending on the child's age and the degree of dependency.

Tip 5: Commuting costs (public transport)

Do you travel to work by public transport? Then you can deduct part of the public transport costs — but only if your employer doesn't already reimburse you for it. The deduction applies to the costs of season tickets or single tickets for the home-work journey. Car travel is not deductible in box 1 for commuting.

Tip 6: Alimony to your ex-partner

Do you pay alimony to your ex-partner? That alimony is fully deductible from your taxable income. This applies to partner alimony — not to child alimony. Child alimony is neither deductible nor taxable.

Do you receive partner alimony? Then you have to declare it as income. Do you pay it? Then you can deduct it. Make sure to keep the exact amounts from your bank statements.

Tip 7: Costs for an accredited training

Study costs were deductible until 2021 via the personal deduction. Since then there has been the STAP budget (Stimulering Arbeidsmarktpositie). However, as of 2024 the STAP budget has been abolished. In some cases you can still claim study costs as business costs (as self-employed). Not sure? We'll look at your situation.

Tip 8: Deduction for specific healthcare costs for seniors

Seniors with healthcare costs are entitled to an extra deduction via multiplication factors. If your income is below approximately €35,375, your healthcare costs above the threshold are multiplied by 2.13. This means that for every €100 in deductible healthcare costs, you can deduct €213. A huge benefit that many seniors don't know about.

Tip 9: Tax credits check

Tax credits reduce your tax directly — they are not deductions from your income but credits on the tax owed. Check whether you are entitled to:

• General tax credit — for everyone, but phases out at higher incomes
• Labour tax credit — for people with income from work
• Elderly tax credit — for people of AOW age
• Single person elderly tax credit — for single AOW recipients
• Income-dependent combination credit — for working single parents

Do you have a tax partner with little or no income? Then the tax credit of your partner can be partly paid out to you via the payment of the tax credit to the lowest-earning partner (note: this is being phased out).

Tip 10: Settling losses from an earlier year

Did you have a loss in box 1 in an earlier year (e.g. as self-employed or a loss on the owner-occupied home)? You can offset this loss against positive income in later years. Check your old assessments to see if there are still losses to be settled — that can still give you hundreds of euros.

Have your tax return checked

Not sure if you've included all deductions? We check your tax return thoroughly — from mortgage interest deduction to healthcare costs, donations and tax credits. We help residents of the entire municipality of Zaanstad, also at home.