Record spike in last-minute tax returns

A record 347 thousand people filed their 2019 income tax returns on the last day of tax season on Friday. According to the Tax and Customs Administration (Belastingdienst), the total number returns already filed this year stood at 9.3 million, most of which were filed digitally. This places the number of people who filed their tax returns last-minute at nearly 4 percent of the total.

Taxpayers in the Netherlands had between March 1 and May 1 to file their returns for 2019, provided they had not postponed their declaration. According to the Belastingdienst, while the situation around Covid-19 had little to no bearing how many people filed their taxes this season, it may have led to more people requesting the delay.

"Despite the exceptional circumstances surrounding Covid-19, the total number of declarations received is virtually comparable to last year (then: 9.5 million)," the tax office said. About three million opted for an extension, an increase of 11 percent from 2018 when 2.7 million needed more time to file.

"Due to the corona crisis, the public campaign was also adjusted to make people more aware of the possibility of applying for postponement," they added.