Cross-border · Pensions · Financial planning
An independent financial advisory practice in development. As I progress through my Wft and AFM licensing — required under Dutch law to provide regulated financial advice — I publish fortnightly articles on cross-border pensions, tax and financial planning for expats in the Netherlands.
"I am building an independent financial advisory practice for expats in the Netherlands. Read the articles to get a sense of how I think about cross-border financial planning."
Nieuwe Delft canal, Delft
Photo: Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA
Fortnightly writing
I publish an article every two weeks on cross-border financial topics for expats in the Netherlands — pensions, tax, inheritance, investments and more.
The deemed return system, how savings and investments are taxed differently, the 2028 regime change, what the tegenbewijsregeling means if your actual return was lower, and how the end of the 30% ruling partial exemption affects your worldwide assets.
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Topics coming up include Dutch inheritance tax, the Irish state pension, AOW gaps for expats, the Wet Hillen mortgage relief phase-out, the Dutch pension reform, and more.
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Published April 2026 · 6 min read
If you keep savings or investments in the Netherlands, you pay tax on them every year — even if your actual return was lower. This is Box 3, the Dutch wealth tax system, and it works very differently from what most expats are used to.
The Dutch tax authority does not tax your actual investment returns. Instead, it uses a "deemed return" — a fixed assumed percentage applied to your wealth — and taxes that. The deemed return differs depending on what you hold. In 2026, the rate for investments and other assets is fixed at 6%. The rate for savings (bank deposits) is set at approximately 1.28% for 2026, though this is still a preliminary figure — the definitive savings rate is only confirmed in early 2027 once actual market rates for the full year are known. Both are taxed at 36%.
For context, in 2025 the investments rate was 5.88% and the savings rate was 1.44%. The investments rate has therefore risen slightly for 2026, while the savings rate has fallen slightly.
So if you hold €100,000 in an investment portfolio above the tax-free threshold, the tax authority assumes you earned €6,000 from it and charges 36% of that — €2,160 — regardless of whether your portfolio actually went up, down or sideways.
There is a tax-free threshold of €59,357 per person in 2026 (€118,714 for couples with a fiscal partner). Assets below this threshold are not subject to Box 3 tax at all. This is called the heffingsvrij vermogen. Note that this threshold applies to your total Box 3 wealth — across all accounts and asset types combined, not per account.
Since July 2025, there is a formal route to pay less. The tegenbewijsregeling (counter-evidence rule) allows you to declare your actual return to the Belastingdienst if it was lower than the deemed return. If your investments lost value, or your savings barely earned any interest, you can submit evidence and be taxed on what you actually earned instead. This applies to tax years 2017 through 2027. It requires careful record-keeping — interest received, dividends, capital gains and losses, unrealised changes in value — but for anyone who had a poor investment year, it can make a meaningful difference.
Until January 2025, expats with the 30% ruling could elect partial non-resident status, which meant only Dutch assets were included in Box 3. That option was abolished from January 2025. If you started your 30% ruling before January 2024, you now need to declare your worldwide Box 3 assets — including UK ISAs, foreign savings accounts, and overseas investment portfolios.
A UK ISA has no special status in the Netherlands. It falls within Box 3 and is taxed like any other investment account.
The current deemed return system is being replaced from 1 January 2028 with a tax on actual returns, including unrealised gains, at 36%. This has been approved by the Lower House and is pending Senate approval. It represents a significant structural change — particularly for property holders and long-term investors where unrealised gains will now be included — and is worth planning for ahead of the transition.
For many expats, Box 3 is an unwelcome surprise — particularly those arriving from countries where savings and investments are only taxed when they actually generate income. Understanding how Box 3 applies to your Dutch and foreign assets, and how the 30% ruling change affects you, is an important part of financial planning in the Netherlands.
The savings rate for 2026 is preliminary and will be confirmed definitively in early 2027. Always verify current figures against belastingdienst.nl before making financial decisions.
What I do
My advisory practice is in development, subject to completion of the required Wft qualifications and AFM registration under Dutch financial services law. The services below reflect what I will offer.
UK defined benefit and defined contribution pensions, Irish PRSI entitlements, Dutch AOW and occupational pensions — understood together, not in isolation.
Independent investment advice accounting for Dutch Box 3 taxation, UK ISA treatment in the Netherlands, and building a portfolio that is efficient across jurisdictions.
A full picture of your finances — assets, pensions, tax position, family situation and goals — with a clear plan that works across Dutch, UK and Irish rules.
Ongoing advisory relationship. Your financial situation reviewed annually, questions answered as they arise, and proactive advice when rules change — as they often do for expats.
I do not accept commission from product providers. I have no financial incentive to recommend any particular product, platform or pension transfer.
Who I am
I am an Irish actuary with over 20 years of experience in pensions, insurance and investments. I have lived and worked in the Netherlands for 10 years. That combination — deep technical expertise in pensions and investments, and genuine first-hand experience of expat financial life in the Netherlands — is what makes this practice different.
I hold a BSc in Financial Mathematics from University College Cork and am a Fellow of the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries (FIA). Wft qualification and AFM registration — required under Dutch financial services law to provide regulated advice — are part of my planned pathway to launching this practice.
After years working in the financial sector, I saw a consistent gap. Expats in the Netherlands often face genuinely complex financial situations — pensions from multiple countries, cross-border inheritance questions, Dutch tax rules that interact in unexpected ways with foreign assets. Finding clear, independent advice that addresses the full picture can be difficult.
I am passionate about helping individuals understand and take control of their financial situation, so they can feel genuinely secure about their financial future. Independent, cross-border, technically rigorous — that is what this practice is built to provide.
Gougane Barra, County Cork, Ireland
Photo: Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA
Get started
The first step is a free 30-minute introduction call. No obligation, no sales pitch — just an honest conversation about your situation and whether I can help.
The introduction call is a chance for us to get to know each other. I will ask about your background, your financial situation in broad terms, and what questions are on your mind. You can ask me anything.
Get in touch
I am not currently registered with the AFM to provide regulated financial advice. Any conversation at this stage is purely informal — an opportunity to understand your situation and point you in the right direction, not to provide advice.
If you'd like to get in touch, I'm happy to have an informal conversation about your situation — to understand what you're dealing with, point you towards the right kind of adviser for your needs now, and stay in touch as the practice develops. This is not financial advice and does not constitute a client relationship.
Questions and early enquiries are welcome via the form below.