?When can I get my tax back?
You can claim your tax back after the end of the tax year. The Belgian tax year runs from January 1st until December 31st. You can claim your refund any time after that, but you can submit your documents early so that you’ll be one of the first to get your tax refund come the end of the tax year.
?I am married / have a partner. Can we file a joint Belgian tax return?
Yes. If you are married or in a ‘legally registered partnership’ you can file a joint tax return. Married or couples in a legally registered partnership are eligible for a higher tax-free allowance than individuals which means they may be able to claim more tax back.
In Belgium, registered partnership equivalent to marriage is called "legal cohabitation." A declaration of legal cohabitation can only be signed if the signatories are legally competent to conclude a contract, are not married and do not legally cohabit with another person. Registered partnership allows two people living in couples to register their union with the relevant authorities of their country of residence and is applicable for both heterosexual and homosexual couples.
Registered partnership abroad is equivalent to marriage in Belgium if it was registered in compliance with legislation in one of the following countries: Germany, Denmark, Finland, France, Iceland, Norway, UK or Sweden. In this case, it gives the same rights in immigration to both partners.
?How much money will we get back?
The amount of money you get back will depend on a couple of factors, such as:
We will take yourself and your spouse’s circumstances into consideration to make sure we get you the maximum legal tax refund possible. Our married or legally registered couple customers get an average tax refund of €2,300; how much could you get?
?How long does it take to receive a Belgian tax refund?
On average, it takes around nine months to get your tax refund – sometimes longer, sometimes shorter; the length of time depends on each individual case. Don’t worry though; as soon as we get your refund, you’ll get your refund. You can even keep an eye on how your refund’s progressing in your online account.
Here are the steps we have to go through;
?It seems like my tax refund is taking a long time. What’s going on?
Waiting is frustrating but occasionally delays may arise with the Belgian tax office. While your tax refund is outstanding, we’ll contact them frequently to get updates on the status. Any time we get news or an update from the Belgian tax office, we’ll pass it on to you immediately and add it to your Tax Tracker.
?How does Taxback.com work?
Simple; you register with us and we do everything!
?How do I know what's happening with my tax return?
?What are the advantages of using Taxback.com?
?How much will it cost?
It will cost you 12.5% of your total refund amount + handling fee (minimum €62.50). This handling fee enables us to provide you with all the services you love, such as;
?Oops - I lost my documents/ I never got my documents – what do I do?
Don’t worry about it. For a small fee, we can get them for you. Just email Belgium@taxback.com to let us know and we’ll track them down.
?What is a Loonfiche 281.10/Fiche de Remuneration 281.10?
This is the official form you get from your employer at the end of the tax year outlining your total pay and total tax withheld. You should get it by April of the following year – if you haven’t, let us know by emailing Belgium@taxback.com and we’ll track it down for you.
?I earned money outside of Belgium during the year – do I need to declare it?
Yes, the tax office will ask us for this information so you should let us know at the beginning of the process so we can include it on your tax return.
?Can I claim my Belgium tax refund myself?
You could, if you felt like wandering the internet for endless hours trying to figure out the tax code and find all the forms you need. That’s why taxback.com was created – to do all this for you. We’ve been doing this since 1996, so we’re really good at it!
?Can you guarantee that I'll get the refund amount you estimated for me?
No, we can’t, but our estimate is based on all the information you send us so it’s usually very close.
In the end, the Belgian tax office has the final say about the size of the refund you get.
?What's the difference between filing my tax return and getting my tax refund?
Filing your tax return means filing the document with the tax office that states your earnings, taxes paid, deductable expenses and allowances.
The tax office reviews this and if you have overpaid taxes, you will be due a tax refund.
A tax refund is money that is returned to you due to your overpayment of taxes, or you claiming tax deductable expenses.
Our estimate of your refund is a prediction of what the tax office may decide to refund you when they review your tax return.
