The 2021 tax season officially began on March 1 and 8.3 million people will have to file their tax return in the next two months. This year, the tax office is warning people to be extra careful, thanks to the impact of coronavirus. This year, millions of people will get a tax return which the tax office has already partly filled in. After all, details about your salary, childcare benefits and other regular payments are already in the... More >

Energy bills are likely to go down slightly this year, because of lower delivery charges and taxes. But what else can you do to make sure you are getting the best deal for electricity and gas? According to national statistics office CBS, after years of steady increases, energy bills will go down by around 3.8% this year. The change, the CBS says, is due to lower delivery charges and taxes. But that 3.8% alone is not going to pay for... More >

What can you expect when children in the Netherlands learn Dutch within a non-Dutch household? DutchNews.nl discovers that the triumphs mostly exceed the trials, but accepting difference is key. Derya Demirtas Nguon from Twente, whose mother tongue is Turkish, was finding it hard to understand what her two-year-old son was saying in Dutch. ‘I sent a video of him to my Dutch colleagues to help me to decipher,’ she told DutchNews.nl. ‘To my surprise, my colleague told me that my... More >

A round-up of the latest housing news, brought to you by Expat Mortgages. House price developments If you look at developments on the Dutch housing market last year, you might be forgiven for thinking that coronavirus did not exist. In all, prices rose by an average of 12% and they are expected to rise by a further 4% to 6% in 2021. The reason, says Expat Mortgages’ Henk Jansen, is the ‘incredible shortage of properties’. The current situation, says Henk,... More >

The Dutch have historically had the happiest children and teens in the industrialised world, according to repeated Unicef studies measuring their material well-being, life-satisfaction, health and safety, and academic and social skills. But as the Covid-19 pandemic exacerbates inequalities across the board, Dutch youth are also suffering, if not on the macro statistical level, then certainly as individuals. ‘I am really worried when I look at the numbers,’ says Loes Keijsers, professor of Clinical Child and Family Studies at Erasmus... More >

Worried about internet privacy, want to watch television programmes only broadcast in your home country or keep your company documents safe? You might want to consider using a VPN or ‘virtual private network’. One side effect of the coronavirus pandemic, which has confined more people to their homes, is growth in the use of VPNs, and it is now estimated that 30% of internet users worldwide will use one. Given that so many people are now working remotely, using a... More >

With freezing temperatures expected for at least the next week, ice fever is gripping the Netherlands and has the regional safety boards coming up with a set of rules for safe skating in the coronavirus era. Nothing, not even a global pandemic, can come between the Dutch and their skates. ‘You can’t work against it, skating is in our DNA,’ said Jurre Trouw, of the national skating union KNSB. ‘But we have to do it in a responsible way.’  So... More >

The global impact of the pandemic continues as more and more companies cut their workforce. Whether you have been offered voluntary departure or a settlement agreement, or you have been forced into redundancy in 2021, here’s what you need to know. Dismissal law Under Dutch law, a permanent employee’s contract can only be terminated with prior permission from the court/UWV. An employer must justify their request to the court by using one of the 9 legal grounds for dismissal. This... More >

Lots of people seem to think the current riots are something very un-Dutch. But nothing could be further from the truth. Amid the fireworks, water cannon and looting of the last couple of days, put your helmets on for a choice selection of street battles through the ages. Hatchet riots The Bijltjesoproer, or riot of the small hatchets, of 1787 was a result of political strife between supporters of the House of Orange and the Patriotten (patriots) who wanted democratic... More >

On Rachel’s Round-Up, Rachel Arts talks about her start-up life in the Netherlands, assimilating a new culture, celebrating her British-ness, and some life (and business) lessons along the way. Not long into my arrival in the Netherlands, I felt a gaping hole where certain elements of British culture used to be. The radio has long been part of my existence, BBC Radio, to be precise. Which channel would depend on who was in the car. My older children would switch... More >

Want to hide away and forget all about coronavirus? Or are you in need of something else to do during the curfew? Why not brush up on your Dutch culture instead, with DutchNews.nl’s very own inburgering course. Here’s a round up of the lessons so far. Lesson 1: An introduction to Dutch history Being the well organised folk that they are, the Dutch have drawn up a list of 50 key events and periods which shaped the country and made... More >

While we don’t really like to talk about death, it is important to talk about it, especially when it comes to the finances. Death is expensive, and people often find themselves faced with a big bill after a loved one passes away. Compared to many other countries dying in the Netherlands comes at a price. This is just one of the reasons why the majority of the Dutch population take out funeral insurance to cover the costs of their burial... More >

The unfortunate events of 2020 upended the plans The Hague-based producer Zachary Weckstein had in place for his film The Host. Here’s how he forged ahead. How does one distribute and promote a small-budget film in 2020? That’s the challenge The Hague-based producer Zachary Weckstein grappled with last year. His film The Host had begun screening in cinemas all across North America last winter as the Coronavirus was becoming a full-blown epidemic. The crisis upended his plans to expand the... More >

Share My Voice, a new initiative set up by a wide variety of Dutch organisations aims to give a voice to the international community in the Netherlands by finding out more about the issues that matter to them. It’s not unusual to read Dutch newspaper articles about rich expats pushing up property prices in Amsterdam, or eastern European fruit pickers annoying their neighbours in a Gelderland village. But what is the truth behind the headlines? Now a group of unions,... More >

A wide range of tax changes come into effect this month. Here’s a round up of the main changes likely to have an impact on international workers, compiled by tax specialists Blue Umbrella. Saving grace There will be some saver-friendly changes to ‘box 3’ next year, where your savings, assets and small investments are taxed. Currently, the asset tax kicks in if you have more than €30,846 in savings, or €61,692 together with a fiscal partner. But next year, the... More >

To reconnect with its community during lockdown, Zein International Childcare has been sharing the children’s New Year wishes online. After all, a child’s view of the world can offer comfort and perspective during difficult times, so we are sharing some of these funny messages of hope. It can be hard to escape the gloom of the pandemic and its effect on all our lives, but the fun and friendly atmosphere at Zein International Childcare’s seven locations in and around The... More >