Crypto in Box 3: A Worked Example for a Dutch Holder

Box 3 is easier to follow with numbers in front of you than with theory alone. This page walks through the arithmetic for a hypothetical Dutch private holder: the 1 January reference date, how a value for that day might be documented, and how the deemed-return maths fits together. It is an add-on to our guide to Dutch crypto tax and Box 3, which explains the system itself — read that first if Box 3 is new to you.

To be clear from the start: this is general information, not tax, legal or investment advice. It is not a step-by-step guide to filling in your tax return. Crypto-assets are highly volatile and largely unprotected; you can lose some or all of the money you put in. A Box 3 tax liability is based on the 1 January value and can arise even if your holdings later fall in value. Your own situation will differ, and the tax authority or a qualified tax adviser is the right source for your return.

First: this is a hypothetical

Every euro amount on this page is illustrative. The holders are invented, their holdings are invented round numbers, and nothing here is a calculation of anyone’s real tax.

The official parameters — the tax-free allowance, the deemed-return percentages and the Box 3 tax rate — are set by law and change from year to year. This page is a worked example for tax year 2026 (reference date 1 January 2026). Figures below are from the tax authority’s pages checked on 12 November 2026: tax-free allowance €59,357 per person for 2026 without a tax partner (the tax authority: with a tax partner €118,714 together); deemed return on other assets / investments and other assets 6.00% (the Box 3 calculation page states this percentage “is already set” and lists crypto in that category); Box 3 tax rate 36% on the calculated return. The provisional-assessment page also labels the deemed-return percentages as provisional in one sentence — we follow the dedicated Box 3 calculation page for treating 6.00% as already set, while bank/debt percentages remain provisional and are unused here. Figures for later years can differ. Our Box 3 guide covers the system in more detail.

The point of the example is the method: which numbers go where and in what order. Once you see the steps, you can follow the official explanation more easily.

Reminder: the reference date is 1 January

For many private holders, crypto falls in Box 3 as “other assets”. As our Box 3 guide explains, the deemed-return system looks at what you held on 1 January of the tax year — the reference date — rather than at each individual sale.

In plain terms: the snapshot is taken on one day. If your coins doubled in March or halved in October, that does not change the 1 January value for that year’s Box 3 calculation. The next year’s snapshot will pick up where things stand on the following 1 January.

The deemed-return method described here is the current, transitional approach; the government has announced changes for later years, which our Box 3 guide tracks. That is also why the 1 January value is worth documenting at the time. A statement or export from that date is much easier to keep than to reconstruct a year later. We come back to that habit below.

There are situations where crypto is not treated as Box 3 at all, and there is a separate scheme for people whose actual return was lower than the deemed return. Both are covered at a high level in our Box 3 guide; this page deliberately does not go into them.

Worked example A: a single holder with crypto only

Assumptions (all hypothetical)

Meet Sanne, an invented holder. Everything about her is made up to keep the maths clean:

• She has no tax partner.
• She has no other Box 3 assets or debts worth counting — no savings above trivial amounts, no shares, no second home, no Box 3 debts. Real people rarely look this tidy.
• On 1 January of the tax year, her crypto is worth €150,000 (hypothetical, rounded).
• She is a private holder, not a business, and her crypto is not payment for work.
• The tax year illustrated here is 2026 (reference date 1 January 2026); the official parameters used below are the tax authority’s figures checked on 12 November 2026.

Walking the arithmetic in plain English

The deemed-return system does not ask what Sanne actually earned. It assumes a return on each category of assets, and then taxes part of that assumed return. In this simplified sketch with only one asset category, it runs in five steps:

1. Deemed return. Multiply the 1 January value by the deemed-return percentage for other assets. €150,000 × 6.00% = €9,000 assumed return on her crypto for the year.
2. Base. With no savings or debts, her base is simply her assets: €150,000 (hypothetical).
3. Base above the allowance. Subtract the tax-free allowance for a single person. €150,000 − €59,357 = €90,643 above the allowance.
4. Her share of the deemed return. The system taxes the deemed return only in proportion to the part of the base above the allowance. Deemed return × (base above the allowance ÷ total base) = taxable deemed income.
5. Tax. Multiply that taxable deemed income by the Box 3 rate.

Worked example — arithmetic check:

1. Deemed return: €150,000 × 6.00% = €9,000
2. Base: €150,000 (crypto only)
3. Above allowance: €150,000 − €59,357 = €90,643
4. Taxable deemed income: €9,000 × (€90,643 ÷ €150,000) = €5,438.58
5. Tax: €5,438.58 × 36% = €1,957.89, rounded in this sketch to about €1,958 of Box 3 income tax, before any tax credits and ignoring the rest of the holder’s income-tax position

That ~€1,958 figure is only this worked example for the invented Sanne inputs above — not anyone’s real assessment.

What drives the result is the 1 January value, the allowance, the deemed-return percentage and the rate. Change any one of them and the outcome moves. What is absent matters too: Sanne’s actual gains or losses during the year play no part in this sketch. That is the core feature — and the core criticism — of the deemed-return approach, which our Box 3 guide discusses.

If Sanne had a tax partner, savings, shares or debts, the calculation would have more lines: each category can have its own deemed percentage, debts can reduce the base subject to a threshold, and partners can allocate the base between them. That is exactly the point where a worked example stops being a substitute for the official explanation or a qualified adviser.

If your numbers differ, the result differs. This is not your assessment. This is a hypothetical sketch with 2026 parameters as published by the tax authority (checked 12 November 2026) and invented holdings. Your actual Box 3 position depends on your full situation and on the rules and figures the tax authority publishes for that year.

Worked example B: below the allowance

Now take Daan, another invented holder. Same simplifying assumptions as Sanne — no partner, no other Box 3 assets or debts — but on 1 January his crypto is worth €30,000 (hypothetical, rounded).

Run the same steps. Because €30,000 is below the 2026 single-person allowance of €59,357, step 3 gives zero: there is no part of his base above the allowance, so in this sketch there is no taxable deemed income and no Box 3 tax. (Always re-check the current allowance on the tax authority’s website or in our Box 3 guide.)

One caution. “Below the allowance in an example” is not the same as “you never have to report anything”. Whether and how assets need to be stated depends on whether you file a return, what that return asks, and the rules for that year. The return may ask about assets even when no Box 3 tax results. Check current tax authority guidance rather than assuming a zero in a sketch means silence on the form.

Valuation: what “value on 1 January” can mean in practice

The examples above take the 1 January value as given. In real life, someone has to arrive at that number, and crypto does not come with a single official price. Common situations:

• On an exchange or broker. Many platforms show a portfolio value or can produce a statement or export for a given date. Saving that statement (or a dated screenshot) around 1 January is a simple evidence habit.
• In self-custody. A hardware or software wallet has no statement. People often note the holdings per address and apply a market price from a reputable public source for that date, recording which source and which time they used.
• Across several venues. Prices for the same coin can differ slightly between platforms and between hours of the day. Consistency helps: using the same approach each year, and writing down what you did, makes your figures easier to explain later.

We are describing habits for keeping evidence, not a prescribed method. We are not aware of a single price source mandated by the tax authority for crypto, and we do not suggest one. The underlying idea is a fair market value on that date; if you are unsure how to value something unusual — an illiquid token, a locked staking position, an airdrop you have not claimed — check tax authority guidance or ask an adviser. Our explainer on crypto airdrops and tax in the EU covers some of those edge cases at a general level.

What we are not walking you through

This page stops deliberately at the arithmetic. We are not:

• Clicking through the Dutch Tax Administration’s online portal or describing the online return. Screens change, and a description from us could be outdated or wrong for your situation.
• Telling you which boxes to tick, which fields to fill or what to attach. That depends on your situation and on the return for that year.
• Advising on the rebuttal-evidence scheme. Such a scheme exists for people whose actual return was lower than the deemed return; whether it is relevant to you, and what it would mean, is a question for the tax authority’s own guidance or an adviser. Our Box 3 guide gives a high-level overview.
• Ruling on Box 1 versus Box 3. Very active, business-like trading or crypto received for work can be taxed differently. If that might apply to you, get qualified advice.
• Predicting your tax bill or a refund. We cannot, and no worked example can.

Records and DAC8 (context only)

The 1 January statement or export is one piece of a wider record: purchases, sales, transfers between your own wallets, and the dates involved. Good records make the reference-date value easier to support and give you material to work with if questions arise later. Treat it as evidence you keep in case you need it, not a form you send in.

Records matter more now that EU crypto providers have new reporting duties under DAC8. In-scope crypto-asset service providers are required to report information about users and their transactions to tax authorities; see DAC8 explained for what is collected and the timeline. That is a reason for accurate records, not a reason for alarm.

Some people use crypto tax software to organise their trade history; our overview of crypto tax software for Dutch users compares options. Software can help you organise data — you remain responsible for what you report.

Be wary of anyone who contacts you offering to “recover” or “refund” crypto tax on your behalf; see how to spot crypto scams.

In short

• This page shows a hypothetical Box 3 calculation for invented holders; every euro amount is illustrative.
• The reference date is 1 January: the value on that day drives the deemed-return sketch, not sales during the year.
• Official allowance, percentages and rate change each year — check the tax authority’s website for the tax year you need.
• Read our Box 3 guide for how the system works; this page is an example add-on, not a filing guide.
• Crypto-assets are highly volatile and largely unprotected; you can lose some or all of the money you put in.
• This is general information, not tax, legal or investment advice.

Information as of 12 November 2026. Sources: Dutch Tax Administration: provisional assessment 2026 rates and tax credits — tax-free allowance 2026 €59.357 without a tax partner; other assets 6.00%; “You pay 36% income tax on the calculated return.” Dutch Tax Administration: how Box 3 income is calculated on the 2026 provisional assessment — “Investments and other assets: 6.00%” including crypto; “The percentage for investments and other assets is already set.” Holdings (€150,000 / €30,000) and the ~€1,958 tax are a worked example only. Not tax, legal or investment advice.

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