The Dutch boxes in 2026
| Box | What goes in | Rate |
|---|---|---|
| 1 — work, pensions, own home | salary, business profit, pensions and AOW, the imputed rent of your home less mortgage interest | 35,75 % to 38 883 € (8,10 % tax + 27,65 % national insurance), 37,56 % to 78 426 €, 49,5 % above; at AOW age the first bracket falls to 17,85 % |
| 2 — substantial interest | dividends and gains from a shareholding of 5 % or more | 24,5 % to 68 843 €, 31 % above |
| 3 — savings and investments | a deemed return on net assets above the tax-free capital, by asset class (savings low, investments high) | 36 % of the deemed return — or of the actual return where the taxpayer proves it is lower |
Credits — the general credit and the labour credit — are subtracted from the box 1 tax and phase out with income.
The Portuguese categories in 2026
Employment (A), business (B), capital (E), rents (F), gains (G) and pensions (H) are computed separately, then A, B, H and — by option — the rest are added and taxed on the table of art. 68.º: 12,5 % to 8 342 €, 15,7 %, 21,2 %, 24,1 %, 31,1 %, 34,9 % from 29 397 €, 43,1 %, 44,6 % and 48 % above 86 634 €, plus a solidarity surcharge of 2,5 % above 80 000 € and 5 % above 250 000 €. Salaries and pensions lose a 4 587 € deduction first. Interest, dividends and gains are taxed at 28 % flat unless you choose to add them. Couples may file jointly and split. Social contributions of 11 % are separate and deductible when they exceed 4 587 €.
- 49,5 % from 78 426 € in the Netherlands; 48 % from 86 634 € in Portugal (plus 2,5 % solidarity above 80 000 €)
- 27,65 % national insurance hidden in the Dutch first bracket; 11 % Portuguese contributions on the whole salary
- 36 % of a deemed return on savings in the Netherlands; 28 % of actual income in Portugal
- 17,85 % Dutch first-bracket rate for pensioners; Portugal has no pensioner rate, only the 4 587 € deduction
Three profiles
Employee, 60 000 €, single. Netherlands: box 1 about 21 800 € before credits, roughly 16 000 € after the general and labour credits, which already include national insurance. Portugal: 11 % contributions (6 600 €) plus IRS of about 15 400 € on the remainder — 22 000 € in all, before personal credits of a few hundred euros. The Netherlands is lighter on this salary; the two converge above 100 000 €, where the Dutch 49,5 % applies to everything above 78 426 € and Portugal’s 44,6 % runs to 86 634 €.
Pensioner, 40 000 € of AOW and company pension, single. Netherlands: 17,85 % on the first 38 883 € and 37,56 % on the rest, about 7 400 € before the elderly credits. Portugal: 40 000 € less 4 587 € through the table, about 8 150 €. A couple filing jointly in Portugal on the same 40 000 € pays about 4 600 €.
Saver, 500 000 € in bank deposits and funds, no other income. Netherlands: box 3 tax on the deemed return of the assets above the tax-free capital — several thousand euros a year even in a year with no income. Portugal: 28 % of the interest and dividends actually received, and 28 % of gains when realised; nothing on the capital itself.
What the treaty adds
Dutch pensions of a Portuguese resident are taxed only in Portugal (art. 18) as long as Portugal taxes them at its ordinary rates, which it does since NHR closed; Dutch dividends carry 10 % at source and 28 % here with credit; Dutch rental income is taxed in the Netherlands (box 3 for a non-resident owner) and exempt in Portugal with progression. Detail on the Netherlands hub.
Filing
Portugal: online, 1 April – 30 June, assessment by 31 August. Netherlands: 1 March – 1 May (extension on request), with an M-form for the year of emigration and a C-form for non-residents with Dutch income.
We run your Dutch and Portuguese figures through both systems — boxes, credits, the split and IFICI — before you fix a date, and file the Portuguese return with the Dutch items in annex J. Ask for the comparison.
Questions
Does Portugal tax the imputed rent of my own home like box 1?
No. An owner-occupied home produces no taxable income in Portugal and gives no deduction for mortgage interest either (the old credit ended for loans after 2011). IMI is the only recurring charge.
Is the 28 % on dividends final?
Yes for residents, unless you opt to aggregate the whole category with your other income — worthwhile only when your marginal rate is below 28 %, which with the 12,5–24,1 % brackets happens for modest incomes.
Does Portugal have tax credits like the heffingskortingen?
Smaller ones: a credit per dependant, and 35 % of general household expenses, 15 % of health costs, 30 % of education costs and 15 % of rent within ceilings, all recorded through invoices with your NIF on the e-fatura portal.
Sources and official references
- Belastingdienst — Box 1 tarieven 2026: 35,75 % (8,10 % tax + 27,65 % national insurance) to 38 883 €, 37,56 % to 78 426 €, 49,50 % above; 17,85 % first bracket at AOW age — checked 18.9.2026
- Belastingdienst — Box 2 tarieven 2026: 24,5 % to 68 843 €, 31 % above — checked 18.9.2026
- Belastingdienst — Box 3: 36 % on the deemed return above the tax-free capital — checked 18.9.2026
- Código do IRS, artigo 68.º — brackets 2026; artigo 68.º-A — solidarity surcharge — checked 18.9.2026
- Código do IRS, artigo 25.º — 8,54 × IAS deduction; artigo 53.º — pension deduction; artigo 72.º — 28 % flat rates — checked 18.9.2026