Free tool
Dutch VAT (BTW) calculator: add or remove VAT
Convert an amount from excluding to including Dutch VAT or back, at 21%, 9% or 0%, and see exactly how much VAT it contains.
You can type 1,234.56 or 1234.56.
Enter an amount to see the VAT.
Runs entirely in your browser: what you enter is not sent to us or stored.
How to calculate Dutch VAT
This calculator adds or removes Dutch VAT (BTW) at 21%, 9% or 0% in one step. At its core, calculating VAT is a single multiplication or division. If you have an amount excluding VAT, multiply it by 1 plus the rate: × 1.21 at 21% and × 1.09 at 9%. A product costing €100 excluding VAT therefore costs €121 including 21% VAT, of which €21 is VAT. If you have an amount including VAT and want to take the VAT out, divide by the same factor: €121 ÷ 1.21 = €100 excluding VAT.
The classic mistake is to multiply an amount including VAT by 0.79, or simply to deduct 21% from the total. That is wrong, because the 21% is charged on the amount excluding VAT, not on the final amount. €121 × 0.79 gives €95.59 instead of €100. To find the VAT inside an amount including VAT without dividing first, use 21/121 (about 17.36%) at 21% VAT and 9/109 (about 8.26%) at 9% VAT.
To use the calculator: 1. choose what you have, an amount excluding or including VAT; 2. pick the rate; 3. enter the amount. You can type both 1,234.56 and 1.234,56; the tool recognises either notation. In list mode you paste a whole column of amounts, for example from Excel, and get the amount excluding VAT, the VAT and the amount including VAT per line and in total. You can copy that table back into your spreadsheet in one go.
When do you charge 21%, 9% or 0% VAT in the Netherlands?
The standard VAT rate in the Netherlands is 21%. It applies to most goods and services, such as clothing, electronics, cleaning products, alcoholic drinks and tobacco. The reduced rate of 9% applies to a shorter list, including most food and non-alcoholic drinks, books and a number of services. A shop with a mixed range therefore often has both rates on a single receipt.
The zero rate of 0% is not the same as a VAT exemption. With the zero rate, for example on certain supplies abroad, you charge 0% VAT but still file a VAT return. With an exemption, such as for parts of healthcare and education, the supply falls outside VAT altogether. For the calculation in this tool that makes no difference, but for your accounts and your right to reclaim input VAT it does.
Which rate applies to a specific product or service sometimes depends on the details, and rates and classifications change from time to time. This tool does not give tax advice. If you are unsure about a product or a situation, check the website of the Dutch Tax Administration (Belastingdienst) or ask your accountant. Need another country's rate? Choose Custom and enter the percentage yourself.
VAT on the receipt and rounding per line
In a shop, consumer prices include VAT. The till therefore works backwards: it takes the VAT out of each sale, and the receipt shows how much VAT it contains per rate. For your VAT return you add those amounts up per rate. A point of sale system with the right rate set for each item does that automatically.
Working backwards creates rounding differences. If you round the VAT to whole cents on every line, the total can differ by a few cents from the VAT you get by calculating once over the total. Ten items of €0.50 excluding VAT, for example, give €0.11 VAT per line, €1.10 in total, while 21% of €5.00 is exactly €1.05. Both methods are used in practice. The list mode of this tool shows the difference, so you know where a one-cent gap comes from.
More important than the choice itself is being consistent. Use the same rounding method on invoices, in your point of sale system and in your accounts, and your figures will match without hunting for cents afterwards.
Common mistakes when calculating VAT
The most common mistake remains taking the VAT out of an amount including VAT by deducting 21%. Another frequent problem is the wrong rate: an item set to 21% in the point of sale system when it falls under 9%, or the other way round. You will not notice at the till, but you will in your VAT return and your margin.
A second pitfall is mixing prices excluding and including VAT. Suppliers usually quote prices excluding VAT, while consumers see prices including VAT. If you calculate your margin on a cost price excluding VAT and a selling price including VAT, your margin looks much higher than it is. Put both amounts on the same basis first.
Calculating with decimals in a spreadsheet sometimes gives small deviations, because computers do not always store decimal numbers exactly. This calculator works internally in whole cents to avoid that. If you need to do this for hundreds of items every day, it makes more sense for your point of sale or inventory system to do it automatically and correctly per rate.
Frequently asked questions
Dutch VAT calculator: your questions answered
How do I add 21% VAT to an amount?
Multiply the amount excluding VAT by 1.21 to get the amount including VAT. The VAT itself is the amount × 0.21. On €50 excluding VAT, the VAT is €10.50 and the total is €60.50.
How do I remove VAT from an amount including VAT?
Divide the amount including VAT by 1.21 (at 21%) or by 1.09 (at 9%). The difference between the two amounts is the VAT. So €60.50 ÷ 1.21 = €50, and the VAT is €10.50.
Why can I not just multiply by 0.79?
Because the 21% is charged on the amount excluding VAT, not on the final amount. €121 × 0.79 gives €95.59, while the correct amount excluding VAT is €100. Dividing by 1.21 always gives the right answer.
What is the difference between 9% and 21% VAT in the Netherlands?
21% is the standard rate and applies to most goods and services. 9% is the reduced rate for, among other things, most food, non-alcoholic drinks and books. If you are unsure about a specific product, check it with the Dutch Tax Administration.
Why is my VAT total a few cents out?
That is down to rounding. If you round the VAT per line, the total can differ by a few cents from the VAT on the total amount. The list mode of this tool shows both results and the difference.
Are my amounts stored anywhere?
No. The calculation happens entirely in your browser. Nothing is sent to a server and nothing is kept after you close the page.
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