Invoicing as a freelancer in the Netherlands: the complete guide (2026)
A good invoice gets you paid on time and keeps your admin correct. This guide explains, in plain English, how to make an invoice as a freelancer in the Netherlands that meets the Dutch rules.
It's an overview. Each section links to a more detailed article.
What exactly is an invoice?
An invoice is your official request for payment. It tells your client what you delivered, what it costs, and how much VAT is added. The Dutch tax office (Belastingdienst) has rules for what it must show.
Do you send a price proposal first? That is a quote (offerte), not an invoice. The difference and what belongs on it is in How to write a quote.
What must be on it?
In short: your details (with VAT number and Chamber of Commerce number), your client's details, a unique invoice number, the date, a description, and the amounts with VAT. The full checklist is in What must a Dutch invoice include?.
How do you show VAT?
You always show: the amount without VAT, the VAT rate (21%, 9% or 0%), the VAT amount, and the total. Don't charge VAT (for example under the KOR scheme)? Then add a short line stating you are exempt. More in the VAT guide.
Invoice numbers: keep them tidy
Every invoice number must be unique and consecutive. Don't skip numbers and don't reuse them. In a BoekBrug account this happens automatically.
Credit note: correcting an invoice
Made a mistake, or did your client return something? Then you send a credit note — a kind of negative invoice that corrects the first one. It also gets its own number.
Don't forget your purchase invoices
Invoices you receive and pay yourself matter too: they let you reclaim VAT and lower your profit. Keep them safe. How to do that easily and digitally is in Keeping receipts and invoices.
Make a correct invoice in one go
You don't have to memorise anything. With BoekBrug's free invoice tool you fill in the fields and download a neat invoice as a PDF. In an account, every invoice gets the correct number automatically, you can send it straight away, and even export it as UBL (e-invoice) for your accountant.
Try it below.