The Dutch letter calendar: which envelope arrives in which month
Published: August 21, 2026 · 3 min read · The Letrin team
Dutch words in this post
Hover over an underlined word in the text (tap it on a phone) and see what it means straight away.
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| jaaropgaaf | annual income statement · The yearly summary of your earnings, sent by your employer in January |
| WOZ-beschikking | property value decision · The value the municipality puts on your home; several taxes follow from it |
| aangifte inkomstenbelasting | income tax return |
| aanslag | tax assessment · The decision that says what you owe or get back |
| huurverhoging | rent increase |
| voorschotbeschikking | advance decision · Says what you will receive per month in allowances next year |
| definitieve berekening | final calculation |
| jaarafrekening | annual settlement · The energy company's yearly reckoning against your actual use |
| polis | insurance policy |
Most official letters in the Netherlands do not arrive because someone felt like writing. The system runs on a calendar, and the same envelopes land in roughly the same months every year. Knowing that turns a letter from bad news into a job you were expecting.
January: the busiest month of the year
- Your health insurance policy: the new year's premium and excess.
- The advance decision on allowances (voorschotbeschikkingadvance decision · Says what you will receive per month in allowances next year): it comes in December or January and says what you will get per month this year. If your income has changed since last year, correct it here.
- Jaaropgaafannual income statement · The yearly summary of your earnings, sent by your employer in January: the annual income statement from your employer. You need it for your tax return, so keep it.
February and March: the municipal months
Municipal taxes and the WOZ-beschikkingproperty value decision · The value the municipality puts on your home; several taxes follow from it arrive together: the value of your home, and the waste and water charges. If the WOZ value looks too high, the objection period is usually six weeks, and since that value feeds several other charges, objecting can be worth the effort.
March to May: tax season
The income tax return (aangifte inkomstenbelastingincome tax return) opens at the beginning of March and closes at the beginning of May. If a letter tells you that you have to file, the period applies; if you cannot make it, asking for an extension is free and is usually granted. After the return comes the assessment (aanslagtax assessment · The decision that says what you owe or get back): either a refund or a payment.
April and May are also when holiday pay shows up on the payslip. Your income is higher that month, which affects some allowance calculations.
May: the rent increase letter
A rent increase (huurverhogingrent increase) usually takes effect in July, and the letter has to arrive at least two months before, so around May. It states the new amount, the date it starts and how to object. The percentage is capped by rules that change each year, so if the figure looks high to you it is worth having it checked.
Summer: the final calculations
The final calculation of allowances (definitieve berekeningfinal calculation) starts landing from the summer onwards: a reclaim if you received too much last year, a payment if you received too little. August and September are also the season for school and student letters.
September: next year's news
On the third Tuesday of September the budget is presented, and next year's changes to tax, allowances and premiums become known. It is not a letter, but the contents of the envelopes that arrive between October and December are written that day.
November and December: the months for switching
- The new health premium is published in the autumn, and the policy letter arrives in December.
- Switching insurer works through the last days of the year and the first weeks of January.
- The energy annual settlement (jaarafrekeningannual settlement · The energy company's yearly reckoning against your actual use): the date depends on your contract. This is where your actual use is set against what you paid in advance, and a refund or an extra bill comes out of it.
The ones that can arrive any day
Some envelopes ignore the calendar: traffic fines, payment reminders, decisions from the IND and the UWV, collection letters. What they have in common is that they run on their own period rather than on the year, and that period starts from the date printed on the letter.
An easy way to keep this calendar in your pocket
Photograph every envelope on the day it arrives. Letrin tells you what it is, which year it belongs to and when it is due, and sets the reminder. As long as you do not let them pile up, each one is a few minutes of work.
Check the figures and dates against the paper. For free help there are Juridisch Loket and the municipality's sociaal raadslieden.