WBSO Administration

The first time you submit an application in a specific calendar year, you can choose whether you are applying for WBSO towards actual costs and expenditures incurred for your WBSO or for a fixed amount. If you opt for a fixed amount, you do not need to keep an administration of costs and expenditures. If you opt for actual costs and expenditures, you are required to keep an administration of the actual costs and expenditures.

How to keep an WBSO administration?

For businesses and self-employed persons

WBSO records must be kept from the start of a project. Even if you have not yet received an WBSO declaration. If you find out later that a project or part thereof has been rejected, the hours spent working on them will not qualify for a tax benefit.

• Timesheet administration
  You are required to keep an administration of the number of hours actually spent per day on WBSO for each project and employee (number of hours worked). Make sure you record the hours spent on WBSO within 10 working days. Ensure that the number of WBSO hours recorded is in conformity with your employee leave and sick leave records.
• Project record keeping
  You are required to keep an administration indicating the nature, content and progress of the WBSO activities carried out for each project. You must update the WBSO administrative records no later than 2 months after the end of each quarter.

For businesses

If the total number of hours is less than the number of hours allocated, you will receive an adjusted WBSO declaration after you have given notice.
In addition, the following applies to businesses which opted for 'actual costs and expenditures' in their application (instead of a fixed amount):

• Costs and expenditures administration
  You are required to keep records accounting for the actual costs and expenditures throughout the year. If you have multiple WBSO projects, you are required to keep costs and expenditures records for each project. The costs and expenditures records must be completed within 2 months of the end of the year.
• If your company ceases to exist (e.g. in the event of a liquidation or takeover), you are required to report the actual costs and expenditures to us within one month.

For self-employed persons

If you have spent fewer than the required 500 hours on WBSO, the Netherlands Enterprise Agency will revoke the WBSO declaration(s) issued to you for that specific year. And therefore your entitlement to a tax credit benefit will lapse.

Reporting WBSO hours

If you are an WBSO withholding agent, you have an annual obligation to report the hours actually spent on WBSO and any costs and expenditures incurred in the previous year by 31 March at the latest.

If you are an WBSO taxpayer, you must always give notice if you have spent fewer than 500 hours on WBSO.

Shifting WBSO hours

• You may shift WBSO hours between various projects within an WBSO declaration. For example, if you spend less time on a particular project, you can shift the remaining hours from that project to one or more other approved WBSO projects that require more hours of work.
• You can also transfer unrealised WBSO hours (and amounts for allocated costs and/or expenses) to allocated projects (and allocated costs and/or expenses) for which you applied at a later date.

More information?

• Read more information about how to keep a WBSO administration and obligations in the Manual WBSO.
• Read more information about the WBSO conditions.
• Read more information about the WBSO statement.