Your own taxes, with AI next to you.
An accountant costs €600 to €1,800 a year. For most freelancers in their first years, the work is the same four steps every quarter. Bilio does the bookkeeping as you invoice, prepares the returns, and lets AI explain what you’re looking at. You stay in charge and keep the fee.
Free plan, no card · In English, Dutch, German, Spanish and Bulgarian · Data stored in the EU
Bookkeepers for zzp’ers commonly charge €50 to €150 a month.
Can AI replace an accountant for a zzp’er?
For the routine work, mostly yes: reading receipts, categorising costs, adding up the quarter’s btw and estimating your taxable profit. AI can’t take responsibility for your return or advise on unusual situations. A good setup is software that keeps the books as you go, AI that explains the numbers, and an adviser only when you need one.
Checked by Stefka Ivanova, founder of Bilio and a freelancer in Amsterdam, on .
- Bookkeeper for a zzp’er
- Commonly €50 to €150 a month
- Bilio Starter
- €0: invoices, btw return, income tax worksheet
- Bilio Pro
- €7 a month: receipt scanning, AI advisor, AI assistants
- Who files
- You, in Mijn Belastingdienst Zakelijk
- When to hire an adviser
- Income from abroad, a BV, property, or a big year
What changes when Bilio does the admin.
You’re not ready to pay an accountant every month, but you want your taxes right.
- 01
The books keep themselves
Every invoice you send is booked with its btw. Drop in a month of receipts and Bilio reads each one, flagging duplicates. Import your bank statement and payments match to invoices and expenses (Pro).
- 02
The btw return, ready to copy
At the end of the quarter, Bilio shows each box of the Dutch btw return with your numbers, plus the ICP list if you have EU clients. Copy, check, file.
- 03
The income tax worksheet
Profit from your business for the year, with the zelfstandigenaftrek, startersaftrek and MKB-winstvrijstelling applied. Export it, or take it to an adviser and pay for one hour, not a year.
- 04
Ask anything, about your own numbers
The AI financial advisor answers from your data: “Why is my btw higher than last quarter?” Or connect Claude or ChatGPT and ask there instead.
- 05
Honest about its limits
Bilio shows estimates as estimates and tells you what it can’t see, like car use or a home office. When something needs an adviser, it says so.
- 06
An accountant when you’re ready, free
Hire someone later? Invite them as Accountant on any plan: they read everything, change nothing, and make the year package themselves, every invoice, receipt and VAT return in one ZIP.
Ask about your own numbers, in plain English.
Bilio’s AI financial advisor answers from your invoices and expenses (Pro). Or connect Claude, ChatGPT or Cursor to Bilio and ask there (Pro and Business); nothing is sent or changed without your OK.
Read receipts, suggest categories, add up the quarter, explain the btw boxes and the income tax lines, draft invoices.
Check the figures and file them. Bilio doesn’t file for you and doesn’t give tax advice; for a complex situation, see an adviser.
- Why is my btw higher this quarter than last?
- How much should I put aside for income tax this year?
- Which receipts are missing a btw amount?
- What’s my profit so far this year, after costs?
- Do I meet the hours criterion if I worked 25 hours a week?
Four btw returns and one income tax return.
The btw return is due by the last day of the month after each quarter; the income tax return by 1 May the year after. Doing it yourself is four quarterly btw returns and one income tax return. With Bilio up to date, each btw return is a few minutes of copying and checking.
- €1,200zelfstandigenaftrek 2026, with 1,225 hours
- €2,123startersaftrek, up to 3 times in your first 5 years
- 12.7%MKB-winstvrijstelling on profit after deductions
- €20,000turnover limit for the KOR
Figures for 2026 from the Belastingdienst and business.gov.nl. Check them before you file.
- 30 AprBtw return Q1
- 1 MayIncome tax return 2025
- 31 JulBtw return Q2
- 31 OctBtw return Q3Next
- 31 JanBtw return Q4
- 1 MayIncome tax return 2026
Do it yourself now, bring in help when you need it.
| Bilio Starter | Bilio Pro | Bookkeeper | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price per year | €0 | €60 | €600 – €1,800 |
| Invoices that meet Dutch rules | Yes | Yes | You make them |
| Btw return, box by box | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Income tax worksheet | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Time tracking into invoices | Yes | Yes | — |
| Proposals accepted online | Yes | Yes | — |
| Receipt scanning and AI categories | — | Yes | Varies |
| Bank statement import, payments matched | — | Yes | Yes |
| iDEAL payment links on invoices | — | Yes | — |
| AI that explains your numbers | — | Yes | — |
| In English | Yes | Yes | Some |
| Files the returns for you | No, you file | No, you file | Usually |
| Tax advice for your situation | No | No | Yes |
Bookkeeper prices are typical ranges for zzp’ers in the Netherlands in 2026, for bookkeeping with the btw returns; an income tax return is often extra.
The tax office’s Dutch, in plain English.
- Btw
- Dutch VAT (belasting toegevoegde waarde). Usually 21%, 9% for some goods and services. You charge it on your invoices and pay it to the Belastingdienst every quarter, minus the btw on your business costs.
- Rubriek
- A box on the Dutch btw return, such as 1a (sales at 21%), 1e (0% or not taxed in the Netherlands), 3b (services to EU businesses) and 5b (btw on your costs).
- Zelfstandigenaftrek
- The self-employed deduction: €1,200 off your profit in 2026, if you meet the hours criterion (urencriterium).
- Startersaftrek
- An extra €2,123 deduction for starters, on top of the zelfstandigenaftrek, up to three times in your first five years. Also needs the hours criterion.
- MKB-winstvrijstelling
- The SME profit exemption: 12.7% of your profit after the self-employed deductions is tax-free in 2026. No hours criterion needed.
- Urencriterium
- The hours criterion: at least 1,225 hours a year on your business, and more than half your working time (that second test does not apply in your first five years). Admin and finding clients count.
- Suppletie
- A correction to a btw return you already filed, for example after a forgotten invoice.
Common questions.
Do I need an accountant as a zzp’er?
Can AI do my taxes?
Is it safe to use AI with my financial data?
What does an accountant cost for a freelancer in the Netherlands?
What if I make a mistake on my return?
Your first invoice takes four minutes.
Create an account with your email and follow the five-step setup: business details, VAT and KvK, IBAN, first client, first invoice. No card, no setup fee, no downloads. Cancel any time and take your data with you.