160,000 warning letters for not filing income tax return

The Belgian taxman posted almost 160,000 reminder letters on Monday, warning people who have missed the deadline to declare their 2017 earnings for income tax.

Individuals had until 29 June to submit a paper tax return and 12 July to file online via Tax-on-Web. The penalties for late filings can go up to €1,250 and a 200% increase on the tax due.

If you missed the deadlines, there is still time to avoid a penalty by hiring an accountant or tax adviser. They can file on your behalf until 25 October.

To obtain a rough idea of how much tax you might owe, fill in the simulation anonymously on Taxcalc.

And if you're planning to ask an accountant to file a last-minute return for you, here's a checklist of some of the documents you might need to prepare.