Belgian income tax return: Online or on paper?

What are the advantages of filing online?

• First of all, you have more time to file, until 15 July.

• It is more user-friendly than completing the paper form. You work on a traditional tax return where you see clearly what you are doing. If you file on paper, you make a draft first and then copy the codes and numbers on a form that will be scanned.

• Tax-on-web also shows you the codes you completed last year.

• The online form is pre-completed with the information that the tax authorities have received from your employer, the pensions office, banks, etc. You just must check that the information is the same as they have given you.

• Tax-on-web checks that you haven't omitted any required information. E.g. if you take a deduction for your mortgage, the program will remind you to name the bank. When you make a mistake, the form will point it out - but not all mistakes are errors, and it can be frustrating when you can’t move on. 

• There is a wizard to help you complete your tax return correctly for mortgages. The deduction for mortgage payments is probably the most complicated part of filing a tax return.

• You can save interim versions and continue another day, or from another computer.

• You don’t need to file all the justification documents that you normally file with your return. You can scan them and attach them as a PDF file, or you can keep them at home until the taxman asks for them.

• An online return cannot go missing in the mail and it is also processed more quickly, and you receive your tax bill sooner.

Are there any disadvantages?

You do all the work and all the taxman needs to do is press the button to send you the bill. And are they not rushing out the tax bills while holding on to reimbursements? There is no evidence of that. True, it is easier for the taxman, but scanning paper tax returns has already sped up the process. The taxman still has to check the figures. And so should you when you get the bill.

Moreover, once you file online, you don't receive a tax return any more, and seeing the brown envelope on your mantelpiece is a useful reminder for us procrastinators.

More from our 2023 income tax guide

1. When do I need to file my Belgian income tax return?
2. Online or on paper?
3. Filing online
4. Understanding the paper tax return
5. Checklist: What documents do you need?
6. The return in detail
7. Belgian income tax: There's nowhere to hide
8. A guide to cross-border taxation
9. Belgian income tax returns for families
10. Help! Where to get assistance with your tax return
11. Understanding your Belgian income tax bill
12. How do I appeal?

• This guide was written by Marc Quaghebeur, an international tax lawyer at Cabinet DAVID. It is a general introduction based on current understanding of the law. It is not to be taken as a suitable alternative for individual advice. If you have a question, you can contact him by clicking on his name.