Understanding your Belgian income tax bill

Now that you have filed your tax return, all that you can do is wait for the tax man to send you the tax assessment or tax bill.

The “avertissement extrait de role”/”aanslagbiljet” is really the tax bill for your 2022 income. If you have not seen one before, you can click here to see one. If the tax bill is not sent before 30 June 2024, the taxman may have to pay back all withholding tax but that happens rarely. 

If the calculation shows a reimbursement, you will receive that about two months' later. And if you have to pay tax, you have about two months as well. 

Receive the tax bill online

When you file your tax return online, you still receive your tax bill on paper. If you want to receive it online, you need to activate your e-Box in www.mye-box.be 

You will always be able to find a copy of your tax bill (and all past tax bills) in your Taxbox, in MyMinFin  together with the tax returns you filed online in the past (in pdf format).

Check it

If the bill was for several thousands of euros, you will probably have checked it. If, however, you saw that you will get some money back or that you will have to pay a few hundred euros, in two months’ time, you probably just put it on the pile of bills to be paid later.

In any event, I would advise you check it to make sure that there are no mistakes. Have they copied your figures correctly? Does the result seem OK? Is it what you expected? If you want to do the calculations again, try the calculator on Tax-calc.

If you have questions, you can always call the local tax office and ask them to explain how they made their calculations.

And if the taxman made a mistake 

If you disagree with the tax bill, try to talk with someone at your local tax office first. You can find the contact details on page 2 of the tax bill (under ‘Avez-vous de questions’). If it is a simple mistake, they are often prepared to correct the mistake. 

If you cannot convince them, you have to appeal and file a “reclamation” or “bezwaar”.

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.