An invoice from your company contains standard details, such as your Dutch Chamber of Commerce (KVK) number, your VAT number (btw-nummer), an invoice number and the VAT amount. You keep all your invoices, bank statements and contracts for seven years. With bookkeeping software and a fixed moment each week, you keep everything up to date.
What goes on every invoice
- The name and address of your company and of your client.
- The KVK number and the VAT number of your company.
- A unique invoice number, in a continuous series.
- The invoice date and the date of delivery.
- A description of what you supply, with quantity and price.
- The VAT rate, the VAT amount and the total amount.
If your client is in another EU country, you add extra details. Lesson 4 explains this.
What you keep
You keep everything that has to do with money: sales invoices, purchase invoices and receipts, bank statements, contracts and your tax returns. You keep them for seven years. You may store them digitally, as long as the documents stay complete and readable.
How to keep it up to date
Choose bookkeeping software that links to your bank. You then see your payments in your bookkeeping right away. Plan a fixed moment every week: match receipts to payments, send your invoices and check who still has to pay. For most starters, ten minutes a week is enough.
Business and private
Pay private expenses from your private account and business expenses from the company’s account. If something gets mixed up anyway, you book it on a current account (rekening-courant): a running account between you and the company.
Read more in the knowledge base: Dutch invoice requirements
All amounts on this page are the figures of 2026.
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