What the higher box 3 rate is
Box 3 is the Dutch income tax on private wealth, such as savings, shares and a second home. In 2026 it has one rate of 36%.
Two members of parliament, Klaver and Dassen, proposed a second rate (amendment number 80 to the 2027 Tax Plan). The House of Representatives adopted that amendment on 12 November 2026.
Dutch media call it the miljonairsbelasting or miljonairstaks, which translates as millionaire tax. The explanatory note to the amendment calls it a top rate in box 3.
The two rates from 2029
| Taxable income from savings and investments per year | Rate in 2026, 2027 and 2028 | Rate from 2029 under the proposal |
|---|---|---|
| Up to €60,000 | 36% | 35.5% |
| The part above €60,000 | 36% | 38.5% |
The legal text gives it as a table. Up to €60,000 the tax is 35.5%. Above that, the tax is €21,300 plus 38.5% of the amount above €60,000.
Who pays the top rate
The top rate applies when your taxable income from savings and investments is above €60,000 in a year. The limit is about your return in a year. The amount of wealth behind it depends on that return.
The proposers give an example. With an average return of 6%, you need more than €1 million in investments to reach €60,000 of box 3 income. Your main home stays outside that sum.
For tax partners the position is still open. The table applies per taxpayer, and the explanatory note is silent on partners.
If you live outside the Netherlands, read box 3 for people who live abroad.
When it starts and what it depends on
Under the proposal the two rates start on 1 January 2029. In 2026, 2027 and 2028 the rate stays 36%.
It remains a proposal until the Senate has voted. The House of Representatives adopted the 2027 Tax Plan on 12 November 2026 by 76 votes to 74, as reported by the Dutch broadcaster NOS and by TaxLive.
The Senate can only adopt or reject the plan as a whole. According to the news agency ANP, the parties that voted in favour have 34 of the 75 Senate seats. A majority needs 38.
The Senate debate is provisionally planned for Monday 7 December 2026. On 13 November 2026 the date of the vote was still unknown.
The House also adopted a motion by the members Struijs and Bikker (motion number 84). It asks the government to introduce the two rates only if the tax office is able to administer them.
A motion is a request to the government. The legal text stays as the House adopted it. Whether the tax office is able to administer two rates is still unknown.
A worked example and the break-even point
Suppose your taxable income from savings and investments in 2029 is €100,000.
- With one rate of 36% you pay €36,000.
- With the two rates you pay 35.5% on €60,000 and 38.5% on €40,000. That is €21,300 plus €15,400, in total €36,700.
The difference is €700 a year.
Up to €60,000 you pay 0.5 percentage point less than at 36%. That is at most €300 a year. Above €60,000 each euro is taxed 2.5 percentage points higher.
The break-even point is €72,000. At that income you pay €25,920 either way. Below it you pay a little less than at 36%, above it more.
| Taxable income from savings and investments | Tax at 36% | Tax at 35.5% and 38.5% | Difference per year |
|---|---|---|---|
| €30,000 | €10,800 | €10,650 | €150 less |
| €60,000 | €21,600 | €21,300 | €300 less |
| €72,000 | €25,920 | €25,920 | equal |
| €100,000 | €36,000 | €36,700 | €700 more |
| €200,000 | €72,000 | €75,200 | €3,200 more |
These sums are our own calculation with the table from the adopted amendment. Your outcome depends on the system and the allowance that apply in 2029.
How it relates to the new box 3 system
In 2027 and 2028 the tax office still calculates box 3 on a fixed, assumed return. If your actual return was lower, you can show that to the tax office.
The cabinet wants to tax actual returns from 2029 at the latest. On 12 November 2026 the House of Representatives also adopted a supplementary bill for that system.
Under that bill, gains on shares, bonds and real estate are taxed when you sell. The proposal has a tax-free result of €1,800 per person.
The amendment covers both outcomes. If the act on actual returns becomes law, the same table with two rates becomes part of it. If the present system still applies in 2029, the table applies there.
For the years up to 2029, read Dutch box 3 in 2027. All measures are in the Netherlands Tax Plan 2027.
What it means for wealth inside a company
Box 3 is about wealth you own privately. Wealth inside a Dutch private limited company (BV) is taxed under other rules.
The company pays corporate income tax on its profit. In 2026 and 2027 that is 19% on the first €200,000 of profit and 25.8% above it.
When the company pays profit out to a shareholder with at least 5% of the shares, that shareholder pays tax in box 2. In 2026 that is 24.5% up to €68,843 and 31% above it.
Corporate income tax and box 2 are separate from the box 3 top rate. We describe the rules here. Which structure suits your wealth depends on more than one rate.
What is still open
- The vote in the Senate on the 2027 Tax Plan.
- Whether the tax office is able to administer two rates in box 3 (motion number 84).
- How the rule works out for tax partners.
- How many people will pay the top rate. A figure for that is missing from the parliamentary papers.
- Whether a later Tax Plan changes the rates or the limit. The rule starts in 2029.
- A request to the state secretary to design an exit tax for very wealthy people. A legal text is still missing.
The proposers estimate the revenue of the two rates at €218 million a year. The Ministry of Finance still makes its own estimate.
What you can do now
For the tax years 2026, 2027 and 2028 the box 3 rate stays 36%. The top rate applies from 2029 at the earliest, and only if the Senate agrees.
With the wealth planner you can calculate box 3, box 2 and corporate income tax on your own figures for 2026 and 2027.
Want our team to have a look at your situation with a holding company, a BV and private wealth? Send your question through the form on this page. We explain which rules apply to you and what is still uncertain.
We checked this page against the parliamentary papers on 13 November 2026.