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Tracking receipts and invoices as a chair renter

A shoebox full of receipts, a photo of a till receipt sent over WhatsApp, a purchase invoice buried somewhere in your inbox. Sound familiar? Keeping track of your costs feels like an afterthought - until it’s time for your tax return. Here’s how to handle it calmly and properly.

As a chair renter you run a business, and a business owner keeps track not only of their revenue but also of their costs. Every business expense you record lowers your taxable profit - and with it the tax you pay. A saved receipt for €120 of colour products lowers that profit by €120; lose the receipt and you pay tax on it. Lost receipts and invoices are money left on the table. It pays to turn it into a small, regular routine.

This page gives you the practical basics: what to keep, for how long, how BTW (Dutch VAT) on your purchases works, and how to keep the tracking light. ZumFlo is a tool to help with your bookkeeping, not a tax adviser - for your specific situation, your accountant or the Dutch Tax Administration (Belastingdienst) is the source.

What do you need to keep, and for how long?

In the Netherlands, your records are subject to a seven-year retention requirement. That means you keep all receipts, purchase invoices, bank statements and statements relating to your business for seven years. For records relating to real estate, it is even ten years.

A digital copy is allowed, as long as it is complete and legible. In practice: photograph or scan the receipt, store it digitally, and you no longer need the paper version. That saves you a shoebox - and you can always find everything again.

What is deductible?

Costs you incur for your business are, in principle, deductible. For a chair renter, these often include:

Consumables - colour products, gel, polishes, wax, disposables. Tools and equipment - scissors, clippers, lamps, a treatment chair. Your chair rental itself - the fixed daily fee or commission paid to your host. Professional training and courses you take to stay up to date. And business travel - the kilometres to your workplace.

Larger purchases: investments, not deducted all at once. Small expenses are deducted in the year you make them. But a more expensive purchase - a treatment chair, a pricey lamp, equipment over €450 excluding BTW - usually counts as an investment for tax purposes: you depreciate it over several years instead of deducting it in full in one go. Keep the invoice all the same; your accountant decides what is deducted at once and what is depreciated.

Mind the distinction that keeps your records clean: host products you sold (money that isn’t yours) are not your costs - that money is passed on to the salon. So don’t confuse them with your own purchases. You can read more about this separation in bookkeeping as a chair renter and in the settlement.

Whether something is fully, partly or not at all deductible depends on your situation and the rules that apply. Don’t guess either way - when in doubt, have your accountant check it.

BTW on your purchases: input BTW

If you file BTW returns, there’s one more thing to consider. The BTW you charge on your revenue is paid to the Dutch Tax Administration. But the BTW you pay yourself on business purchases - input BTW - can be offset against it. In the end, you only pay the difference.

One thing matters here: keep invoices that show the BTW separately. An ordinary till receipt without a BTW breakdown is often not enough to reclaim input BTW. So for larger business purchases, ask for an invoice in your name.

Do you use the small business scheme (KOR)? Then you don’t charge BTW and usually can’t reclaim input BTW either. Whether the KOR works in your favour depends on how much you invest - a trade-off to make with your accountant.

Scanning instead of retyping

The tracking itself shouldn’t be a hurdle. The best moment to record a receipt is straight away - at the till, or as soon as the invoice arrives. The shorter the gap between spending and recording, the less goes missing.

With ZumFlo Pro you scan a receipt or purchase invoice and the details are read out instantly: supplier, amount, BTW and date. There’s nothing to retype; you check and confirm. That way your cost records stay up to date without feeling like work - and at tax time everything is complete and in order. Your accountant gets an organised, categorised whole instead of a shoebox: that saves them time, and saves you costs.

A scanned receipt from a wholesaler: the supplier, receipt number, date and the amount and BTW per line have been read out.
Scanning instead of retyping - you check and confirm.

You track your sales side with your daily log; the scan feature adds the purchase side alongside it. Together they give you the full picture: what comes in and what you spend.

FAQ

Frequently asked questions about receipts and invoices

In the Netherlands there is a statutory seven-year retention requirement for your records, including receipts and purchase invoices. For records relating to real estate it is ten years. A digital copy is allowed, as long as it is complete and legible.

Costs you incur for your business are, in principle, deductible: consumables, tools and equipment, your chair rental, professional training, and business travel. Exactly what is deductible, and to what extent, depends on your situation - your accountant or the Dutch Tax Administration (Belastingdienst) can give you a definitive answer.

If you file BTW returns, you can in principle offset the BTW on business purchases (input BTW) against the BTW you pay over your revenue. To do so, keep invoices that show the BTW separately. If you use the small business scheme (KOR), this usually does not apply.

A digital copy is allowed, provided it is complete and legible. In practice you scan or photograph the receipt and store it digitally. You can then throw the original away, except in specific cases.

Your costs in order, without the hassle.

Every receipt you keep is a cost you can deduct. Make it a small routine: record it in the moment, and everything is complete when it’s time for your tax return.

With ZumFlo Pro you scan receipts and purchase invoices - supplier, amount, BTW and date are read out instantly, with no retyping.

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Read more:
Bookkeeping as a chair renter · VAT and chair rental · Calculate your net income · Getting started with ZumFlo
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