Tax Return: Box X – Other Tax Deductions

Box X is for all sorts of payments or expenses that you have made and for which you can claim a tax reduction. That goes from

• gifts to charities (code 1394): the minimum is €40 per charity, if you have a tax certificate from the charity, you can recover up to 60% of the gift by reducing your tax bill (that is due to Covid, the normal deduction is 45%);
• childcare (code 1384): you can deduct €14 per day of expenses for childcare in a crèche or in other after school care centre for children up to 14. If you have children under 3, you may be better off with the additional allowance of €610 for dependents;
• pension saving (codes 1361/2361); you can pay up to €990 per year to a pension savings fund or insurance, that can give you a tax saving of 30% or €297; you can opt for a 25% tax saving with a maximum of €1,270, the saving is then €317.5. If you pay more than €990 in pension savings, the taxman will assume that you opted for the 25% tax saving. Also keep in mind that when you get a tax reduction now, when you turn 60, the bank will deduct 8% tax even if you continue pension saving. The 8% is the only tax on pension savings.
• titres services/dienstencheques (codes 3365/4365), but 3363/4363 in Flanders) and PWA-chèques / cheques ALE allow you to pay for certain personal services, like cleaning. If you pay with these cheques, you can recover 15% in Brussels on a maximum of €1,500 per spouse or partner; that is €225, so that you only pay €7.65 for a cheque of €9. In Flanders, you recover 30% or €450. In Wallonia, the tax reduction is 10% with a maximum of 150 titres, that is €150 per spouse or partner.
• If you have legal expenses insurance, you can report the premium (codes 1344/2344) with a maximum of €310 per year and that can give you a tax saving of 30% or €93.

Your tax return:

• the Guide
• Tax filing in Corona Times
• Is this your first time?
• Couples and Children
• When do I need to file?
• on Paper or Online?
• Filing Online
• Filing on Paper
• The Taxman sends a Tax Proposal
• Help!?
• Checklist
• Box I – Contact Details and Bank Account
• Box II – Your Family Situation
• Box III – Real Estate
• Box IV – Earnings
• Box V – Pensions
• Cross Border Taxation
• Box VI – Maintenance Received
• Box VII – Investment Income
• Box VIII – Maintenance Paid and Losses from Previous Years
• Box IX – Mortgage Payments
• Box X – Other Tax Deductions
• Box XII – Paying your Taxes in Advance
• Capital Gains
• Box XIII – Overseas Accounts and Insurance Policies
• Box XIII – Trusts
• Stock Exchange Tax
• Tax on Securities Accounts
• Nowhere to hide
• The Tax Bill
• Appealing the Tax Bill