Transferring the remaining difference from one year to the next?

Hello Anke,

As a secondary occupation in a sole proprietor, unfortunately you do not have the "free choice" to simply carry your loss over to the next year. You have an income as an employee (which means that your self-employed activity is a secondary occupation) and you must/may charge the loss from your sole proprietor to that income. In other words, if you declare your income and expenses for your self-employed activity in your personal income tax return and this results in a loss, it will automatically be deducted from your income as an employee. This is a nice bonus, because it means you will pay less personal income tax.

As you say, you have had somewhat higher expenses during the first few years, which may have resulted in you declaring a loss in your personal income tax a few times. That is why you may be hesitant to do so again now, but you could still do the next:</

• When submitting your personal income tax return, you can always limit your expenses manually (you). In other words, Dexxter may indicate 1,000 euro in expenses that you could fill in in your personal income tax. But you simply enter 750 euro in expenses in your personal income tax return. Disadvantage! You will lose those 250 euros in not filled in expenses.

• You could take a more 'critical' look at your expenses to see if you can claim more items as investments that you can then depreciate (spreading the cost over several years). From the moment something remains in your business for a few years, the tax authorities will not mind if you depreciate it, no matter how small the amount. But unfortunately, you are not allowed to simply enter/transfer costs (or a loss) to the next year without them actually relating to that next year. As mentioned, you have not lost that loss. It is deducted from your income as an employee for personal income tax purposes. Even though your statute as an employee and your self-employed activity may have little or nothing to do with each other, for personal income tax, they are one and the same. One does have an impact on the other.

  A loss from your self-employed activity will still have an impact on your taxes and ensure that you pay less taxes overall.

  Dear Sir/Madam,

  I did not declare this loss in the previous year and this year I can still select whether to declare it. Thank you in advance for your detailed explanation. This has given me a better understanding of the options available to me!