Bills in Amsterdam: energy, water and the municipal tax letters nobody warns you about

Your rent isn't your housing cost. In Amsterdam, energy, water and two separate tax bills land on top, and some of them arrive months after you move in.

The short version

• If your rent doesn't include energy, you choose your own supplier and pay a monthly advance (termijnbedrag), then settle up once a year [2][3].
• Every household gets an energy tax reduction of €629 a year in 2026, deducted automatically on the bill [1].
• Renters in Amsterdam pay the municipal waste tax: €352 a year for a single occupant and €469 for two or more in 2026 [4][5].
• The water authority (Amstel, Gooi en Vecht, collected by Waternet) bills renters about €280 a year as a single person and about €465 as a household in 2026 [6].
• If your income is low, you can apply for a waiver (kwijtschelding) of some local taxes. Ask before the due date [5].

How this differs from home

In Australia, council rates are the owner's problem. If you rent in Brunswick or Bondi, you probably never see a rates notice, and water usage charges may be passed on by the landlord while the fixed charges stay with them.

Amsterdam splits it differently. Owners pay property tax (OZB) and the sewer charge. Renters still get their own bills in their own name for:

• municipal waste collection (afvalstoffenheffing);
• the water authority tax (waterschapsbelasting);
• energy and drinking water, unless the rent is "all-in".

These letters often arrive early in the year, as one annual assessment (aanslag). Newcomers who moved in mid-year can be caught out when a bill turns up for a home they've lived in for months. They're tied to your registration at the address, which is one more reason the BRP registration matters.

Your yearly bills at a glance

Here's what a renter in Amsterdam can expect from the tax side in 2026. Energy and drinking water depend on use, so they're described below.

So a single renter is looking at roughly €630 a year in local taxes, and a couple or family at roughly €935, before energy and drinking water.

What's in the water authority bill

The water authority tax isn't for the water from your tap. It pays for dykes, waterways and cleaning sewage, and it's charged once a year [6]. For 2026 it has three parts [6]:

• a water system levy for every household (€186.85);
• a wastewater treatment levy (zuiveringsheffing): €92.79 for one person, €278.37 for more;
• a levy on the building itself, which only owners pay (€78.38).

Owner-occupiers pay €358.02 as a single person and €543.60 as a household [6]. Rates stayed flat for 2026, and the new split of costs meant households paid about €15 to €17 less than in 2025 [6].

Moving out mid-year

The waste tax depends on who uses the home on 1 January. Amsterdam reduces it if your whole household leaves the city. Moving to another home within Amsterdam doesn't earn a reduction [5]. If you leave the Netherlands, deregister and keep proof of the date in case you need to ask for a reduction.

Energy: choosing a contract

Many Amsterdam rentals come unfurnished and without an energy contract. If the meter is in your name, it's your job to pick a supplier. The network operator, which in Amsterdam is generally Liander, stays the same whoever you buy from.

The three contract types

For fixed contracts taken out since 1 June 2023, the early termination fee can't be more than the supplier's actual loss, and new contracts have a 14-day cooling-off period [3]. Variable and dynamic contracts have no exit fee [3].

What's on the bill

A Dutch energy bill has four parts: the energy you use, fixed supply costs, network charges and energy tax, with VAT on top [1]. The good news is the energy tax reduction. In 2026, every residential connection gets €629 including VAT, the same amount whatever you use, and your supplier deducts it automatically [1]. In a small, efficient flat, it can wipe out most of your energy tax.

Monthly advances and the annual settlement

This is where Australians get surprised. You don't pay quarterly for what you used. You pay a fixed monthly advance, then once a year the supplier works out what you actually used and sends a settlement (jaarafrekening). Pay too little and you get a bill. Pay too much and you get money back [2].

The consumer regulator ACM advises against cutting your advance just to lower your monthly outgoings, and against using it as a savings account [2]. If your supplier raises it, it has to explain why [2]. Your first Dutch winter in a draughty canal house may use more gas than you expect, so keep a buffer.

Switching or setting up energy: step by step

1. Check your rental contract. Is energy included in the rent, or is the connection in your name?
2. Read the meter on move-in day and photograph it, with the date.
3. Compare suppliers on total yearly cost for your expected use, not the headline rate.
4. Check the contract type and any early termination fee before signing [3].
5. Use the 14-day cooling-off period if you change your mind [3].
6. Set a realistic monthly advance, then check it after your first winter.
7. Ignore pushy phone and doorstep offers. ACM warns against accepting unsolicited deals on the spot [3].

Drinking water

Tap water in Amsterdam comes from Waternet, and it's perfectly drinkable. If your rent doesn't include it, you'll get a Waternet account and pay for drinking water separately from the water authority tax. Like energy, it often runs on advances with a yearly settlement. Usage is low for most flats, so it's usually the smallest bill of the lot.

Paying, objecting and getting a waiver

Paying in instalments

You don't have to pay the City of Amsterdam's taxes in one hit. Most municipal taxes can be split into up to 12 instalments, at a minimum of €30 a month [5]. Interest applies after the due date [5]. Setting up a direct debit is the easiest way.

When the letter is wrong

Check the name, address, period and household size on every assessment. The single-occupant and multi-person rates differ, so a wrong household count costs you. You generally have six weeks from the date on the letter to object [5]. An objection doesn't always pause payment, so ask in writing whether you can hold off on the disputed amount [5].

Applying for a tax waiver (kwijtschelding)

If your income is close to the Dutch social assistance level, you may be able to have some local taxes waived, fully or in part [5]. Each municipality and water board decides which of its taxes qualify [5]. The test looks at:

• your household's income compared with the social assistance standard;
• your savings and assets, which are tested more strictly than for social assistance;
• necessary costs such as rent [5].

Apply before the payment deadline where you can. The AGV water authority accepts requests for a limited time after payment, about three months, and its waiver excludes the owners' building levy [5]. Most Australians on a skilled migrant salary won't qualify, but students, working holiday makers between jobs and trailing partners on one income sometimes do.

If bills are piling up and you face eviction or disconnection, contact the City of Amsterdam's debt help. The first conversation should happen within three working days [5].

The Australian angle

• Budget for it from day one. When you compare an Amsterdam salary with Sydney or Melbourne, add roughly €630 to €935 a year of local taxes, plus energy and water, on top of rent [4][6].
• Bills for your Australian property don't stop. If you've rented out your home in Australia, the owner still pays council rates and water fixed charges. Factor both countries' bills into your budget.
• Get a Dutch account set up early. Direct debits for these bills want a Dutch-linked account, which our banking guide explains.
• Read letters in MijnOverheid. Many government letters land in the online Berichtenbox. DigiD gets you in.

Not sure whether that blue envelope is a bill, an assessment or a scam? Ask in Cooee Netherlands, our Facebook group for Australians in the Netherlands. Someone has opened the same letter before you.

Sources

1. Opbouw energierekening – Rijksoverheid
2. Aantal huishoudens met variabel energiecontract blijft stijgen – ACM
3. New rules regarding early termination fees for fixed energy contracts – ACM
4. Verordening Afvalstoffenheffing en Reinigingsrecht Bedrijfsafval Amsterdam 2026 – overheid.nl
5. Municipal taxes in the Netherlands – Inburgering.org
6. Waterschapsbelasting volgend jaar niet omhoog, je betaalt zelfs iets minder – AT5 (November 2025)

Keep reading

• Renting in Amsterdam as an Australian
• Cost of living in Amsterdam vs Sydney and Melbourne
• Banking in Amsterdam: iDEAL, Tikkie and the card that won't work
• Keeping your Australian bank accounts while you live abroad