For executors and heirs of a parent or grandparent in the Netherlands, and for anyone helping them
You are settling the estate. This is what needs to happen, and when.
Answer about ten short questions and you will see your steps straight away, with the dates that apply to you. The overview is free. The letters and templates, including the inheritance tax (erfbelasting) calculation, cost € 49 together.
No account. Your answers stay in your browser. € 49 for everything, or separate parts from € 9.
How it works
Four minutes of questions, then you know where you stand
About ten short questions
About who died, your role, the date, the will, the home and the banks. It takes about four minutes. If you don’t know something, choose “I don’t know”.
Your overview with dates
Free, straight away, no account. The first three steps are worked out in full. The rest are listed with their dates.
Download your documents
To print or save as PDF, with a calendar file and a spreadsheet, tailored to your situation. € 49 for everything, or separate parts from € 9. Letters are in Dutch, because they go to Dutch banks and authorities. Each comes with an English explanation.
Where it goes wrong
Three things that often go wrong in the first weeks
Paying bills from your father’s or mother’s account
Paying for a suitable funeral is allowed. If you pay other bills, or take or sell belongings, you can accept the inheritance without realising it. This is called pure acceptance (zuiver aanvaarden). You may then have to pay the debts with your own money too (art. 4:192 and 4:184 BW).
Acting before you know about the will
The Central Wills Register (Centraal Testamentenregister) tells you whether there is a will and which notary (notaris) holds it. Until you know that, you can’t be sure who inherits and who may do what.
Using the old deadline for inheritance tax
For a death on or after 1 January 2026, you have 20 months to file the inheritance tax (erfbelasting) return. Before that it was 8 months. Older information still mentions the old deadline.
What the documents look like
Look first, pay only if it fits
Five documents from the package of the De Vries family, with a watermark. A fictional case: all names and amounts are made up. Your package is built the same way, with your dates and your situation. The samples are in Dutch, like the letters in your package.
What you get
Start for free, pay only for what you use
Costs you incur in settling the estate usually count as debts of the estate (art. 4:7 BW). Paddle emails you the invoice. Keep it with the cash book.
All amounts and dates come from fixed calculation rules. The texts in your documents come from fixed templates, filled in with your answers. This is also stated in the footer of every document.
Honest from the start
What Erfenisdraaiboek is not
Not a notary, not a lawyer, not legal advice, not a subscription.
Erfenisdraaiboek makes documents that you use yourself. Only a notary (notaris) can issue a certificate of inheritance (verklaring van erfrecht). Your step-by-step plan says so too. Did your father or mother leave a partner? Then we say so in your overview and we don’t offer you the package. Erfenisdraaiboek is also not made for your situation if there was a business, property abroad, an heir under 18, or a will that does not split things equally. In that case, see a notary.
The documents are made automatically. A lawyer does not check them for each customer.
Experiences
What buyers say
Who is behind this
How Erfenisdraaiboek started
I’m Danny. Family and friends regularly asked me for help after a death.
I would look everything up online and make a checklist for their situation. I turned that into an online tool, based on official sources. Erfenisdraaiboek provides explanations and tools, not advice.
If you send an email, I will answer it myself.
- Dutch Civil Code (Burgerlijk Wetboek) Book 4: debts of the estate (art. 4:7), acceptance (art. 4:184 and 4:190–4:194a), executor (art. 4:144–4:151); tenancy after a death (art. 7:268)
- Inheritance Tax Act (Successiewet 1956): rates and exemptions 2026
- Belastingdienst, Rechtspraak.nl, notaris.nl
Questions
Frequently asked questions about settling an estate in the Netherlands
My sister has already taken things from the house. Are we now stuck with the debts?
Not automatically. Whether something counts as pure acceptance (zuiver aanvaarden) depends on what was taken and what it is worth. It is looked at for each heir separately. The acceptance check shows, for each action, where you stand and what you can still do.
Can I pay for the funeral from my father’s or mother’s account?
Yes, if the funeral suits the circumstances of your father or mother. You may pay for it from the estate without accepting the inheritance. Many banks pay the bill directly to the funeral director if there is enough money in the account. The conditions differ per bank. Your overview shows what your bank says.
The bank wants a certificate of inheritance (verklaring van erfrecht). Is that really necessary?
Not always. It depends on the bank and on your situation, such as the balance and whether there is a will. Your overview shows, for each bank, what it says on its own website.
What if there is nothing at all in the estate, or only debts?
Then beneficiary acceptance (beneficiair aanvaarden) or rejection (verwerpen) is usually sensible, and you don’t need the paid package. You get the explanation and the steps for free, and we refer you to a notary.
Do I get an invoice?
Yes. Paddle, which sells the package, emails you the invoice after payment. Costs of settling the estate usually count as debts of the estate. Agree with your co-heirs how you will settle them, and keep the invoice with the cash book.
What if the package doesn’t fit my situation?
Email us within 14 days and you get the full amount back. No questions, no form.
Your answers stay on your own phone or computer. We store nothing. Sharing this computer? Close the tab when you are done; your answers will then be gone.
Please check your answers
These answers decide your dates and your documents.
Your overview
This is what needs to happen, in this order
From step 4 onwards, your package works out each step, with the letter that goes with it. Dates are calculated from the date of death; legal deadlines are marked.
Did the person who died live outside the Netherlands? Dutch inheritance tax (erfbelasting) applies when the deceased lived in the Netherlands. If they lived abroad, had assets abroad, or made a will in another country, the situation is different. This tool does not cover that. Talk to a notary (notaris).
Your package
Choose what you need
Letters are in Dutch, because they go to Dutch banks and authorities. Each comes with an English explanation.
- € 9
- € 14
- € 14
- € 9
- € 14
- € 19
- € 14
- € 9
- € 14
- € 9
For € 49 you get everything. That is only more than what you have chosen now.
No subscription, no automatic renewal. Your documents stay yours, even if Erfenisdraaiboek ever stops.
Tick this first, then you can pay.
By paying you agree to Erfenisdraaiboek’s terms and Paddle’s buyer terms.
You are buying calculations and templates, not personal advice.
You buy the package from Paddle, which handles the sale for us. Price includes 21% VAT. Paddle emails you the invoice. Test environment: nothing will be charged.
Payment is not working right now. Please try again in a few minutes, or email hallo@erfenisdraaiboek.nl.
Thank you
Your payment was successful
We are making your documents and will email you a link within a few minutes.
Start with the step-by-step plan, page 1. The rest can wait.
Letters are in Dutch, because they go to Dutch banks and authorities. Each comes with an English explanation.
A download link works for 24 hours. We delete the files after 7 days, so save them yourself. Lost your link? Request a new link within 7 days.
The footer of every document states: version of the calculation rules, rates, date checked, and that the texts come from fixed templates.
No advice. Erfenisdraaiboek does not give legal or tax advice. We calculate using the rules and amounts as published by the Dutch Tax Administration and in Dutch law (as of 7 November 2026), and the information you enter. The result may differ from what the Tax Administration decides. Check everything before you use it; if in doubt, ask a notary or tax adviser.
Free calculator
Dutch inheritance tax (erfbelasting) calculator
See for each heir how much inheritance tax they pay and what is left after tax. You only get the questions that matter for your situation. Your answers stay in your browser; we store nothing.
About Erfenisdraaiboek
Who we are and how we handle your data
Last updated: November 2026
Who is behind this
Erfenisdraaiboek was made by Danny. He made it after helping family and friends work everything out after a death, several times. If you email, he will answer you himself: hallo@erfenisdraaiboek.nl.
Address
Erfenisdraaiboek
Koos Vorrinkweg 58
1069 JR Amsterdam
The texts and calculation rules are based on the law and on what the Tax and Customs Administration (Belastingdienst) publishes. Each rule lists its source, with the date we checked it. See the list of sources.
Erfenisdraaiboek is not a notary (notaris) and does not give personal legal or tax advice. If there are debts, a surviving partner, a dispute or a business in the estate, we refer you to a notary. You can find a notary near you via notaris.nl.
Money-back guarantee
Does the package or a separate part not fit your situation? Send one email to hallo@erfenisdraaiboek.nl within 14 days of purchase and you get the full amount back. No questions, no form. The refund goes through Paddle, the same way you paid.
This guarantee applies on top of your legal rights, also if you gave up the cooling-off period at checkout so you could get the documents straight away.
Privacy
- Your answers stay in your browser. The checklist and the calculator do their calculations on your own device. When you close the tab, they are gone.
- Only when you buy a package do your answers (without your estimate of the size of the estate) go with your order via Paddle to our server, to make your documents. Your download link works for 24 hours; via “Lost your link?” you can request a new one within 7 days. After 7 days we delete the files and your answers.
- Details for the letters (only if you fill them in yourself). After payment you can enter names, addresses, customer and policy numbers and account numbers on your documents page, so the letters are ready to send. This is optional; you can also fill in the PDF yourself. We use these details only to make your documents. They are stored encrypted and deleted together with the files after 7 days. We never ask for a citizen service number (BSN) or medical information, and these details are not sent to Paddle, to an AI service or to anyone else. Whatever you type into the PDF yourself stays on your own device.
- Payment goes through Paddle. Paddle sells the package on our behalf and processes your name, email address and payment. We don’t see any bank details.
- Texts in the documents come from fixed templates, filled in with your answers. Amounts and dates come from fixed calculation rules. We do not use AI for your documents and do not send your data to an AI service.
- Measuring is done with Google Analytics, only if you give permission. We then see which pages are visited and which products are sold (product name, price and the Paddle order number). We never send your answers, names, your email address or amounts from the checklist or the calculators to Google. We don’t show ads. See Cookies.
Who is responsible
Erfenisdraaiboek, a trade name of Danny van der Ven, Koos Vorrinkweg 58, 1069 JR Amsterdam, hallo@erfenisdraaiboek.nl. Paddle itself is responsible for the payment.
Who receives which data
- Cloudflare (hosting, storage and making the PDFs): your answers, the details for the letters if you enter them, and your documents, if you buy a package. Stored in the EU.
- The email service (Resend or Brevo, for the email with your download link): your email address and the link.
- Paddle.com Market Limited (sales and payment): your name, email address, country and payment details, and the answers you send along at checkout for your documents.
- Google Ireland Limited (Google Analytics, as our processor): only with your permission, data about your visit such as pages viewed, device, browser and roughly where you are (country or region), and for a purchase the product, the price and the order number. Google Analytics does not store your IP address. Never your answers, your name, your email address or amounts. Google Signals is switched off.
We have a data processing agreement with Cloudflare, the email service and Google. We don’t sell data and don’t use it for advertising.
Why we are allowed to do this
- Making and delivering your documents: necessary to carry out the purchase.
- Measuring with Google Analytics: only with your permission, which you can withdraw at any time.
- Answering your email and keeping the site secure: our legitimate interest.
How long we keep it
- Answers in the checklist and the calculator: not with us, only in your browser until you close the tab.
- Your documents and your answers: 7 days after your order, then deleted. Each download link works for 24 hours.
- Your order number and email address: at most 30 days, so we can help you if you lose your link. After that we erase them; Paddle keeps your order itself.
- Emails to us: up to 12 months after the last contact.
- Google Analytics: 14 months, after which Google deletes the data automatically.
- Paddle keeps your order details for as long as tax laws require.
Your rights
You may view your data, have it corrected or deleted, object, have the processing restricted and take your data with you. Email hallo@erfenisdraaiboek.nl; you will get an answer within a month. If you don’t agree with us, you can file a complaint with the Dutch Data Protection Authority (Autoriteit Persoonsgegevens).
Terms
Who are we? Erfenisdraaiboek is a trade name of Danny van der Ven, Koos Vorrinkweg 58, 1069 JR Amsterdam, the Netherlands, hallo@erfenisdraaiboek.nl.
Who sells the package? The sale goes through our reseller Paddle.com, which handles the order, the payment, the invoice and the VAT (merchant of record). So you buy the package from Paddle; Erfenisdraaiboek makes the documents. The seller is Paddle.com Market Limited, London, United Kingdom. Paddle’s terms also apply to the order.
- No advice. Erfenisdraaiboek provides information, calculations and templates based on public sources and your answers. This is not personal legal or tax advice, and no advisory relationship is created.
- You buy a one-off package or separate parts. No subscription, no automatic renewal.
- The documents are made based on your answers. Check them before you send or sign them.
- Erfenisdraaiboek does not give personal advice. The Tax and Customs Administration (Belastingdienst) sets the inheritance tax assessment.
- The calculations are based on the rules that apply on the date of death and on what you fill in. If you fill in something wrong, the result will not be correct.
- You may use the documents for the estate you bought them for, also together with your co-heirs. Reselling is not allowed.
- Your documents are made straight after payment. That is why we ask you to give up the legal cooling-off period at checkout. The 14-day money-back guarantee still applies.
- If something in a document is wrong because of a mistake on our side, we make it again free of charge or you get your money back. Beyond that we are not liable for more than what you paid, unless we acted intentionally or with deliberate recklessness.
- Send a complaint by email to hallo@erfenisdraaiboek.nl. You will get a full answer within 14 days. If we can’t resolve it together, you can go to the competent court in the Netherlands.
- Dutch law applies to these terms.
Report a security issue
Found a weakness in Erfenisdraaiboek? Email it to hallo@erfenisdraaiboek.nl. We respond within three working days and don’t make it public before it is fixed.