The short answer
Betalingskenmerk is Dutch for payment reference. It is a 16-digit number printed on every assessment from the Belastingdienst (the Dutch Tax Administration). You quote it when you transfer the money, so the payment is automatically matched to the right assessment, the right tax and the right period.
You will also see the word betaalkenmerk. It means exactly the same thing — betalingskenmerk is the official term, betaalkenmerk is the shorter everyday one. There is no difference in the number itself.
The Dutch words on your tax letter, translated
These are the terms you are most likely to run into on an assessment from the Belastingdienst.
| Dutch | English |
|---|---|
| Betalingskenmerk / betaalkenmerk | Payment reference (16 digits) |
| Belastingdienst | Dutch Tax Administration |
| Aanslag | Tax assessment |
| Aanslagnummer | Assessment number |
| Naheffingsaanslag | Additional assessment (you underpaid) |
| Teruggaaf | Refund |
| BSN (burgerservicenummer) | Citizen service number |
| RSIN | Legal entity identification number |
| Tijdvak | Tax period (month, quarter or year) |
| Jaartal | Tax year |
| Inkomstenbelasting | Income tax |
| Omzetbelasting (BTW) | Turnover tax (VAT) |
| Loonheffing | Payroll tax |
| Vennootschapsbelasting | Corporate income tax |
| Motorrijtuigenbelasting | Motor vehicle tax (road tax) |
| Zorgverzekeringswet (Zvw) | Health Insurance Act contribution |
| Toeslagen | Benefits / allowances |
| Te betalen | Amount to pay |
| Uiterste betaaldatum | Payment due date |
Want to know what your own payment reference says?
Enter the 16 digits in our free decoder and it shows the assessment number, the type of tax, the period and the year. The tool is in Dutch, but the table above translates every label it shows you. Everything runs in your browser — nothing is sent to a server.
Where to find the betalingskenmerk
Look at the payment block of your assessment letter — the part with the amount due and the IBAN. The payment
reference sits next to it, printed as four groups of four digits, for example
4813 6005 3150 1210.
Lost the letter? Log in to Mijn Belastingdienst and open Betalen en ontvangen ("Paying and receiving"), where the assessment and its payment reference can be downloaded again.
When you pay, put the reference in the reference or description field of the transfer and add nothing else to it. The Belastingdienst matches incoming payments on that number automatically, so extra text can delay processing.
What the 16 digits actually encode
A betalingskenmerk is not a random number. Every position carries meaning, which is why a decoder can read your assessment number back out of it.
Digit 1 — check digit
Calculated from the other fifteen digits with the Dutch elfproef (a modulo-11 checksum). If you mistype a digit, the number stops validating — which is why our tool rejects made-up references.
Digits 2 to 9 — who the assessment belongs to
Derived from your BSN (private individuals) or RSIN (companies). The final digit of that number is left out and recomputed, so the tool can show the full BSN or RSIN back to you.
Digits 10 and 11 — which tax
A code for the type of tax: income tax, VAT, payroll tax, corporate income tax, motor vehicle tax, benefits, and so on. This is the code that becomes the letter (H, B, L, V, M, T…) in the assessment number.
Digits 12 to 16 — period and year
The tax period (a month, a quarter, a half year or a full year) and the tax year the assessment covers. How these positions are laid out depends on the type of tax from the previous step.
A worked example
Take the payment reference 4813 6005 3150 1210.
Decoded, it reads:
Aanslagnummer — assessment number
8136.00.534.B.01.5210
Soort — type of tax
Omzetbelasting (VAT)
Tijdvak — period
1e kwartaal (Q1)
Jaartal — tax year
2025
The B in the assessment number is the letter for omzetbelasting (VAT). Our Dutch-language article on the letter codes lists all of them.
Frequently asked questions
Is betaalkenmerk the same as betalingskenmerk?
Yes. Betalingskenmerk is the official term used by the Belastingdienst, betaalkenmerk is the shorter everyday form. Both mean the same 16-digit payment reference on your assessment.
Is the betalingskenmerk the same as the aanslagnummer?
No. The aanslagnummer (assessment number) identifies the assessment document; the betalingskenmerk is what you quote when paying. The payment reference contains the assessment number in encoded form, which is exactly what our decoder reads back out.
Can I pay without a payment reference?
You should not. Payments to the Belastingdienst are matched automatically on the payment reference. Without it — or with the wrong one — your money can end up against a different assessment, or sit unallocated while the original one stays open. Always use the reference printed on the assessment you are paying.
Is it safe to enter my payment reference in this tool?
The decoding happens entirely in your own browser. The reference you type is never sent to a server and is not stored. See our privacy statement for the details.
Is this website run by the Dutch tax authority?
No. This is an independent, free tool built by Asperion. The official source is always belastingdienst.nl. Read more about us.
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