IFRS 16 (EU-endorsed) / RJ 292 (Dutch GAAP)

IFRS 16 Lease Calculator
Netherlands

IFRS 16 lease calculator with Netherlands-specific regulatory context, Autoriteit Financiële Markten (AFM) / Nederlandse Beroepsorganisatie van Accountants (NBA) expectations, and local inspection findings.

Lease Terms

If checked, ROU asset depreciates over useful life instead of lease term (IFRS 16.32)

IFRS 16 Lease Audit Working Paper Template & Checklist — free PDF

Quick reference card, IBR documentation template, lease assessment flowchart, and audit working paper template. Plus one practical audit insight per week.

No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.

IFRS 16.26 — At the commencement date, a lessee shall measure the lease liability at the present value of the lease payments that are not paid at that date.

IFRS 16.23–24 — At the commencement date, a lessee shall measure the right-of-use asset at cost.

ISA 500 — Sufficient appropriate audit evidence for the lease liability as independent audit evidence.

ISA 540 — Auditing accounting estimates — applies to the IBR determination and lease term judgment.

IFRS 16 in Netherlands — IFRS 16 (EU-endorsed) / RJ 292 (Dutch GAAP)

The Netherlands applies IFRS 16 for listed companies through EU endorsement, effective from 1 January 2019. Non-listed Dutch entities reporting under Dutch GAAP follow Richtlijn 292 (RJ 292 Leasing), which has been updated to broadly align with IFRS 16 for lessees, though with some practical differences. The Autoriteit Financiële Markten (AFM) supervises financial reporting by listed companies, while the NBA (Nederlandse Beroepsorganisatie van Accountants) sets auditing standards and professional guidance. This calculator serves both Dutch IFRS reporters and entities applying RJ 292 for lease measurement purposes.

Regulatory Context — Autoriteit Financiële Markten (AFM) / Nederlandse Beroepsorganisatie van Accountants (NBA)

The AFM has included IFRS 16 in its thematic reviews of financial reporting quality. Key observations include: insufficient entity-specific IBR documentation, generic lease term assessments without property-by-property analysis, and inadequate disclosure of the impact on financial covenants and key performance indicators. The AFM's annual report on financial reporting quality consistently highlights lease accounting as an area requiring improvement. The NBA has issued practice notes (NBA-handreiking) providing guidance on auditing lease calculations, with emphasis on the IBR determination and lease population completeness.

Practical Guidance for Netherlands

For Dutch entities, the IBR should reference Dutch market conditions — Euribor swap rates for the risk-free term structure, plus entity-specific credit spreads. For commercial property leases in the Netherlands, standard lease terms are typically 5 + 5 years (vijf plus vijf) with contractual renewal options. Dutch commercial lease law (huurrecht bedrijfsruimte, Articles 7:290–310 BW) provides statutory protection for retail tenants, where the court may extend the lease if termination would be unreasonable. For office space (Article 7:230a BW), the protection is more limited. These legal frameworks affect the IFRS 16 lease term assessment.

Audit Expectations

Dutch audit firms follow ISA (as adopted in the Netherlands through EU regulation) plus NBA-specific guidance. The AFM's audit quality inspection programme (regulier onderzoek) has specifically reviewed the audit of IFRS 16 estimates. Common findings include: auditors accepting management's IBR without independent verification, insufficient consideration of lease population completeness (particularly embedded leases in IT and facility management contracts), and inadequate documentation of the auditor's own assessment of lease term judgments. The NBA expects auditors to perform independent IBR calculations or verify management's methodology against observable market data.

Netherlands-Specific Considerations

Dutch-specific considerations include the interaction between IFRS 16 and the Dutch fiscal unity (fiscale eenheid) regime. For tax purposes, the Netherlands applies its own lease classification rules under the Wet op de vennootschapsbelasting (Corporate Income Tax Act), which are separate from IFRS 16. Operating lease payments remain deductible for Dutch tax purposes regardless of IFRS 16 accounting. For SMEs applying RJ 292 (which broadly aligns with IFRS 16 for lessees), the SBR (Standard Business Reporting) taxonomy requires specific IFRS 16/RJ 292 data elements in digital financial statements filed with the KvK (Kamer van Koophandel).

Common Inspection Findings

IBR not independently verified by auditor — management rate accepted without challenge

Lease population completeness not tested — facility management and IT contracts not analysed for embedded leases

Article 7:290 BW statutory lease protection not considered in lease term assessments

RJ 292 applied inconsistently for non-listed group entities — some subsidiaries still using old IAS 17 approach

SBR digital filing did not include required IFRS 16-specific data elements

Frequently Asked Questions — Netherlands

Does Dutch GAAP (RJ 292) follow IFRS 16?
RJ 292 has been updated to broadly align with IFRS 16 for lessee accounting — lessees recognise a right-of-use asset and lease liability for most leases. However, RJ 292 retains some differences: the short-term and low-value exemptions are available with slightly different guidance, and the transition provisions may differ. Small entities applying RJ-C1 are exempt from RJ 292 and continue to use simplified lease accounting.
What has the AFM found regarding IFRS 16 reporting quality?
The AFM has identified: generic IBR disclosures without entity-specific methodology, insufficient sensitivity analysis for material discount rate assumptions, inadequate explanation of lease term judgments for extension options, failure to disclose the impact of IFRS 16 on EBITDA and gearing, and inconsistent treatment of lease modifications. The AFM expects Dutch listed entities to provide clear, informative disclosures about material judgments.
How does Dutch commercial lease law affect IFRS 16 lease term?
For retail premises (Article 7:290 BW), Dutch law provides statutory lease term protection — the initial term is typically 5 + 5 years, and the court may extend beyond 10 years if termination would be unreasonable. This statutory protection may make extension reasonably certain under IFRS 16. For office space (Article 7:230a BW), the tenant has limited protection (maximum 3-year extension after initial term), which may or may not support reasonable certainty.
What IBR methodology does the NBA expect auditors to verify?
The NBA expects auditors to verify that the IBR reflects: the entity's credit risk (reference to actual borrowing or indicative bank quotes), the term structure (term-matched to the lease), the currency (Euribor for euro-denominated leases), and the secured nature of the borrowing. Auditors should independently verify or recalculate the IBR rather than simply accepting management's rate.
How does IFRS 16 interact with the Dutch fiscal unity for corporate tax?
IFRS 16 has no direct Dutch corporate tax impact. Dutch tax rules determine lease classification independently of IFRS 16. Operating lease payments remain deductible for CIT purposes. However, IFRS 16 may indirectly affect earnings-stripping rules (renteaftrekbeperking) as interest expense on lease liabilities is included in the ATAD interest limitation calculation, potentially restricting the deductibility of total interest expense including IFRS 16 lease interest.

Other Country Guides

← General Calculator United Kingdom Germany France Belgium Australia Canada Ireland South Africa United Arab Emirates
Materiality Calculator Going Concern Checklist