Parking fines in the Netherlands: what a "naheffingsaanslag" costs in 2026 and what you can do

You get back to your car and there's a card tucked under the wiper. Or worse: a few days later a letter from the municipality lands on your doormat. Naheffingsaanslag parkeerbelasting, it says at the top. Most people just call it a parking fine, but strictly speaking that's not what it is. And the difference matters more than you might think.

Received a naheffingsaanslag? Here's what it actually is

Paid street parking in the Netherlands is a municipal tax. If you park in a paid zone and don't pay (or don't pay enough), you've underpaid your parking tax. The municipality then collects the missing amount, plus the costs it incurs to do so. Hence the name: a supplementary assessment.

An actual parking fine is something else. You get one of those when you park somewhere parking isn't allowed at all, such as a disabled bay, in front of a driveway or on a yellow line. That kind of fine comes from the Central Judicial Collection Agency (CJIB) and falls under traffic law.

Why does that matter? Because a naheffingsaanslag falls under tax law. That means you appeal to the municipality rather than the CJIB, the municipality is not allowed to charge more than its actual costs, and you will never get a criminal record or penalty points from it. It's a bill, not a punishment.

What does a naheffingsaanslag cost in 2026?

A naheffingsaanslag has two parts: the parking fee you should have paid (usually one hour, sometimes more if the municipality can show you were there longer) and a fixed amount covering the cost of issuing the assessment.

That fixed amount is capped by law. For 2026, municipalities may charge a maximum of € 82.00 in costs, up from € 78.80 in 2025. The cap is adjusted for inflation every year. Municipalities may charge less if their actual costs are lower, and some do. Amsterdam, for example, charges € 79.10, while Eindhoven is considerably lower at € 57.60. These amounts exclude the parking fee of at least one hour. Always check your municipality's own website for the exact rate.

Large cities such as Amsterdam, The Hague, Rotterdam and Utrecht sit at or close to the maximum. So expect around € 80 in costs plus the hourly rate of the zone you parked in. In the centre of Amsterdam or The Hague, where hourly rates approach € 7 to € 8, you'll easily end up above € 85. For a parking session you could have arranged with an app for a few euros.

How do you get one, and how quickly?

Enforcement used to mean an officer walking past to check the paper ticket behind your windscreen. These days most cities use scan cars that photograph licence plates. Those scans are matched in real time against the database of paid parking sessions. If your plate isn't in it, the assessment follows automatically.

That has two consequences. First, there's very little margin. Some municipalities allow a grace period of a few minutes, but you can't count on it. If your parking time has expired and a scan car drives past, you'll receive an assessment. Second, you often only find out later. Scan cars don't leave a card on your car; the assessment arrives by post or via the MijnOverheid message box, usually within a week or two.

Watch the payment deadline too. It's short for a naheffingsaanslag, often two to three weeks. Pay late and reminder fees are added on top.

Pay or appeal?

If you disagree with the assessment, you can file an objection (bezwaar) with the municipality within six weeks of the date on the assessment. The letter tells you how. If you file an objection, payment is usually suspended until a decision has been made.

An appeal makes sense if:

• you did pay, but entered the wrong licence plate or the wrong zone;

• the parking meter was broken and you can show you made a reasonable attempt to pay;

• the signage was so unclear that you couldn't have known you had to pay;

• the assessment lists the wrong location, time or licence plate;

• you were loading or unloading, or only letting someone in or out (that doesn't count as parking);

• you were on private property where no parking tax applies.

An appeal is unlikely to succeed if:

• you didn't see the signs, even though they were there;

• you were "only gone for a minute";

• you forgot to start or extend your parking session;

• you have a permit for a different street or zone.

Not sure? First check in your parking app whether the licence plate, zone and time of your session are correct. A screenshot of that is the strongest evidence you have.

How to avoid the next one

Let's be honest: most assessments aren't the municipality's mistake. They happen because someone forgets to pay, selects the wrong plate, or stays longer than planned without realising it. That's exactly where a parking app helps.

With SimplePark you start a parking session on your licence plate, so there's no ticket that needs to be behind the windscreen and no meter that might be out of order. If your session keeps running, you get a push notification every hour reminding you that you still have an active session. That way you don't forget to stop when you're done, and you never pay for time you don't need. On iPhone you can also see your active session directly on your lock screen, without opening the app. Read how that works in Your parking session, always in view.

Know in advance how long you'll stay? Set an end time straight away, up to 24 hours ahead. Your session then stops automatically and you don't have to think about it again. Payment comes out of your balance, so there are never any surprises.

One last tip: when you start a session, always double-check that the right licence plate is selected. It's the most common cause of a justified assessment, and the easiest one to prevent.

Frequently asked questions

Is a naheffingsaanslag the same as a parking fine? No. A naheffingsaanslag is a tax assessment from the municipality because you paid too little parking tax. A parking fine comes from the CJIB when you park somewhere parking is prohibited.

How much is a naheffingsaanslag in 2026? A maximum of € 82.00 in costs, plus at least one hour of parking at the rate of the zone you were in. Municipalities may charge less; check your municipality's website for the exact amount.

Will I get a criminal record or penalty points? No. A naheffingsaanslag falls under tax law, not criminal law.

What happens if I don't pay? You'll receive a reminder with extra costs, then a writ of execution. Eventually the municipality can involve a bailiff. So pay on time or file an objection within six weeks.

Can the municipality charge more than one hour of parking? Yes, if it can make it plausible that you were there longer, for example because a scan car registered your plate several times in the same spot.

There's a card on my car. How much do I have to pay? The card usually shows a code or link to look up the amount. The official assessment is then sent by post to the registered keeper of the vehicle.

Can I get an assessment while my app session was still running? That shouldn't happen. If it does, a screenshot of your session (plate, zone and times) is your evidence for the appeal. Do check that you were in the right zone; in some cities two zones can be a stone's throw apart.