Excise returns without the spreadsheet grind
The same monthly puzzle: which batches were packaged, how many litres, at what ABV or how many degrees Plato. BrewerSync records it while you brew and calculates per period with the rates you set and confirm, for the Netherlands, Germany, Austria and Belgium; we suggest rates with a source. You review and file.
How Dutch beer excise works
Since 1 January 2024, Dutch beer excise is calculated on alcohol content: €8.12 per hectolitre per percent ABV, with a minimum of €26.13 per hectolitre. Breweries that produced no more than 200,000 hectolitres in the previous calendar year pay the reduced rate of €7.51.
Commercial brewing in the Netherlands requires an AGP licence (excise warehouse) from Dutch Customs. While beer sits in your AGP the excise is suspended; it becomes due the moment beer leaves your brewery for a customer (release for consumption), and you file a return on that every month.
Brewing in Germany or Austria? There it is called Biersteuer and customs use original gravity in degrees Plato instead of ABV: €0.787 per hectolitre per degree in Germany, €2.00 in Austria, with tiered relief for small independent breweries. BrewerSync knows both rate structures and the filing deadlines (Germany the 7th, Austria the 25th of the following month). In Belgium you pay excise duty and special excise duty per hectolitre degree Plato, €2.0043 combined, with lower rates per production band for small independent breweries. For each country BrewerSync suggests rates with a source and calculates with the rates you set and confirm.
If you sell cans, since 2023 that also means filing with Statiegeld Nederland: for each reporting period, the number of cans and plastic bottles you placed on the Dutch market. BrewerSync counts those numbers from your delivered orders, per packaging category and with the deposit amount you set and confirm, on the same screen as your excise report.
Rates change yearly. In BrewerSync you set and confirm the rates yourself; we suggest them with a source. Always check the current amounts on douane.nl.
What BrewerSync does for you
The return stays your signature; the counting does not.
Volume, ABV and Plato already recorded
You log the packaged volume and the original gravity on every batch; the ABV comes from the beer itself. Exactly the numbers Dutch Customs, the Hauptzollamt or the Zollamt asks for.
Excise report per period
Pick a country, a start and an end date and BrewerSync adds up all packaged batches: litres, hectolitres times percent ABV (NL) or degrees Plato (DE, AT, BE), the excise at the rates you set and confirmed, and the filing deadline.
History for audits
Every report is kept. When Customs visits, you look up a period instead of reconstructing a spreadsheet.
Production and inventory in one system
Your excise figures come from the same batches as your brew planning and inventory. No retyping, no diverging lists.
Frequently asked questions
What is the Dutch beer excise rate in 2026?
€8.12 per hectolitre per percent ABV, with a minimum of €26.13 per hectolitre. Small breweries pay €7.51 per hectolitre per percent ABV. Check douane.nl for current rates.
Do I need an AGP licence?
Yes. Brewing beer for sale in the Netherlands requires an excise warehouse (AGP) licence from Dutch Customs. Inside the AGP, excise is suspended until the beer is released.
How often do I file an excise return?
As an AGP licence holder you file monthly, covering the beer that left your brewery that month (release for consumption).
Does the reduced rate apply to my brewery?
If you produced no more than 200,000 hectolitres in the previous calendar year, the small-brewery scheme applies and you pay €7.51 instead of €8.12 per hectolitre per percent ABV.
Does BrewerSync calculate my excise?
BrewerSync calculates with the rates you set and confirm; we suggest them with a source. With those it works out the excise per period from the packaged volume and the ABV (Netherlands) or original gravity (Germany, Austria, Belgium) of your batches. You remain responsible for the rates and file the return yourself; the report supplies the numbers.
Which plan includes the excise module?
The excise module is part of the Pro plan. The pricing page shows everything else it includes.
Does the excise module work for Germany, Austria and Belgium too?
Yes, as a return calculation with the rates you set and confirm. Our suggestion for Germany is €0.787 per hectolitre per degree Plato with the beer-tax scale for independent breweries; for Austria €2.00 per hectolitre per degree Plato with an estimate of the small-brewery refund; for Belgium excise duty and special excise duty, €2.0043 combined per hectolitre degree Plato, with the reduced rates per band for small independent breweries. You file the return with the Hauptzollamt, the Zollamt Österreich or the Belgian General Administration of Customs and Excise yourself; there is no customs integration.
Done tallying in Excel?
Start for free and see what your excise report looks like with your own batches.