Guide: WBSO application in 8 steps (2024 update)

Many companies get overwhelmed in grant land. Not entirely unthinkable, with a lot of rules and preconditions, it's not nothing either. And quite honestly; entrepreneurs just want to do business. For that reason, we take over this entire process from them. But to make everything a little easier when it comes to the WBSO subsidy, here is a guide for your WBSO application in 8 steps.

Step 1: Starting the project

You want to conduct R&D (research and development) with your company. This is also called R&D (research and development). However, you do not know exactly whether your project is eligible for the WBSO subsidy. To start with, you can fill in the government's rulebook. You will then know on the basis of a number of questions whether you can use the WBSO application and what financial benefit you can get from it. If the answer is no, give SOM a call! Then together we will look at what conditions you need to meet and how we can get your company here.

Step 2: submit WBSO application

You can submit your WBSO application with eHerkenning level 3 on the application portal of the RVO. If you have already received WBSO subsidy in 2021, you must, in addition to your WBSO application, also provide BSN numbers of your R&D employees of that year. The RVO always looks at BSN numbers from 2 years before and calculates an average over their salary. Did you not perform any S&O work two years ago? Then you will receive the lump sum of 29. Please note that in 2025 you then pass on the BSN numbers! If you are a customer of ours, you don't have to think about this; we take care of it!

Step 3: Setting up the WBSO administration

You will have to keep R&D records for the project if you want to receive the subsidy. If you initially opt for actual costs and expenses with the WBSO application, you will obviously have to keep these up to date. If you opt for the fixed amount, you do not have to. However, you must in any case provide insight into the nature, content, progress and scope of the project. How you can do this most efficiently will be discussed with us.

Step 4: Verification by the RFO

Upon receipt, the RFO will determine whether the WBSO application has been completed correctly and completely. If that is the case, we receive a confirmation that they are going to look at the content of the application. If the application is not complete, you only get one chance to provide the additional information. If this information does not reach them in time, the application will not be processed. But don't panic; we as intermediaries will make sure it just goes right the first time.

Step 5: Content control

The RVO will check whether your WBSO application is feasible. It will also be checked against relevant laws and regulations. If anything is still unclear, they can ask for additional info. They can also consult public sources such as your LinkedIn, website or google to assess the level of knowledge and skills. Through that information, they will come to a decision. As you can see, a lot of factors can influence your application, so in many cases we as intermediaries are really not a luxury.

The RFO maintains a legal deadline of 3 calendar months to reach a decision. However, as an intermediary, we can often speed up this process due to our extensive experience. The vast majority of our clients receive the subsidy; we rarely receive rejections. Don't worry, should the WBSO application be rejected, you pay us nothing; we work on a no cure, no pay basis. We will then simply look together at which projects are or may be eligible for subsidy.

Step 6: Settlement

Congratulations!!! Your WBSO application has now been approved. You can now deduct the R&D deduction in your payroll tax return. If you are self-employed and you realize at least 500 hours, you can include the R&D deduction in your income tax return. For more info on how to offset your WBSO subsidy read our blog: WBSO subsidy settlement how it works

Step 7: Realization

After the project year, you submit your realized hours within 3 months. Are you a customer of ours? Then of course we will do that for you. If you are self-employed, you only submit if you have made less than 500 hours.

Step 8: Any checks

There is a possibility that the RFO will do an audit visit. They may visit your company, or they may want to see your records. This visit is always announced. In this case, we visit our clients in advance and do a test-check. If anything is still not entirely clear, we will note this and help you put it in order.