Making your WBSO application successful with these 7 tips

Filing a WBSO application? These 7 tips will help you lay the groundwork.

What are the goals for 2022 going to be and how do you stay ahead of the competition? For 2022, 1,336 million euros has been made available by the RVO (National Enterprise Agency of the Netherlands) to stimulate research & development (R&D) work, or WBSO. Money made available to help your company in research & development (R&D) work in 2022.

Tip 1: Check if the project is eligible for WBSO

The first and most important question to ask is whether there is a project within the organization that qualifies for the WBSO. The WBSO subsidy helps companies by providing a tax benefit to reduce the cost of research and development work. However, a WBSO subsidy can only be given to a company doing product development, product innovation, or the development of technically innovative software.

If the project does not fall within these frameworks, the WBSO application will be rejected by the RFO. Is there no project under development within the organization at the beginning of 2022? Then this is not an obstacle. Do you doubt the feasibility of your WBSO application, for example whether it falls within the set frameworks for the WBSO subsidy from the RVO? Then contact Subsidie op Maat to assess the application together.

Tip 2: Completing the WBSO application

If the project does not fall within these frameworks, the WBSO application will be rejected by the RFO. Is there no project under development within the organization at the beginning of 2022? Then this is not an obstacle. Do you doubt the feasibility of your WBSO application, for example whether it falls within the set frameworks for the WBSO subsidy from the RVO? Then contact Subsidie op Maat to assess the application together.

Tip 3: The right employees

To apply for (and, of course, execute) a WBSO project, it is important to have the right employees. The employees (or self-employed) must have the knowledge and skills to work on the innovation.

It is also a condition of the RFO that development work must take place in the European Union (EU). The employees working on the WBSO projects must therefore be physically in the EU. Remote or hybrid working outside the EU is therefore not allowed. The employees must be salaried and your company must pay payroll taxes for them in the Netherlands. Then there is a final note: since the Brexit, the UK is no longer part of the EU. Therefore, employees working from the UK cannot be submitted on the WBSO application either.

For 2021 and 2022, Citizen Service Numbers must be reported in the (old) eLoket. For your WBSO application in 2022, report the BSN numbers from the year 2020.

Tip 4: The regime choice

Check your "regime choice" aka your financial allowance. Depending on whether you expect to incur many costs during the course of your WBSO application, you can choose between the flat-rate variant or the actual estimate of costs and expenses. This is an important choice to make at the beginning of the year, as the chosen regime applies for the entire calendar year. So also look carefully at what costs and expenses you expect to incur within the calendar year and application period. Base your lump sum or actual cost and expense choice on this.

Tip 5: WBSO calendar

Submitting the WBSO application can be done at different times. This depends first of all on the company structure. Companies with employees can submit the application no later than the day prior to the application period. But there is one exception to this. Does the application start on January 1? Then the application must be submitted no later than the 20th of December. If you submit the application after this date, the project start date moves up to February 1.

Are you an entrepreneur without employees? Then the application period starts from the date you submit the application until the end of the calendar year.

It is also important to know that the period in which a project is carried out must/can last a minimum of 3 and a maximum of 12 months. Also take this into account when filling the project hours. If a project lasts longer than 12 months, an extension must be requested.

Tip 6: WBSO application portal

To improve its services, the RVO has replaced its old eLoket for the new application portal. It is therefore important from September 1, 2021 that your WBSO applications are no longer submitted via the eLoket, but via the new application portal.

How does the new application portal work with your WBSO application; First of all, from now on all communication about your application will be digital. You will receive email from the [email protected] email address. Make sure that this email does not end up in your spam box or stay there.

Because you no longer receive mail from the RFO, we recommend that you give multiple employees access to the inbox where the [email protected] email arrives. The RFO uses the email address provided on the WBSO application.

Are you running out of time submitting your application? Then watch the video below that explains how to submit a form-free application within the application portal.

Tip 7: eRecognition3, intermediaries and chain authorization

To submit the WBSO application, in part because of the new application portal, you will need eHerkenning level 3 (eH3). Check within the organization who manages this recognition and discuss how you can jointly use this recognition to complete the WBSO application.

Has the help of an intermediary been engaged for the WBSO subsidy? Then the intermediary will need chain authorization as of 2022.

Filing a successful WBSO application is a time-consuming and intensive job. However, it is a job that pays off for the organization or self-employed person. It helps you with just that little bit of support to beat the competition by being able to innovate and develop. If you want more certainty that your project or application will be approved, contact Subsidie Op Maat. We will help you with a complete WBSO application for your company.