Do I have to declare my inflation bonus on my taxes in 2025?

Yes, the inflation bonus has to be reported to tax authorities - it's income like anything else. So you need to include it in your tax return even though it's government assistance. That said, it depends a bit on your personal situation and how you receive it, but overall the tax authorities want to know about everything. If you're really not sure how to classify it, an accountant can help you sort that out pretty quickly.

It really depends on which inflation bonus you're talking about, because there were several waves between 2022 and 2025 with different tax rules. Some were exempt from income tax (like the €100 bonus in 2022), while other exceptional bonuses could be taxable. The most reliable thing is to check your tax notice or contact the tax authorities directly with the exact details of the bonus you received, because changing the year or bonus category really makes a difference.

The quickest way is to check directly on your 2024 tax notice or on the tax authority's website: if the inflation bonus had been tax-exempt, it wouldn't appear at all in your taxable income. If it's already showing up there, that means it's been accounted for. For 2025, you can ask your employer or the organization that paid the bonus what tax treatment they applied - some bonuses were completely tax-exempt depending on their timing and amount, others only partially.

The trap a lot of people fall into is thinking they need to declare it themselves when it often comes pre-filled on your tax return. Before you click "accepted" on your online return, you really need to read the "other income" or "exceptional income" line that shows up there. If the bonus is there and you think it shouldn't be, you can flag it for correction before you submit.

To be safe, your best bet is still a quick call or email to the tax authority with the number or proof of your inflation bonus. Takes ten minutes and saves you from any nasty surprises. They can see in their records whether your employer already reported it anyway.

Actually it's even simpler than that: most of the inflation bonuses paid out between 2022 and 2025 were explicitly exempt from income tax, so you don't have to declare anything. The thing is there were several waves with different conditions (for employees, self-employed people, retirees...), so you need to check exactly which one you got. If it already shows up in your pre-filled 2025 income return, then yes you should keep it, but generally it won't appear at all if it was exempt.