Online Coaching Business in the Netherlands and Belgium

How do you start an online coaching business in the Netherlands or Belgium?

In the Netherlands you register as a sole trader (ZZP) at the KVK for a one-off €85.15 (2026) and normally charge 21% VAT on coaching that does not come with a sport facility. In Belgium you get an enterprise number (KBO) through an ondernemingsloket for €111.50 (2026) and start as a zelfstandige. Both countries have a small-business VAT exemption: up to €20,000 turnover in the Netherlands (KOR) and up to €25,000 in Belgium.

Then you need a price that works for the market, a way to deliver plans and check-ins, and a way to get paid. This guide walks through each step for both countries, with the official sources linked. It is general information, not tax or legal advice: check your situation with an accountant (boekhouder) before you register.

Netherlands vs Belgium: the registration facts side by side

The two systems look similar from a distance, but the numbers and offices differ.

Sources: KVK registration fee, Belastingdienst on sport VAT, KOR conditions. The Belgian KBO fee and exemption threshold come from secondary sources (Liantis and Xerius), because the official finance page could not be checked.

What VAT do you charge on online coaching?

In the Netherlands, coaching that is not combined with a sport accommodation is taxed at 21%, and pure online coaching has no accommodation at all. The Belastingdienst says "sportlessen, instructies of begeleiding" without the facility fall under the standard rate, and the 9% rate needs the space, its upkeep and the equipment to come from you.

In Belgium, the circular 2022/C/118 was written about gyms and PT studios: 6% when facility access is the main service, 21% when access is only a side part of the training. Online coaching has no facility, so the reduced rate is hard to argue. Confirm with your accountant, because the circular does not mention online programmes by name.

The small-business exemptions change the picture in the first year. With KOR in the Netherlands you charge no VAT and file no VAT returns, but you also cannot reclaim VAT on costs. You must apply at least four weeks before the start date. Belgium's vrijstellingsregeling works the same way up to €25,000.

Simple maths shows when the threshold bites. At €150 a month per client, 11 clients for a full year is €19,800, just under the Dutch KOR limit. A twelfth client pushes you over. In Belgium, 13 clients at €150 for a year is €23,400, still under €25,000.

For the full Dutch freelance setup (KVK, btw-id, insurance, bookkeeping), read our guide to the freelance personal trainer in the Netherlands.

What can you charge for online coaching in the Netherlands and Belgium?

Dutch price guides put online coaching at €100 to €200 a month for weekly guidance, according to gymsearch.nl (May 2026). For Belgium no comparable online coaching survey was found, so you anchor on 1:1 prices instead.

The Belgian figures come from Superprof's Flanders price overview (October 2023), so they are older and describe in-person work. Read together, the Dutch ranges put a month of online coaching at about the price of two 1:1 sessions. That makes sense: the client gets a plan, check-ins and chat, but no hour on the gym floor with you.

Keep the VAT inside your price in mind. A Dutch client who pays €150 a month including 21% VAT gives you €123.97 before tax. If you are on KOR, the full €150 is yours, but your costs carry VAT you cannot reclaim.

The deeper breakdown of what clients pay, per session and per month, is in our sibling articles on personal trainer cost in the Netherlands and personal trainer cost in Belgium.

Step by step: from idea to first paying client

The order matters: register before you invoice, and decide on VAT before you set prices.

1. Define the offer. Who is it for, what does a month include (plan, check-in frequency, chat response time), and what does it cost. Our guide on how to structure an online coaching offer goes deeper.
2. Register. Netherlands: KVK, then the btw-id arrives from the Belastingdienst. Belgium: KBO number through an ondernemingsloket, then ask the loket and your accountant which other registrations a zelfstandige needs.
3. Choose your VAT route. Standard VAT, or KOR / vrijstellingsregeling if you expect to stay under the threshold. In the Netherlands, apply for KOR at least four weeks before you start.
4. Write terms and a privacy notice. Health data you collect (injuries, medical conditions, body measurements) is special-category data under GDPR article 9. You need a lawful basis plus an article 9 condition, usually explicit consent.
5. Set up delivery. An app where the client sees the plan, logs workouts and messages you. Mulier Instituut found that 68% of Dutch sporters already use an app or device (2025), so clients expect it.
6. Set up payment. Decide between monthly subscriptions, per-plan pricing or invoices.
7. Get the first three clients. Usually people you already know, at a founding price, in exchange for honest feedback.

Language and market: one business or two?

One business can serve both countries, but the language decides who you reach. Flanders and the Netherlands share Dutch, Brussels is mostly French and Dutch, Wallonia is French. A Dutch coach writing only in Dutch reaches Flanders without extra work, but not Liège.

Cross-border clients raise VAT questions. If you are based in the Netherlands and coach Belgian clients online, or the other way round, ask your accountant how the rules apply to you, especially if you use a small-business exemption. The Belgian scheme was reformed on 1 January 2025 and now includes an EU cross-border variant.

Online sign-ups also bring one EU duty: since 19 June 2026, traders selling online must offer an electronic withdrawal function during the 14-day withdrawal period, under Directive (EU) 2023/2673. If clients buy your coaching on your website, your sign-up flow needs it.

Which tools does an online coach in NL or BE need?

At minimum: a place for plans, a way to check in, a chat, and payments. A common pattern is to start with spreadsheets and a chat app, then switch once the admin starts eating the coaching time.

Local payment habits are the tricky part. Dutch clients are used to iDEAL, Belgian clients to Bancontact. Not every coaching platform supports those for recurring payments; on Stripe, for example, Bancontact does not support recurring charges directly. Ask before you choose.

Where Trainera fits

Trainera is coaching software for trainers, gyms and their clients, with a free client app for iOS, Android and web in 26 languages, including Dutch and French. For an online coach in the Netherlands or Belgium it covers training and nutrition plans (library of 1,800+ exercises with video and 1,100+ recipes), check-ins, habits, chat, intake questionnaires on every plan including Free, and a branded trainer website.

Prices for the Netherlands and Belgium are in euro on trainera.fit/pricing:

Yearly billing is 10 times the monthly price. Automations are included from Starter (1 active), Pro (3) and Business (10); Community comes with Pro and up.

For payments you choose a model: Request only (price agreed outside the app), Monthly subscription by card (with Apple Pay and Google Pay), Plan-based (pay per plan) or Cash payments for in-person clients. PayPal and bank transfer options are also available for coaching payments. Trainera does not offer iDEAL, Wero, Bancontact or SEPA Direct Debit (incasso, domiciliëring) today; if a client insists on one of those, you collect it through your own bank or provider and record the client manually.

Trainera does not file VAT returns, apply KOR or issue fiscal documents. Your accountant or bookkeeping tool handles that side. See what the coaching side looks like on the Trainera trainer platform.

Mistakes new coaches make in the first year

• Pricing without VAT in mind. A €150 price that has to include 21% VAT leaves less than you planned.
• Joining KOR too late. The Dutch scheme needs four weeks' notice before the start date.
• Collecting health data on a loose form. Injuries and medical conditions are special-category data. Ask explicitly and store it in one place.
• Offering unlimited chat. Write down a response time (for example, within one working day) before your tenth client.
• Copying UK or US prices. Use Dutch and Belgian ranges; the markets differ.

If you plan to combine online and in-person clients, our article on hybrid personal training shows how to split time and pricing. And for how your clients choose an app, see the best fitness apps in the Netherlands and Belgium.

Your launch plan for the next 30 days

• Week 1: write the offer and the price per month, including or excluding VAT.
• Week 1: book an hour with an accountant to decide KOR or vrijstellingsregeling.
• Week 2: register at the KVK or through an ondernemingsloket.
• Week 2: write the intake questionnaire with an explicit consent question for health data.
• Week 3: set up your plan templates, check-in form and payment model in your software.
• Week 4: onboard three founding clients and ask them what was unclear.

Plans, check-ins, chat and payments for online coaches in one app: start with the Trainera trainer platform.