Tax Authorities Inspected Belgian Bank Accounts 114.000 Times Last Year

The Federal Public Service (FPS) Finance consulted the bank account register 14 percent more often last year than in 2024. The total number of consultations amounted to 114.025, mainly for the purpose of collecting outstanding taxes.

The Central Contact Point (CCP) at the National Bank of Belgium (NBB) contains the account numbers and balances of all bank accounts and financial contracts held in the names of Belgians. This information is available under strict conditions to certain parties, such as the tax authorities, notaries, and the Federal Public Service Justice.

FPS Finance as the largest user

Just as in 2024, the FPS Finance was also the party that consulted the register most last year. The number of consultations was 14 percent higher than in 2024 and even 31 percent higher than in 2023. According to the FPS Finance, the register is primarily used to collect tax arrears.

Over the past two years, the number of consultations by the tax authorities has increased by almost a third. If the planned data mining is fully operational, this number will increase even further in the coming years.

Increased use of registers in tax audits

It is not clear whether the register is also used more often during tax audits, for example in the event of a strong suspicion of tax fraud. fraudIt is clear that the number of consultations of the CAP will increase significantly in the coming years once the planned data mining is fully operational.

At the end of 2025, a bill was approved that allows the tax authorities to make more intensive use of the account register. A team of data miners, appointed by the Minister of Finance, will be able to perform pseudonymized data analyses. Although the data is not directly linked to an identity, an increased risk in a file could lead a government official to initiate an investigation and request the person's identity.

Tax authorities and notaries have access to CAP

Not only the FPS Finance has access to the CAP. The Flemish Tax Administration (Vlabel) can also consult the register. In 2025, Vlabel did this 8.222 times, 7 percent more than in 2024. Notaries also have access to the CAP, for example, to check which couches A deceased person had all the accounts. In 2025, the register was consulted 101.604 times by notaries, a 3 percent increase compared to 2024.

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