Comparison
Doing it yourself, your broker, or FiscalPlace: the honest comparison
We sell one of this comparison's three columns — so scepticism is fair. That's why this page starts with the criteria, moves on to the two cases where you don't need us, and only ends with ours.
The criteria that matter
Three options, seven criteria, zero spin
Every cell is our reading of the market, stated plainly and checkable. No column wins everywhere — which is exactly what an honest comparison looks like.
| Criterion | Yourself (DIY) | Your broker / custodian | FiscalPlace |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost | €0 in service fees — plus certificates, registered mail and your own hours. | Varies by institution: sometimes included, often billed per claim or reserved for large accounts. Ask for the written fee schedule. | Success fee only: 8% to 25% per marginal tranche, €39 floor, €5,000 cap. No recovery = €0. |
| Time spent | Several hours per country and per tax year: local forms, a trip to your tax office, mailings, tracking, follow-ups. | Low — where the service exists. Checking that it was actually performed is still on you. | Import your statements, e-sign the mandate: the rest happens without you. |
| Languages and forms | Swiss Form 83, Austrian ZS-RD1, Canadian NR7-R… in the local language, guidance notes included. | Limited to the markets covered as standard — most often the US via the W-8BEN. | Generated and pre-filled automatically for every country in our panel, checked before filing. |
| Statute-of-limitations tracking | Yours to track — and every country counts differently: 2 years in Canada, 3 in Switzerland, 5 in Austria. | Generally none: your expiring refunds are not part of its mandate. | A deadline computed for every line at import; claims close to the limit are prioritised automatically. |
| Chasing the administration | You write the follow-ups, in the administration's language — then you wait. | Rarely included. | Documented follow-ups at regular intervals, archived in your claim's log. |
| Success rate | Decent on a simple, complete file; missing or non-compliant documents remain the top cause of rejection. | Very good preventively (reduced rate applied at source) when set up correctly; weak at recovering the past. | Every claim is verified before filing and we decline the ones lost in advance. [ACTUAL SUCCESS RATE TO BE PUBLISHED ONCE MEASURABLE AND AUDITABLE — NO INVENTED FIGURE] |
| When it's the right choice | One country, a small amount, spare time and genuine patience for foreign paperwork. | Mostly US securities with a valid W-8BEN in place: check first, it's free. | Several countries, several years of history, meaningful amounts — and zero appetite for chasing administrations. |
Does a cell in this table strike you as unfair to DIY or to brokers? Tell us: we fix what needs fixing.
Report an inaccuracyFirst case
When doing it yourself is the right choice
Honestly: if you tick these three boxes, don't pay us.
- You have a single source country — for instance only Swiss shares, whose refund procedure is now handled online.
- Foreign-language forms don't scare you, and you have a few hours available each year for the file and its follow-up.
- The amount at stake is small: at around €60 recoverable, our €39 floor fee eats most of the gain.
The calculation that makes us say 'do it yourself'
Below this level, it isn't worth it. Our guides explain each country's procedure step by step, for free — and the simulator will tell you bluntly whether your claim falls in this bucket.
Second case
When your broker or custodian is enough
The second case where we're unnecessary — common among investors holding only US equities.
- On US securities, a valid W-8BEN with your broker cuts withholding from 30% to 15% at payment time: that's relief at source.
- Many brokers and custodians apply it correctly. In that case there is nothing to recover on your US dividends — and nobody should charge you anything for that.
- Checking is free: open your latest statement and look at the withholding on a US dividend. 15%: your broker is doing the job. 30%: there's an issue — and note that a W-8BEN expires at the end of the third calendar year after signature, a renewal that's often missed.
- The limits: relief at source doesn't work in Switzerland, Germany or Austria for individual investors. For those countries, your custodian will generally recover nothing after the fact — ask in writing what yours actually covers.
Third case
When delegating to FiscalPlace makes sense
Our column, at last. These are the situations where delegating pays for itself — economically, not as a marketing comfort.
- Several source countries: each administration has its own language, forms and timelines; coordinating them becomes a job in itself.
- Several years of history: the clocks are already running — only 2 years in Canada — and every month of waiting erases part of it.
- Meaningful amounts: the grid is marginal and degressive, from 25% on the first euros down to 8% at the top, capped at €5,000 per claim. Above €75,000 recovered: institutional quote.
- Zero appetite for chasing administrations: filings, follow-ups and letters are all logged in your client area, and a human steps in where it matters.
No win, no fee · Pricing 100% public · FR / EN
Go deeper
The detailed comparisons
DIY vs delegating, with the numbers
Year by year, the true costs of both options — including the ones people forget: certificates, registered mail, hours spent.
FiscalPlace vs your broker
Who does what, who does nothing, and the exact questions to ask your custodian before signing anything.
Our pricing, in plain terms
The full grid, worked examples tranche by tranche, and what we never charge for.
Still undecided? Ask for the number.
The simulator is this comparison's referee: it computes what there is to recover, and therefore tells you which of the three columns is yours — including when the answer is 'none'.
No win, no fee · Pricing 100% public · FR / EN