Capital city
Brussels
Currency
Euro
(€, EUR)
Population size
11,492,641
(est. 2020)
Languages spoken
Dutch, French, German
Remote-Owned Local Entity
We own our own entity in the countries where we operate to shield your company from risk and provide you and your employees with the signature Remote experience.
The Kingdom of Belgium (Dutch: Koninkrijk België) is a sovereign state, situated in western Europe, and split into three autonomous regions and 10 provinces.
Ranking 14th on the human development index, and 17th on the GDP index, Belgium hosts one of Europe’s most vibrant labor markets, driven by a stable democracy & a diversified economy.
Capital city
Brussels
Currency
Euro
(€, EUR)
Languages spoken
Dutch, French, German
Population size
11,492,641 (est. 2020)
Ease of doing business
Very easy
Cost of living index
$$$$ (22 of 139 nations)
Payroll frequency
Monthly
VAT - standard rate
21%
GDP - real growth rate
1.7% (2019)
To employ in Belgium, companies must own a local legal entity in the country or work with a global employment solution. Managing payroll, benefits, taxes, and compliance in Belgium can get complicated, especially without established local relationships.
Using Remote’s Global Employer of Record solution makes it easy for your company to employ workers in Belgium quickly and in full compliance with all applicable labor laws. We take on the responsibility and legal risks of international employment so you can focus on attracting top talent and growing your business.
Although Belgium doesn’t have a codified employment law several labor regulations at the Federal level work in tandem to protect workers’ rights. Employees in Belgium enjoy protections against discrimination based on age, religion, sexual orientation, gender expression, and race.
Date | Holiday Name |
---|---|
Saturday, January 1, 2022 | New Year's Day |
Sunday, April 17, 2022 | Easter Day |
Monday, April 18, 2022 | Easter Monday |
Sunday, May 1, 2022 | Labor Day |
Thursday, May 26, 2022 | Ascension Day |
Sunday, June 5, 2022 | Whit Sunday |
Monday, June 6, 2022 | Whit Monday |
Thursday, July 21, 2022 | Belgian National Day |
Monday, August 15, 2022 | Assumption Mary |
Tuesday, November 1, 2022 | All Saints' Day |
Friday, November 11, 2022 | Armistice Day |
Sunday, December 25, 2022 | Christmas Day |
Belgian labor laws stipulate a mandated minimum wage for all workers. The minimum wage, which is one the highest in the EU, is reviewed bi-annually to sync with existing price levels.
Belgium’s minimum wage was raised in 2021. The national minimum wage in Belgium now remains fixed at 1625.7 EURO per month.
For customers of Remote, all employee payments will be made in equal monthly installments on or before the last working day of each calendar month, payable in arrears.
Note that by Belgian law, the employer has to pay an additional 13th month with the December salary payment. This is only mandatory for employees that have been employed by the company for at least half a year (i.e. start date as of July 1st of the current year). It is relatively common for employers to decide to pay the 13 month payment to everyone regardless.
The employee's contribution to social security taxes is set at 13.07% of the gross salary.
The employer’s cost is between 25-27% depending on the date the employee was hired.
Belgian social security contributions cover:
We can help you get a new employee started in Belgium fast. The minimum onboarding time we need is only 9 working days.
Our team ensures your employees are onboarded and paid as quickly as possible while keeping your business compliant with all local employment legislation. The minimum onboarding time begins after the employee submits all required information onto the Remote platform. The onboarding timeline is also dependent upon registration with local authorities.
For all non-nationals of the country of employment, the Right to Work assessment (if applicable) will add three extra days to the total time to onboard. There may be extra time required if we need to follow-up on the right to work assessment.
Please note, payroll cut-off dates can impact the actual first day of employment. Remote has a payroll cut-off date of the 10th of the month unless otherwise specified.
At Remote, we’re obsessed with helping you craft the best possible employee experience for your team. We are leading the way in practicing “fair equity,” which means making sure employees everywhere have access to both the required and supplemental benefits they need to thrive (and that will allow you to attract the best local talent).
Our benefits packages in Belgium are tailored to fulfill the local needs of your employees. Typically, our packages contain some or all of the following benefits:
In order to access specific information about our benefits packages in Belgium, start onboarding your first employee with Remote today.
Learn how employment taxes and statutory fees affect your payroll and your employees’ paychecks in Belgium.
9% - Pension fund
Minimum 7.5% - Pension fund
25% - up to 13,440
40% - 13,440 to 23,720
45% - 23,720 to 41,060
50% - more than 41,060
Employees are entitled to 20 days if they work 5 days a week and 24 days if they work 6 days a week
Maternity leave is 15 weeks long. The mother must take a minimum of 1 week before the expected due date and can take up to a maximum of 6 weeks of leave before the due date.
Then the woman will take a mandatory 9 weeks which starts from the date of the birth of the child.
Women who have twins (or multiple births) will be entitled to an additional 2 weeks of maternity leave.
Belgium’s Health Insurance Fund pays for this parental leave as follows:
Paternity Leave is 15 days that can be taken continuously or separately.
The employer will pay the first 3 days of the leave and the remaining period is paid by the Health Insurance Fund at a rate of 82% of the regular pay of the gross salary of the employee.
Parental leave can start from any time after the birth of the child and be taken as follows:
Workers can have their employment terminated by the employer, provided there are fair grounds for dismissal provided. These include:
Terminations are only considered lawful when they’re due to factors regarding employee capability or an employer’s need to retain a worker’s services.
In Belgium, the notice period required varies based on the length of employment:
There is no probation period in Belgium. Probation cannot be added in the employment agreement, it has no legal value. The normal dismissal procedures should be used during the beginning of the employment contract, with the specificity that the employee does not have the right to request the communication of the reason for the dismissal if the dismissal takes place within 6 months after the start of the employment contract. He will also not be entitled to an outplacement offer. The termination of the work agreement can be initiated by the employer (in which case a notice period and an indemnity is due to the employee), by the employee (a notice period is due to the employer) or by on a mutual agreement.