Belgium
Make employment in Belgium easy. Let us handle payroll, benefits, taxes, compliance, and even stock options for your team in , all in one easy-to-use platform.
- Capital city
Brussels
- Currency
Euro (€, EUR)
- Languages
Dutch, French, and German
- Population size
11,492,641
Facts & Stats
- Capital city
Brussels
- Currency
Euro (€, EUR)
- Languages
Dutch, French, and German
- Population size
11,492,641
- 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)
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.
Grow your team in Belgium with Remote
Looking to employ workers in Belgium? Companies hiring in Belgium must either own a legal entity in the country or work with a global employment solutions provider, usually one that provides employer of record services.
Remote can employ your team in Belgium on your behalf through our local legal entity in the country and handle payroll, benefits, taxes, and compliance for your Belgium team. You can also pay contractors now in Belgium with Remote.
Risks of misclassification
Belgium, like many other countries, treats self-employed individuals or contractors and full-time employees differently. Misclassification of contractors in Belgium may lead to fines and penalties for the offending company.
Employing in Belgium
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.
Minimum wage
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 1,955 EURO per month.
Payroll cycle
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.
Social security contribution
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:
Old-age and survivor’s pensions
Unemployment Insurance
Insurance for occupational diseases
Family allowances
Sickness and disability benefits
Onboarding time
We can help you get a new employee started in Belgium fast. The minimum onboarding time we need is only 4 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.
10 Public holidays
Competitive benefits package in Belgium
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:
Health Insurance
Dental Insurance
Vision Insurance
Mental Health Support
Pension or 401(K)
Life and Disability Insurance
Taxes in Belgium
Learn how employment taxes and statutory fees affect your payroll and your employees’ paychecks in Belgium.
25 - 27%
Social security
9%
Pension fund
Types of Leave
Employees are entitled to 20 days if they work 5 days a week and 24 days if they work 6 days a week
Employment termination
Termination process
Workers can have their employment terminated by the employer, provided there are fair grounds for dismissal provided. These include:
Employee's capability or qualifications for performing work of the kind the employee was employed to do
Employee conduct
Employee retirement
Employee redundancy
Employee inability to continue working in a position without contravening statutory duty or restriction
Changing needs of the employer
Other substantial reasons justifying dismissal
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.
Notice period
In Belgium, the notice period required varies based on the length of employment:
Less than 3 months of employment: 2 weeks notice
3 to 6 months of employment: 4 weeks notice
6 to 9 months of employment: 6 weeks notice
9 to 12 months of employment: 7 weeks notice
12 to 15 months of employment: 8 weeks notice
15 to 18 months of employment: 9 weeks notice/li>
18 to 21 months of employment: 10 weeks notice
21 to 24 months of employment: 11 weeks notice
24 to 36 weeks of employment: 12 weeks notice
36 to 48 months of employment: 13 weeks notice
48 to 60 months of employment: 15 weeks notice
60 months to 19 years of employment: 60 weeks notice plus 3 weeks for every year exceeding 5 years
20 to 21 years of employment: 62 weeks notice plus 1 week for every year of employment
Probation periods
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.