Belgium
Make employment in Belgium easy. Let us handle payroll, benefits, taxes, compliance, and even stock options for your team in Belgium, 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
Want to hire employees in Belgium? Companies hiring in Belgium are typically required to either own a local legal entity or work with a global employment platform like Remote that can legally provide employment services in the country.
Remote can employ team members in Belgium and keep you compliant at all times. Remote can hire, onboard, and pay your Belgium team so you don't have to set up local HR services in the region. Remote also makes it easy to pay contractors in Belgium. now to get started or talk to an expert for more details.
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 of the highest in the EU, is reviewed annually to sync with existing price levels.
The national minimum wage in Belgium is €2,029.88 a month for a 38h a week or €12.33 per hour.
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.
12 Public holidays
Want to see and manage all holidays? Sign up for our free HRIS!
Effortless HR Belgium: Take the Tour
Competitive benefits package in Belgium
At Remote, we’re passionate about helping you craft the best possible employee experience for your team. We are leading the way in developing globally competitive benefits programs. This means making sure employees everywhere have access to both the required and supplemental benefits they need to thrive, and your company has the localized expertise needed to attract and keep the best global talent.
Our benefits packages in Belgium are tailored to fulfill the local needs of 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
Fair Pricing in Belgium
Employer of Record
$599
paid annually, or $699/month paid monthly
Top features
Hire without opening a local entity
Guided onboarding
Local payroll paid on time, every time
Built-in security and compliance
Flexible, localized benefits
Offer equity incentives with tax assistance
Dedicated experts for local support
Contractor Management
$29
per contractor/month
Top features
Only pay for contractors you actively work with
Work with international contractors
Create, edit, and sign tailored, localized contracts
Approve contractor invoices with one click or auto-pay
Transparent payments with complete visibility
Payroll
$29
per employee/month
Top features
Powerful, transparent international payroll
Simple self-service platform
Personalized support from dedicated specialists
Adhere to local payroll regulations in every country
Integrated payroll, expense management, and HRIS solution
Top features
Guided onboarding and offboarding
Employee profile and document management
Contract templates and e-signing
Time off and time tracking
Expense management
Employee and manager self-serve experiencea
Mobile app