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 labour 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 labour 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 labour 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 instalments 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 in Belgium: Take the Tour
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 practising “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 fulfil 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
Fair Pricing in Belgium
Employer of Record
Hire and pay your global team
Starting at $915/month
for annual plans
Top features
Satisfaction guaranteed
No deposits or hidden fees
Zero onboarding or offboarding fees
Compliant equity incentives support including withholding and reporting
Built-in security and compliance
Fast onboarding (average 2-3 days)
Flexible, localised benefits
Contractor Management
Compliantly onboard and pay contractors
$44
per contractor/month
Top features
Only pay for contractors you actively work with
Work with contractors in 200+ countries
Create, edit, and sign tailored, localised contracts
Approve contractor invoices with one click or auto-pay
Transparent payments with complete visibility
Payroll
Consolidate your multi-country payroll
$43
per employee/month
Top features
Simplify: Comprehensive platform that integrates all payroll functions
Support: Personalised assistance with a dedicated team and specialists
Accuracy: Test runs and parallel pay runs before implementation
Compliance: Adhere to local labour laws in every country
Timeliness: Accurate and on-time payroll with labour authority reporting handled
Experience: Seamless payroll with easy access to payslips and expenses
Top features
Guided onboarding and offboarding
Employee profile and document management
Time and attendance (time off and tracking)
Expense management and reimbursement
Employee self-serve on the platform and mobile app