Health insurance and leave benefits
Everyone is required to have health insurance in Belgium. Some companies offer their permanent employees additional hospitalisation insurance to cover all medical costs.
Health insurance
You will be reimbursed for certain medical costs, such as visiting a GP or a dentist.
Leave benefits
Employees who are unable to work due to an accident or illness will receive benefits.
Hospitalisation insurance
Hospitalisation insurance offers full coverage for things like hospital admissions and seeing a specialist.
Child benefits
The Groeipakket (a child benefits scheme) is a package of financial allowances for each child. It consists of a one-time payment, a base monthly payment and a school bonus. As an international temporary employee working in Belgium, you are entitled to child benefits for each individual child.
One-time and monthly payments
You will receive a one-time payment after the birth or adoption of each child, followed by fixed monthly payments thereafter.
School bonus
You will receive an annual payment in August to help cover the school costs for each child.
Extra allowances
Depending on your personal situation, you may be eligible for other allowances (e.g. healthcare and school allowances) for each child.
Seniority and pension
Despite not having a permanent contract, you will still accrue seniority for all work-related activities. These activities also count towards your pension accrual. The amount depends on the number of days you worked and your salary for the duration of your career.
Seniority
For temporary employees, seniority is determined by the total period you worked for an employment agency, rather than the number of years worked.
Pension contribution
Temporary employees are entitled to pension contributions. This contribution is paid out monthly as a supplement to your gross salary.
Pension age and amount
The website www.mypension.be has a useful tool to calculate your earliest possible retirement date and your monthly pension payment.
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Ready? Set? Go abroad!
Moving to Belgium for work is an enriching adventure. It gives you the opportunity to learn more about a different country, culture, language and people. You’ll also receive a higher and well-deserved salary for your work as a specialist.