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Our areas of expertise include
- Market development
- Administrative support
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Corporate
- Company formation
- Acquisition of a company (M&A)
- Compliance
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Employment
- Personnel
- Secondment
- Compliance
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Commercial
- Distribution, contracts & GTC
- Debt collection
- Litigation
- Enforcement
Tax and legal issues can quickly arise when employing personnel in Belgium. In order to avoid such problems at an early stage, it is worth seeking legal assistance in Belgium. Our law firm specialises in assisting foreign employers with employees in Belgium. We can assist your company from A to Z in terms of employment and social security law: from determining the competent joint committee to drawing up employment contracts and employment regulations, to assisting with employee dismissals.
There are several ways of employing personnel in Belgium. Either through a Belgian subsidiary or directly through your foreign company. But what do you need to know if you want to employ people in Belgium? This question is often asked, especially by foreign companies with no experience of the Belgian (employment) market.
Of course, we can assist you in drafting or reviewing legally compliant employment contracts and employment regulations in accordance with Belgian law, and advise you on issues relating to Belgian employment and social security law. There is also a high demand for advice on issues relating to the cross-border provision of services, Belgian dismissal law and salary optimisation. For more information on our range of Belgian employment law services, please see the Employment law in Belgium page.
As we frequently support international companies in their employee recruitment in Belgium, we have developed a comprehensive and streamlined ‚Employees in Belgium‘ package, offering a fixed-price solution. This ensures clarity and transparency from the outset. The employee package includes the following services, among others: Drafting the employment contract and employment regulations (often multilingual, e.g. Dutch or French with English translation), an overview in a language you understand of the most important provisions of Belgian employment and social security law and checking which Joint Commission is responsible for your company. On request, we can also arrange a Belgian payroll office for you. The payroll office will take care of all the necessary accounting and administrative obligations in the context of payroll accounting in Belgium. For a non-binding offer, please contact Marco Wirtz (by e-mail or by telephone).
To assist you in navigating the hiring process in Belgium, we have compiled a comprehensive overview of the key considerations you should be aware of when hiring employees in the country. The focus here is on a foreign company wishing to recruit an employee in Belgium. The overview includes the following aspects:
1. Corporate income tax: Does employment through a foreign company have corporate income tax implications for that company? In particular, the creation of a permanent establishment must be taken into account here.
2. Income tax: Where does the employee have to pay income tax on his salary under the double taxation treaty?
3. Social security: Where is the employee covered by social security and what social security measures must be taken before an employee can start working in Belgium?
4. Employment law: What are the particularities of Belgian employment law, both during and after the employment relationship? Although it is theoretically possible to declare foreign employment law applicable, it is advisable to apply Belgian employment law if the employee works permanently in Belgium. Foreign companies employing staff in their Belgian branch should therefore familiarise themselves with the particularities of Belgian labour law. This is because Belgian employment law differs from foreign employment law in many areas.
5. Remuneration: What does a Belgian employee cost and how does remuneration in Belgium work in practice?
You can find more information on these topics in our blog:
In addition to the aforementioned services, our firm is also able to relieve your company of administrative tasks. To provide our clients with a comprehensive and efficient service, we have established cooperation structures with various partners.
Payroll accounting
If you employ personnel in Belgium, you must use a social secretariat (a recognised payroll office) for your payroll. Our payroll partner assists foreign companies that employ personnel in Belgium but do not have a local payroll office. You will be offered a complete payroll package, from all the necessary formalities and registrations with the Belgian authorities (identification of the employer with the LSS (National Social Security Office), Dimona declaration of employees, quarterly DmfA declarations, connection to an external service for prevention and protection at work, connection to a holiday fund, etc.) to the monthly pay slips, calculation and payment of salaries and the payment of wage tax and social security contributions.
Close cooperation with the social secretariat is particularly helpful in the event of cross-border salary problems, e.g. salary splits. Our payroll accounting partner will be happy to provide you with a non-binding offer.
Industrial accident insurance
It is a legal requirement for employers to take out accident insurance for their Belgian employees, as the employer is liable for accidents at work and on the way to and from work. This is a legal requirement. Our insurance partner will be happy to provide you with a non-binding offer.
Onboarding of Belgian employees
Mr. Wirtz and his colleagues provided us with excellent and comprehensive guidance in the recruitment of a new employee in Belgium.
Drafting an employment contract
Reliable and timely completion of assignments, with accurate answers to all questions. The services were provided at a fair and individually agreed remuneration.
Do you have any questions?
Do you have any questions about market development? Do not hesitate to contact our specialist lawyer for employment and commercial law Marco Wirtz. By email at m.wirtz@euregio.law or by phone +32 11 29 47 01.
