I am a student. How many hours a year can I work as a student, and what should I watch out for?

What is not allowed, what is required?

• For student work, the employer must sign a student employment contract (studentenovereenkomst / contrat d'occupation d'étudiant) with you.
• For up to 650 hours a year you pay a reduced contribution (2,71%). The hours are counted per calendar year, reset on 1 January and cannot be carried over to the next year. You can check your remaining hours in the “Student@work” app.
• After 650 hours you can still work on a student contract, but normal social security contributions (13,07%) are due on every extra hour.
• If you are 15 and have completed the first 2 years of secondary school, you can do student work; if not, you can only do light work.
• From the age of 18, the hour limits for keeping child benefit (Groeipakket / allocations familiales) depend on the region: the rules differ in Flanders, Wallonia, Brussels and the German-speaking Community. If you are under 18, you keep child benefit in all cases.

Penalty and indirect consequences

Why does this rule exist?

Student work lets young people earn money and gain work experience while staying in education. The hour limit makes sure the reduced contribution rate only benefits students whose main activity is studying.