How much money can the school ask me for? Is there help with school costs?

What is not allowed, what is required?

• During compulsory education, enrolment is free: the school cannot charge an enrolment fee (inschrijvingsgeld / minerval).
• Nursery and primary school in Flanders: materials needed to meet the learning goals are free. Activities such as theatre visits or day trips are subject to an annual cap (maximumfactuur). Residential school trips have a separate cap, and in nursery school no charge can be made for them. The amounts are indexed every year. There is no cap in secondary school, but the school must discuss its list of possible charges (bijdrageregeling) with the school council (schoolraad).
• In French-language schools (Wallonia and Brussels), the school itself provides the materials in nursery and primary school (for the 6th year from 2027-2028), so it may not give you a list of materials to buy. You provide the school bag, pencil case and sports kit, but the school cannot insist on a particular brand.
• In French-language schools, compulsory charges can only be made for swimming, cultural and sports activities, residential school trips and transport for these, at actual cost. If the costs exceed 50 €, you can ask to pay in instalments. A child cannot be refused or punished because of unpaid costs.
• School allowance: in Flanders, the schooltoeslag for a child at a Dutch-language school is paid automatically if your income is low enough. For a pupil at a French-language secondary school, you have to apply for the allocation d'études; the 2026 application period is 1 July–31 October.

Penalty and indirect consequences

Why does this rule exist?

Free education is enshrined in the Constitution. The caps and allowances are there so that no child is excluded from activities or from school because of their family's finances.