Students to pocket more cash this summer

22 April 2005
 
BRUSSELS – Students looking to earn some extra cash this summer will benefit from a new Belgian law entering into force on 1 July.
 
The tax law will allow students to work more days per year under an advantageous hike in tax ceilings, French-language daily ‘La Derniere Heure’ reported Friday.
 
Students will be able to hold down a job for 46 days a year, double the number of days actually authorised, according to Employment Minister Freya Van den Bossche.
 
“A student can currently work a maximum of 23 days per year during the summer months, from July to September,” she added.
 
For this period,  both employer and student benefit from an advantageous model of social security contributons: 5 percent imposed on the employer and 2.5 percent imposed on the student.
 
Once this ceiling of 23 days is surpassed, however, contributions jump to 33 percent for the employer and 13.7 percent for the student employee.
 
The preferential system of lower social security taxation will remain the same, but will be doubled to a maximum of 46 days during the three summer months.
 
Outside this period, the tax rate for working students will remain unchanged.
 
For students working on weekends or holidays during the rest of the year, social security contributions are 12.5 percent – 8 percent for the employer and 4.5 percent for the student.
 
[Copyright Expatica 2005]

Subject: Belgian news