Employees · Joint committees
Cleaning (JC 121): what minimum wage in 2026?
Updated on
Since 1 November 2026, withholding tax on pay has been calculated differently (Royal Decree of 27 September 2026). The calculations on this page still follow the previous rules: for pay received from 1 November, withholding tax and net pay may differ. Update in progress.
As of 1 July 2026, the minimum wage for blue-collar cleaning workers under JC 121 ranges from €17.1660 to €23.6290 gross an hour, or €2,752.28 to €3,788.52 a month full-time. At the bottom of the scale, a single person keeps €2,211.58 net a month.
Next indexation: 1 January 2027 (percentage not yet published). You can check the pay scale for your job with the tool on this page.
Who is covered?
Joint committee 121 (CP 121 in French, PC 121 in Dutch) covers blue-collar workers in cleaning companies: office and building cleaning, industrial cleaning, window cleaners, disinfection, waste collection, car washes, chimney sweeping, landfill sites… Service voucher domestic helpers come under another committee, JC 322.01.
How do you read the pay scale?
The minimum is an hourly wage that depends on the category of your work, from 1A (ordinary cleaning) to 10F (landfill sites). For window cleaners and chimney sweeps, it rises over the first months of seniority.
Full-time means 37 hours a week (36 h 30 on average over the quarter, thanks to rest days). Indexo converts the hourly wage into a monthly amount on the basis of 37 hours: 160.33 hours a month. Wages are indexed twice a year, on 1 January and 1 July.
The full minimum pay scales
Minimum hourly wages: blue-collar cleaning workers, by job category
These amounts are minimums: your employer can pay you more. They can never be lower than the guaranteed average minimum monthly income (€2,233.61 full-time), see the net minimum wage.
How much net on the pay scale?
| Category | Gross per month | Net, single | Net, single-income couple, 2 children |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1A: ordinary cleaning | €2,752.28 | €2,211.58 | €2,532.56 |
| 1B: cleaning with additional difficulty | €2,838.06 | €2,222.66 | €2,580.22 |
| 2A: cleaning requiring moderately heavy effort | €2,930.49 | €2,234.58 | €2,631.55 |
| 3A: household waste collection | €3,128.82 | €2,276.06 | €2,740.92 |
| 3C: refuse lorry driver | €3,292.04 | €2,310.69 | €2,806.94 |
| 4D: window cleaner, 18 months or more | €3,290.60 | €2,310.39 | €2,806.61 |
| 8: industrial cleaning | €3,025.17 | €2,254.07 | €2,683.79 |
| 8C: first operator | €3,686.38 | €2,453.55 | €2,980.91 |
| 10F: landfill sites, highly skilled worker | €3,788.52 | €2,495.30 | €3,034.09 |
Am I paid at least the JC 121 minimum?
Enter your job and your salary: Indexo compares it with the pay scale and shows the difference in gross and net terms. Nothing is sent: everything is calculated in your browser. For guidance only.
The tool could not be displayed. Reload the page (Cmd + Shift + R on a Mac, Ctrl + F5 on a PC).
Indexation: when does your pay scale go up?
Twice a year, on 1 January and 1 July. Percentage published by the sector at each indexation date (0.56% on 1 January 2026, 2.07% on 1 July 2026). Indexation applies to the pay scales and to actual salaries. Your employer cannot refuse it.
| Date | Percentage | Status | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Previous indexation | 1 January 2026 | +0.56% | Official |
| Last indexation | 1 July 2026 | +2.07% | Official |
| Next indexation | 1 January 2027 | to be confirmed | To be confirmed |
- Next indexation: Date announced by the Centrale générale FGTB/ABVV; percentage not yet published.
The percentage of the next indexation has not been published yet: this page will be updated as soon as it is.
The indexation radar calculates the effect on your own salary: salary indexation.
Year-end bonus
- Who is entitled: At least 60 days in the sector from 1 July 2025 to 30 June 2026, or at least €3,010 in pay.
- Amount: 9% of gross wages for the period from 1 July 2025 to 30 June 2026.
- Payment: By the social fund, in December (around 6 December for CSC/ACV members already paid last year).
Source: CSC/ACV (secondary source). You can calculate the net bonus with the year-end bonus tool.
Other amounts in the sector
- Work clothing maintenance: €2.517 a week, up to €10.07 a month.
- Meal vouchers: €3.09 per working day of 7.4 hours.
- Own car used for work: €0.444 per kilometre.
- Supplements: Saturday +25%, Sunday and public holiday +100%, overtime +50%.
- CSC/ACV union bonus: €145 for full service, paid with the year-end bonus (source: CSC/ACV).
Amounts in force on 1 July 2026, according to the Centrale générale FGTB/ABVV (ACCG) (secondary source), unless otherwise stated.
Holiday pay and other bonuses can be calculated with bonuses and holiday pay.
Frequently asked questions
How many hours a week is full-time in cleaning?
37 hours a week. With the sector’s rest days, the average is 36 h 30 over a quarter (Limosa sheet from FPS Employment). Hours above 37 a week are paid with a 50% supplement.
When are cleaning wages indexed?
Twice a year. In 2026, the rise was 0.56% on 1 January and 2.07% on 1 July. The next indexation is scheduled for 1 January 2027; its percentage has not been published yet.
What if my salary is below the JC 121 pay scale?
First check your category or class, and the seniority taken into account. Then ask your employer for a correction, in writing: the tool on this page drafts the message. If nothing changes, contact your trade union or the Control on Social Legislation inspectorate of FPS Employment. Pay arrears can be claimed.
How do I know if I come under JC 121?
The joint committee number is on your payslip and often in your contract. It depends on the company’s main activity and on your status (blue-collar or white-collar worker), not on your occupation.
What next?
- All joint committeesThe minimum in other sectors and the checking tool.
- Minimum wage: how much net?The statutory minimum, valid for all sectors.
- Salary indexationYour sector’s next indexation, in net terms.
- Check my payslipRecalculate every line of your payslip.
Sources
Parameters in force on 1 October 2026. Each parameter links to its source, the official one where it exists; a secondary source is flagged as such.
- JC 121: minimum wages as of 1 July 2026 (indexation of 2.07%, next on 1 January 2027), Centrale générale FGTB/ABVV (ACCG) (secondary source). Cross-checked with: Partena Professional, wage adjustments of July 2026 (JC 121: × 1.0207).
- RMMG national : montants en vigueur (2025-2026) et pourcentages des étudiants, Securex (secondary source). Cross-checked with: Infor Jeunes (jeminforme.be, 20 August 2026).
- JC 121: wage indexation on 1 January 2026 (0.56%), Centrale générale FGTB/ABVV (ACCG) (secondary source). Cross-checked with: Daenens, wages and indexations for January 2026.
- Year-end bonus: JC 121, period from 1 July 2025 to 30 June 2026 (9%), CSC/ACV (secondary source).
- Limosa sheet JC 121: working hours (37 hours, 36 h 30 on average over the quarter), year-end bonus of 9% (updated on 16 April 2024), FPS Employment.