Students and other statuses · Unemployment
Back to work after unemployment in 2026: how much more do you earn?
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.
Since 1 March 2026, unemployment benefits have been limited to 24 months at most. A single person who earned €2,800 gross and is in their 4th month of benefits receives about €1,713.60 a month; a full-time job at €2,300 gross brings them €2,143.05 net, i.e. €429.45 more each month.
If you work part-time, the income guarantee allowance (AGR/IGU) can top up your salary. A flexi-job or an activity started with the Tremplin-indépendants scheme lets you keep part of your benefits. The tool below compares these options month by month, over 12 months. The benefits are estimates, using National Employment Office (NEO) amounts indexed on 1 September 2026.
Benefits limited in time since 1 March 2026
For a claim made since 1 March 2026, you need 312 working days in 36 months, whatever your age. The entitlement lasts 12 months, plus 1 month per block of 104 days of work history, 24 months at most. Then it stops: to open a new one, you again need 312 working days.
| Period | Amount | Maximum | Minimum, single | Minimum, with dependants | Minimum, cohabitant |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Months 1 to 3 | 65% of last salary | €2,828.36 | €1,645.57 | €2,030.11 | €1,583.77 |
| Months 4 to 6 | 60% | €2,454.69 | €1,645.57 | €2,030.11 | €1,461.78 |
| Months 7 to 12 | 60% | €1,996.96 | €1,495.73 | €1,845.53 | €1,328.92 |
| Months 13 to 24 | Flat rate, depending on your work history | — | €1,495.73 | €1,845.53 | €776.24 |
If you were already receiving benefits before 1 March 2026, the end of your entitlement follows a timetable in waves, from 1 January 2026 to 1 July 2027, depending on how long you have been unemployed and on your work history. Some people aged 55 and over with a long career, and those receiving the arts work allowance, are not affected. Your payment body tells you your date.
A full-time job: how much more?
| Gross salary offered | Net per month | Difference from the benefit |
|---|---|---|
| €2,000 | €1,962.14 | + €248.54 |
| €2,300 | €2,143.05 | + €429.45 |
| €2,600 | €2,191.81 | + €478.21 |
| €3,000 | €2,261.33 | + €547.73 |
The work bonus (werkbonus / bonus à l’emploi) sharply reduces contributions and withholding tax on low salaries: on €2,000 gross, a single white-collar worker keeps €1,962.14 net. A job also earns you working days towards a future entitlement, as well as holiday pay and, often, a year-end bonus.
Part-time: the income guarantee allowance
If you accept a part-time job to get out of unemployment, you can apply for part-time worker status with retained rights. The income guarantee allowance (AGR/IGU) then tops up your salary, on these conditions:
- a schedule of at most four-fifths;
- gross monthly pay below €2,029.88 (amount published by the NEO on 1 April 2024, indexed since: to be confirmed);
- the application to your payment body.
The calculation: your reference benefit (the net amount you would receive on full unemployment), plus €3.87 per hour above one-third time (55 hours a month for a 38-hour schedule), minus your net salary. Example: a half-time job of 82 hours at €1,150 gross brings in €1,149.46 net, plus an AGR/IGU of about €811.43, making €1,960.89 a month, compared with €1,856.40 on full unemployment.
A flexi-job alongside unemployment
A flexi-job requires you to have worked at least four-fifths in the 3rd preceding quarter: it is therefore only possible shortly after losing a job. Each flexi-job day must be declared before you start and costs you that day’s benefit, but the flexi-wage is net, with no contributions or tax up to €18,440 a year. Example: 24 hours of flexi-job work a month, spread over 4 days and paid €14 an hour, bring in €361.77 a month (including flexi holiday pay); the benefit falls from €1,856.40 to €1,570.80.
Starting an activity: the Tremplin-indépendants scheme
For 12 months, you keep your benefits while starting a self-employed side activity. You must declare it before you start (forms C1 and C1C), must not have carried out this activity as a self-employed person as a main occupation in the last 6 years, and it must be neither salaried work nor subcontracted work. It is not open to people receiving the arts work allowance.
Your daily benefit is reduced by the part of your daily net taxable income (the year’s income divided by 312) that exceeds €18.44. Example: a profit of €12,000 a year gives, after self-employed side-activity contributions (20.5%), a net taxable income of about €9,959: the benefit falls by about €350.44 a month. After 12 months, you must choose between the activity and the benefits.
What if your entitlement ends?
When your entitlement ends, the Public Centre for Social Welfare (CPAS/OCMW) can help you if your resources are insufficient, with the social integration income, subject to conditions. A job, even a temporary one, lets you build up working days again for a new entitlement. The regional public employment services support you in your search.
Useful links
- NEO, unemployment reformBenefits limited in time since 1 March 2026: who is affected and when
- NEO, working while unemployedSide activity, sharing economy: what to declare and when
- NEO, Tremplin-indépendants schemeStart a self-employed side activity while keeping your benefits, for up to 12 months
- JobYourselfIn Brussels, test a project for 18 months while keeping your unemployment or CPAS/OCMW benefits, for 10% of the gross margin
- ActirisPublic employment service in Brussels
- Le ForemPublic employment and training service in Wallonia
- VDABPublic employment service in Flanders
- ADGEmployment service of the German-speaking Community
- PPS Social IntegrationThe social integration income and PCSW support
- NEO, income guarantee allowanceThe conditions and calculation of the AGR/IGU for a part-time job
Compare month by month: unemployment, a job, a flexi-job or Tremplin
Your benefit, the job offered, a possible flexi-job and a plan for a self-employed activity: Indexo estimates what you would receive each month for 12 months. Nothing is sent: everything is calculated in your browser.
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Frequently asked questions
How long can you receive unemployment benefit in 2026?
For a claim made since 1 March 2026: 12 months, plus 1 month per block of 104 working days, 24 months at most. If you were already receiving benefits before that date, the end of your entitlement follows its own timetable: your payment body will tell you.
Do I lose my benefits if I work part-time?
Not necessarily. With part-time worker status with retained rights, the income guarantee allowance tops up your salary if you work at most four-fifths and earn less than €2,029.88 gross a month (NEO amount as of 1 April 2024).
Can I do a flexi-job while unemployed?
Only if you worked at least four-fifths in the 3rd preceding quarter. Each flexi-job day must be declared and costs you that day’s benefit; the flexi-wage itself is tax-free.
What is the Tremplin-indépendants scheme?
An NEO scheme that lets you keep your benefits for 12 months while starting a self-employed side activity. The benefit is reduced if your net taxable income exceeds €18.44 a day (annual income ÷ 312).
What happens when my entitlement to benefits ends?
The benefits stop. The PCSW can help you if your resources are insufficient (social integration income, subject to conditions). To open a new entitlement to unemployment benefits, you again need 312 working days in 36 months.
What next?
- Can I combine?What you can add to your benefits, and on what conditions.
- Flexi-job: ceiling and net payNet equals gross, conditions of access and annual ceiling.
- Gross to netThe salary offered, converted to net to the cent.
- Earn more: which option pays most?Overtime, flexi-job, pay rise: the net pay from each option.
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.
- Réforme du chômage: benefits limited in time since 1 March 2026, NEO.
- Chômage complet, nouvelle réglementation: gross amounts, NEO. Cross-checked with: Partena Professional for the September 2026 indexation.
- Les montants des allocations de chômage depuis le 1er mars 2026 (20 March 2026), Infor Jeunes Bruxelles (Bruxelles-J) (secondary source).
- Allocations de chômage 2026 : 24 mois maximum, et après ? (August 2026), Decisio (secondary source).
- Limitation dans le temps des allocations de chômage : qui sera exclu et quand ? (28 October 2025, updated on 31 March 2026), RTBF (secondary source).
- Avez-vous droit à l’allocation de garantie de revenus ? (updated on 1 April 2024), NEO.
- Pouvez-vous exercer une activité pendant votre chômage complet ? (one benefit lost per day of activity), NEO.
- Tremplin-indépendants : exercer une activité indépendante accessoire pendant le chômage (updated on 1 September 2026), NEO.
- Indépendant à titre complémentaire avec une allocation de chômage: contributions of 20.5%, Xerius (secondary source).
- 2% indexation of public sector pay and benefits in September 2026, SD Worx, via Business AM (secondary source).
- Income Tax Code: exemption for flexi-wages, ceiling of €18,440 in 2026, Fisconetplus (FPS Finance). Cross-checked with: Deg & Partners and Securex.
- Cotisations sociales des indépendants 2026, FPS Social Security.
- Instructions administratives : les cotisations de sécurité sociale, NSSO. Cross-checked with: UCM, Securex and the FEB (via the Walloon Public Service) for the basic employer rate in the private sector: 19.88% basic contribution and 5.12% wage moderation contribution, making 25%.
- Instructions administratives : le bonus à l’emploi, NSSO.
- Calcul du précompte professionnel : annexe III de l’AR/CIR 92 et formule-clé 2026, FPS Finance.