Social security self-employed persons

Anyone starting up as a self-employed person in Belgium is legally required to get an enterprise number. An enterprise counter will assist you. On top of the enterprise number, you have to make arrangements to pay in the social security contributions that will entitle him or her to social benefits in the future and this must come into effect on the start date of the planned self-employed activity. To do this you will have to join a social insurance fund in one of the two types:

• main profession self-employed when you are full-time self employed, or
• additional profession (secondary occupation) self-employed when you are part-time self employed

Social security home country

As a non-Belgian national, it may be that these social security payments have to be made in your home country, rather than in Belgium. Whether this applies in your particular case depends on several factors and this needs to be investigated. The social insurance fund will prepare a file, containing all the relevant information and submit this to the public authorities.

Self-employed secondary occupation

If you are an employee, you will receive Belgian social security via your employer, who will be registered with the National Social Security Office (in French ONSS, or in Dutch RSZ).

As an employee, you can also work for yourself as a complementary activity.  With the status self-employed secondary occupation, you are legally obliged to join a Belgian social insurance fund for self-employed persons.

Social protection

Your entitlement to receive a pension, sickness and invalidity insurance, child support, lump sum benefit on the birth of a child and your entitlement to receive social security cheques, depends on your joining a social insurance fund and your payment of the relevant social security contributions. For non-Belgians, your right to receive child support in Belgium depends on the specific agreements in place between the Belgian government and your country of origin and whether or not your children are with you in Belgium.

Director has to join a Social Insurance Fund

In Belgium, as a self-employed person working for yourself, you are legally required to join a social insurance fund. This also applies to the managing director / CEO of companies and active partners in partnerships.

Company has to affiliate to a Social Insurance Fund

A company must also belong to a social insurance fund from the date of incorporation. The contribution to this fund is a solidarity-contribution. It is only meant to support the Belgian social security system for self-employed entrepreneurs. As a company, there are no benefits to obtain by contribution.