Side-hustling In Belgium: 6 Official (side-)jobs Providing Income

Embarking on a side hustle in Belgium is not only a pathway to generating additional income but also a complex financial endeavor. In recent years, the Belgian government made it easier to make an extra income through a side hustle. In 2015, it introduced a new form of unlimited untaxed income: Flexi-jobs. Later, in 2018, it introduced another form of untaxed income with a limit of 6,340 EUR. Unfortunately, It’s this last form that the Constitutional Court has annulled. What does this mean for people that still want to side hustle?

The law made it possible to earn something extra as a natural person (i.e., not a company) for your local sports clubs and couriers like Deliveroo and Uber Eats. There was a list of recognized sectors and companies where you could register.

However, the Constitutional Court ruled that the regulation contradicts the principle of equality and non-discrimination. The court stated that persons carrying out the same activities as their main profession are ‘treated very differently, without reasonable justification, with regard to employment legislation, the social security system, and taxation.’

This ruling has taken effect as of January 2021, removing at least one side hustle in Belgium.

The law with a ceiling of 6,340 EUR per year is mainly used by sports associations. To benefit from this favorable measure, you must meet several conditions:

• You are an employee (at least 4/5th), civil servant, a self-employed person as a main occupation, or retired (already retired for at least 2 quarters). Jobseekers, homemakers, and students (who are not taxed anyway) are not eligible for this measure.
• The additional income you earn is occasional, so not on a fixed basis. Your client is a private individual (childcare, tutoring, lawn mowing) or association (both sports and socio-cultural association), or you work for a partial platform (Deliveroo, Parcify, Uber Eats, Listminut, Helppr,…). On this list, you will find a handy overview of allowed activities.
• Full-time self-employed people are given the additional condition that the additional income is different from their main activity.
• Before starting working, you have to report the activity to social security services. You can do this on the platform www.bijklussen.be. Those that work through a platform such as Deliveroo don’t have to do anything: it’s reported automatically.

Various professional organizations and trade unions had appealed, with success, against this law to the Constitutional Court. The Constitutional Court ruled that the supporting legislation disproportionately affects the rights of the employees and employers concerned. Those who work in the system do not pay any social contributions or taxes or accrue any social rights.

While there are restrictions to the below side-jobs, it holds that it allows for a nice extra income every month. However, due to the ruling mentioned above, it’s clear that at least one form of untaxed side hustling will stop existing at the end of the year.

So, what is still possible?

I will list several alternatives. Regardless of what you choose, it’s clear that each of the following options has limitations.

After, I will cover how you can earn money online in Belgium, but don’t start seeing Euro signs yet. It is meant as a side activity to complement your main job.

There is no way to become a millionaire overnight!

These methods require patience and practice of particular skills, some more than others. Think about it: anyone would be a millionaire if it were that easy to earn money online or offline. The only way to become rich quick is by either:

• Being born rich
• Marrying into wealth
• Winning the lottery

Everything else requires acquiring new or developing existing skills. If you reach a level of expertise, the world is your oyster.  Those who stick with it and garner experience can make a living online, even in Belgium.

So, let me repeat: there is no get-rich-quick scheme without risk.

First, we still have the other form of untaxed jobs, the so-called flexi-jobs. And probably the main side hustle for many.

The flexi-jobs system allows only pensioners and employees who work at least 4/5 to earn an extra penny on favorable terms. It’s this type of job I registered for at the beginning of the year. Unfortunately, Corona put a stop to that plan (for now).

With a flexi-job you don’t pay taxes or social security contributions on the extra income. Your gross salary is therefore the net salary. You do build up social rights (unemployment benefit, pension, holidays, etc.). It is not the tasks you perform that determine whether you can work a flexi-job, but whether the employer is active in the sector that is allowed to employ you.

You can carry out a flexi-job in:

• Hotels
• Catering industry
• Retail trade

As of 2023 this expands to:

• Care (e.g. catering in een woonzorgcentrum)
• Sports
• Events and culture sector
• Agriculture (e.g. melkveebedrijf, hoevewinkel,…)

And from 1 January 2024, it further expands to:

• Education
• Child (day) care
• The public sports- and culture sector
• Gardening
• Busses and auto cars
• Car sector
• Food industry
• Funeral service
• Moving sector
• Driving schools
• Immo

So, if you are planning an activity that does not fall under one of the above categories or if you want to earn more, it is worth considering becoming self-employed in a secondary occupation. The status of a self-employed person as a secondary profession can also be a first step towards establishing yourself as a self-employed person as your main occupation at a later stage.

Consequently, if you don’t do this, you will get taxed based on the progressive tax brackets that exist for your main income. As a result, if you are already in the highest tax bracket of 50% (!) your extra income will get taxed at that rate.

You can, however, take some small comfort in knowing that if you have a net taxable income on an annual basis of fewer than 1,548.18 EUR, you do not pay social security contributions.

It might be the dream of many to turn a hobby into a profession. It sounds fun, but not everyone wants to spend the necessary administration on it immediately. That is why a few alternatives exist to a secondary or primary profession. Possibly, the ‘big leap’ can be made after all.

3. Private sales

As a private individual, you can always sell your own private surpluses. These must be surpluses that “do not go beyond the normal management of a private patrimony.” These are goods that you, as a private seller, have not bought, produced, or cultivated with a view to selling them.  A private individual may only sell his own goods if the sale remains infrequent.

Since the legislative amendment of 2017, the municipality can specify the occasional character in a regulation. The mayor or his representative must give prior authorization for events that bring together various non-professional sellers (e.g., a flea market). This can be reserved for non-professional salesmen or extended to professionals (holders of a doormat). They may also specialize in the theme of the event. The municipality may also make individual private sales (e.g., garage sales) subject to prior authorization.

4. Artist’s card (KVR)

Artistic services can be reimbursed via the small fees scheme for artists (KVR). This is an all-in expense reimbursement that you cannot combine with another expense reimbursement (such as kilometers traveled):

• a maximum of EUR 130.79 per day per client
• not more than 7 days in a row at the same client
• not more than 30 days per year
• maximum 2,615.78 euros per year

To make use of this scheme, you must have an artist’s card. All information about this (such as the nature of the activities) can be found on kunstenloket.be. On the electronic platform Artist@Work, artists can apply for an artist’s card and register the services provided under the small fees scheme online.

5. Miscellaneous income

An income from an activity that is independent of your profession and occasional is in principle a diverse income. Characteristics are the low frequency, no financing, no cooperation with others, and that the secondary activity is completely separate from the main activity.

You must declare the income from the occasional activity to the tax authorities. This can be done under the heading “Miscellaneous income” of the declaration. These are taxed at 33% unless the marginal tax rate is lower. In this case, the marginal tax rate is taken. You cannot draw up an invoice in case of an occasional activity. What is possible, however, is an expense account.

Please note: if it is not an occasional activity, there may be a re-qualification to professional income. In that case, the tax will usually be higher, and social security contributions may still be due. All this has a retroactive effect. You will, therefore, also have to join a social insurance fund. In the worst case, you will also have to pay a fine.

Volunteer Compensation

Volunteering is, as the word says, free and without obligations. In principle, it is also unpaid; only the expenses can be reimbursed.

Since 1 January 2019, a higher reimbursement of expenses is possible for certain volunteers. As a result, certain groups of volunteers may receive a higher amount annually within the fixed expense allowance. This maximum is 2549.90 EUR in 2019 and 2020 instead of 1388.40 EUR in normal circumstances. However, the maximum daily amount is 34.71 EUR. You do not have to declare a volunteer’s allowance on your tax return. After all, it is not an income but a way of reimbursing expenses.

While the 6 methods I covered above are mainly for ‘offline’ jobs, they also apply online.

Occasional sales and activities also apply for online activities and can be a way to earn money online, even in Belgium, but the same (tax) rules apply.
Be aware that you must report it once you exceed what can be considered occasional or as part of ‘bonus pater familias’ or reasonable person. At that time, it’s best to start your own (side)business.

Which methods am I talking about?

The list below is not exhaustive, but I put those that are, in theory, realistic for the average reader and don’t clash with my personal beliefs, so no ‘influencer’, ‘online marketing’ or ‘selling your own (e-)book’:

• Passive investing
• Your own website (not just a blog!) showing your skill:
  • With (Google/Microsoft) ads
  • Affiliate marketing
  • Ad space
• Selling your craft through freelance platforms (Fiverr, Upwork, Freelancer, Redbubble, Etsy).
• Stock photo sales

The following is possible but will very likely not work out, and if it does, it won’t be without getting taxed your marginal tax rate up to 50% (or less using a company):

• Day trading
  • Stocks
  • Forex
  • Crypto

Sources

• (n.d.). Uitbreiding flexijobs. My Flexi-Job. https://myflexijob.be/sectoren-flexijobs/