How much is a meal voucher worth?
Up to €10 per day worked since 1 January 2026. The employer pays at most €8.91 and the employee at least €1.09, which is deducted from the net salary. Before 2026 the maximum employer share was €6.91, so the maximum face value was €8. Source: the ONSS instructions, based on the Royal Decree of 10 November 2025.
The coalition agreement also mentions a further increase to €12, but as of 2026 it has no legal basis and no date.
Does everyone get €10 per voucher?
No. €10 is the maximum allowed, not a right. Your employer must introduce it through a sector or company agreement, or an individual written agreement where no collective one is possible. Many employers kept their previous amount.
Employers have an incentive to move: the tax deduction per voucher rises from €2 to €4, but only if they pay the full €8.91, as Securex explains. So it is worth asking what your current or future employer pays.
What are the rules for meal vouchers?
For a meal voucher to escape social security and tax, it must be granted on top of salary, never in place of it, one voucher per day actually worked, in the employee’s name, in electronic form and valid for 12 months. Days of holiday, sickness or public holidays do not give a voucher.
Our definition of meal vouchers explains the mechanism in more detail. If a voucher expires unused after 12 months, the value is lost.
How much are meal vouchers worth over a year?
With 220 days worked and the full €10, about €2,200 a year, of which €1,960 paid by the employer. With the older €8 voucher, it is about €1,760.
That makes meal vouchers one of the biggest items in a Belgian package after the salary itself, and a real difference between two offers. Check the value per voucher when you compare offers, not just the fact that vouchers are included, including for the IT and engineering roles currently open.
