FAQ

Status?

As a temporary employee, you have the same social status and social benefits as permanent employees, such as vacation pay, end-of-year bonuses, child benefit, pension, etc.

The difference between you and a permanent employee is that the employment contract is always for a fixed period of time.

Salary?

We pay your salary based on your time sheet approved by your employer.

The gross salary of a temporary employee is the same as that of a permanent employee of the same age with the same level of experience in the same position. The gross salary always follows the statutory pay scales applicable in the sector in which you work.

As with all employees, social security contributions (13.07%) and minimum payroll withholding tax (18%) are deducted from your gross salary.

Meal vouchers?

Are you entitled to meal vouchers?
If your employer grants meal vouchers to its permanent staff, you are also entitled to them, under the same conditions as permanent employees.

You can only get a meal voucher for a day worked. This means you will not get one for public holidays, sick days or vacation days.

You are not taxed on meal vouchers, but a personal contribution is deducted from your salary per voucher received.

When do you receive your meal vouchers?

Your meal vouchers are ordered monthly from Edenred and electronically deposited on your card.

Don’t you have an electronic meal voucher card yet? If so, it will be automatically requested on the first payment of your salary and sent to you.

If you already have an Edenred card (from a previous employer), no new card will be made. Edenred cards are valid for five years. The meal vouchers are then deposited on the existing card.

Card lost or stolen?

Have your card blocked as soon as possible. There are several ways to do this:

1. Online via the Personal Web Space at www.myedenred.be
2. By phone via our interactive voice server at 02/702.20.02
3. Via Edenred’s Helpdesk

Clearly state that you are a temporary employee, as the procedure is different for permanent employees.

The card is then rendered unusable. Confirm your new card order and delivery address via your personal web space at www.MyEdenred.be.

Accident?

On your way to work:
If you have an accident on your way to work, always have it confirmed by the police, emergency services or witnesses. It is important that you also notify Update-pro immediately.

At work:
In this case, too, you must have the accident confirmed by a doctor, and you or your direct supervisor must notify Update-pro.

If you have an accident on the way to or at work, your medical expenses and loss of income will be compensated by our insurance. We will pay you until the end of the contract, then the insurance company takes over from us. If your accident is not acknowledged and refused by the insurance company, the health insurance will pay the costs and loss of income.

Sickness?

If you are sick, always notify us and your direct supervisor before the start of your workday.

See your doctor as soon as possible and provide Update-pro with a doctor’s certificate within 48 hours for the entire period of your absence. Also have your doctor complete the ‘Certificate of Incapacity for Work’ (also known as the ‘Confidential’ document) for your health insurance fund.

If you have worked for less than one continuous month and you fall sick, your health insurance fund will pay your benefits.

If you work through Update-pro for a month or more, without a break of more than one week, you are entitled to guaranteed pay from the first day of incapacity until the end of the employment contract. After that, the health insurance fund pays your benefits.

Vacation pay?

Like every permanent staff member, as a temporary employee you receive single and double vacation pay. Your vacation pay is 15.34% of your gross salary.

Only the time of payment differs:

For temporary white-collar workers, vacation pay is included in the salary you receive (weekly or monthly depending on how your salary is paid) and is paid by Update-pro.

Temporary blue-collar workers receive vacation pay from the National Office for Annual Leave (not from Update-pro) once a year in the month of May.

More info: www.rvj.be
National Office for Annual Leave
Chaussée d'Ixelles 213, B-1000 Brussels
02/627.97.60

End-of-year bonus?

The temporary employment agency sector has a specific arrangement for your end-of-year bonus. To be entitled to an end-of-year bonus as a temporary employee, you must have worked at least 65 days during the reference period (including sick days and public holidays).

The reference period is from 1 July of the previous year to 30 June of the current year.

Your end-of-year bonus is 8.27% of the gross salary you earned during the reference period. This bonus is paid by the Social Fund for Temporary Workers.

During the month of December, the Social Fund sends all beneficiaries a document that allows you to have the bonus paid.

More info: www.fondsinterim.be
Social Fund
Avenue de la Port 86C box 330, B-1000 Brussels
02/203.60.95

Public holidays?

Each calendar year has ten official and paid public holidays:

New Year’s Day, Easter Monday, Labour Day, Ascension Day, Whit Monday, National Holiday, Assumption Day, All Saints’ Day, Armistice Day and Christmas.

As a temporary employee, you are also entitled to payment for these public holidays (or any substitute days for these holidays) that fall during the employment contract.

The following rules apply to the entitlement to paid public holidays after your employment:

• less than 15 days of service: you are not entitled to payment for the public holiday that falls after the end of employment.
• 15 days to 1 month of service: you are entitled to payment for one public holiday that falls in the 14 days after the end of employment.
• more than 1 month of service: you are entitled to payment for all public holidays that fall in the 30 days after the end of employment.

These rules only apply if you have not yet entered into a new employment contract at the time of the public holiday.

Are you a student?

For the purposes of calculating the social security contributions, you are a student if:

• you are in secondary, higher or university education;
• studying is your main activity and any work is clearly secondary to it. For example: an employee who is taking a bachelor’s degree course after working hours is not a student.

You are no longer a student if:

• you have a contract of 12 months or more with an employer. After those 12 months, you can no longer do a student job with that employer. From then on, you and your employer will in any case pay the standard social security contributions. However, you can still work as a job student with another employer.
• you are taking evening classes or some other form of education with limited curriculum. In that case, too, you can no longer do a student job.

It is not always so easy to determine whether your main activity is student. In doubt about your situation? If so, please contact us.

Are you old enough?

You must be a certain age to work as a student.
You can start working as a student as soon as you are:

• 16 years old;
• 15 years old and have completed the first two years of secondary school.

Do you go to school part-time?

If you go to school part-time, you can only work as a student if you:

• are not working under a part-time employment or internship contract;
• are not studying with an apprenticeship;
• are not receiving interim benefits (unemployment insurance);
• only work during school vacations.

I will be graduating shortly. Can I still take a student job?

Basically, no. A student job is reserved for students. Once you graduate and have no more obligations to your school, you are no longer a student, and therefore can no longer take a student job. However, there is one exception.

Graduation in June

After you graduate in June, you can still take an actual student job during the summer vacation. If you obtain your degree in June, the NSSO agrees that you can still work until 30 September of that year at reduced social security contributions.

If you immediately start working for the same employer as a regular employee after your student job ends, your regular job must be distinctly different from your student job. Your employer is not supposed to take the student job as a trial period for the regular job.

Can I work as a student for multiple employers or a temporary employment agency?

Yes, you can. You can stay with one employer or go job hopping. It doesn’t matter, as long as you do not exceed your quota of hours. Always make sure you have a contract with your employer.

How much can you work and earn as a student?

If you start working as a student, you must be careful not to exceed certain legal limits.

You may work 475 hours per year at reduced social security contributions. If you go over that, you pay the normal (higher) contributions.

You cannot work more than 240 hours per quarter (except in the summer) or you will lose your child benefit.
If you earn too much, it is possible that:

you have to pay taxes yourself;
your parents have to pay more taxes because you are no longer ‘dependent’ on them.
This infographic ‘Four things to watch’ gives an overview of the rules. It fits on an A4 sheet, so: print it and hang it above your bed!

Source: [email protected]

What is Interimsign?

As an employee, you receive your employment contracts through Interimsign.
You will receive an email for this each time.

To sign your employment contract, you need to log in.
You do this the first time by using your ID card and a card reader.

After that, you can always log in using a password of your choice.

What should you do if you can no longer log in?

Click on this link to receive your Interimsign login details again:
https://www.adminbox.eu/users/confirmation/new?locale=nl

You can now enter your login to access your employment contracts.

For all other questions you may always contact us by phone or email.