Bridging rights, reduced social security contributions, teleworking costs, unemployment benefit requests
Bridging right for self-employed workers
Postponement of social security contributions for self-employed workers
Exemption from social security contributions for self-employed workers
Reduction in social security contributions or waiver of surcharges for self-employed workers
Bridging rights for spouses, carers of the self-employed
Both the main carer and the assisting spouse are eligible. Living under the same roof is not an issue.
The situation of the carer is directly linked to that of the main self-employed person whom the carer is helping.
Payment must be made into a bank account belonging to the carer.
Will the self-employed person and his or her assisting spouse each receive the financial benefit individually and cumulatively in the event of forced termination?
The situation of the assisting spouse depends on that of the main self-employed person. If the self-employed person stops working, they will both receive the financial benefit under the bridging scheme.
However, the assisting spouse must contribute to the maximum status. Assisting spouses who contribute to the mini-status cannot claim the Corona bridging entitlement. Check with your social insurance fund.
The situation of the assisting spouse is therefore directly linked to that of the main self-employed spouse.
For example, a self-employed seamstress, whose spouse is a carer, who does not close her business will not benefit from the bridging right and neither will her carer (even if there is no longer enough work for both of them).
Complementary or retired self-employed worker
A third of the self-employed in our country are self-employed in a complementary capacity or are actively retired.
In principle, complementary workers are excluded.
However, in the end, the majority of the self-employed in a supplementary capacity can qualify for the temporary crisis measure relating to bridging rights, insofar as their provisional social security contributions legally due are at least equal to the minimum contributions for the self-employed:
- Supplementary self-employed persons who do not pay the statutory minimum of €717.17 per quarter, calculated on the basis of a taxable income in 2020 of at least €13,993.79/year, do not benefit from the full bridging entitlement because they have another source of income or an entitlement to economic unemployment or for reasons of force majeure. They may, however, apply for a postponement or reduction in social security contributions, but no exemption is granted.
- However, specific complementary self-employed people who contribute a maximum of between €358.59 and €717.17 per quarter (annual income between €6,996.89 and €13,993.78) and active pensioners (annual income above €6,996.89) - who are obliged to interrupt their activities because of Covid-19 - will still be able to benefit from a partial bridging replacement income of €645 per month, or €807 with dependants.
Please note that there is a maximum ceiling on replacement income of €1,614 per month for all types of income. For example, a self-employed person who receives temporary unemployment benefit of €1,100 per month through his or her activity as an employee will receive only €514 of transitional entitlement.
Employer unemployment claim
Unemployment files usually concern 400,000 people in Belgium and, with the crisis, more than 1.2 million people are unemployed, albeit partially for the most part.
The social services have had to adapt in record time, so please be patient and indulgent. Apply for temporary unemployment as soon as possible, using the online service available on the DRS - Declaration of Social Risk, scenario 5.
In these troubled times, the NEO is showing flexibility:
www.socialsecurity.be > Company > Online services > DRS - Declaration of Social Risks > Scenario 5
It is very important that your employee also applies for benefits using form C3.2-TRAVAILLEUR-CORONA. They should apply for temporary unemployment benefits with the help of their paying agency (all the information is available at www.onem.be). The T2 coronavirus info sheet, available on the NEO website, explains this procedure in detail.
Employer Reimbursement of teleworking expenses
Employer of Voluntary workers
Employer of Students
Employer Additional remuneration
Consecutive temporary contracts
Employer postponement of NSSO contributions
Postponement of rent, contracts in force, co-ownership, judicial reorganisation plan
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