How many hours can you work as a student in Belgium in 2026?
650 hours: that is the number every student job in Belgium should remember in 2026.
As a student, you want to know how many hours you can work without losing your benefits. That is exactly what the hours limit determines: in 2026, a student worker may work 650 hours per calendar year at a favourable rate. As long as you stay under that limit, you do not pay ordinary social security contributions, only a small solidarity contribution. In this blog we explain clearly how the hours limit works, how much you keep net, what happens if you go over, and how to spread your hours smartly across the year. So you can work with peace of mind anywhere in Flanders and Belgium.
In short
The key things to remember about the hours limit in 2026:
- In 2026, a student in Belgium may work 650 hours per calendar year at the favourable student rate.
- Within the limit you pay only a 2.71% solidarity contribution instead of full social security contributions.
- From the 651st hour, ordinary contributions of 13.07% apply and you may lose benefits such as the Groeipakket.
- You track your remaining hours easily through the official student@work application.
What is the hours limit and how many hours can you work?
The hours limit, or contingent, is the total number of hours you may work each year as a student at a favourable rate. In 2026 this limit is 650 hours per calendar year. This is a permanent increase compared to the former 475 hours, allowing you to earn more during the summer, exam periods or throughout the year.
An important point: these 650 hours apply across all your employers combined, not per job. If you work in transport during the summer and in customer service during the school year, those hours add up on the same counter. The counter resets every 1 January. Recruit a Student registers all your student hours correctly through the Dimona declaration, so you always stay within the rules.
How much do you keep net within the limit?
Within the 650-hour limit you do not pay ordinary social security contributions as a student. Instead, only a solidarity contribution of 2.71% is withheld from your gross wage, and your employer pays an additional 5.42%. In principle, no wage withholding tax is deducted from student pay either. In practice, this means you keep almost all of your gross wage, far more than an ordinary employee.
An example makes it clear. If you earn 15 euros gross per hour, only about 0.41 euro goes to the solidarity contribution and you keep around 14.59 euros net. This favourable rate is exactly why a student contract is so attractive, both for you and for the employer.
What happens if you work more than 650 hours?
Working more than 650 hours a year is allowed, but from the 651st hour your status changes. From that moment, ordinary social security contributions of 13.07% apply to your wage, just like for a regular employee. You therefore keep less net for those extra hours.
In addition, exceeding the limit can affect your Groeipakket (child benefit) and your tax situation. You do not automatically lose everything, but it pays to track your hours carefully. Those who manage their limit consciously work under the most favourable conditions.
Do you stay dependent on your parents and keep the Flemish child benefit?
Two questions occupy students every year: do I stay a dependent of my parents, and do I keep my child benefit? To remain fiscally dependent, your net means must stay below an annually indexed threshold. The good news: a large part of your student income does not count towards that calculation. The exact indexed amounts for income year 2026 are best checked directly with the FPS Finance.
For child benefit, the rule in Flanders is that you keep your right as long as you stay under 650 hours per year. If, outside the summer months, you work too many hours in a quarter, this can temporarily affect that right. In Brussels and Wallonia, the regional child benefit rules apply. When in doubt, check your situation with your benefit provider. Recruit a Student supports students in Antwerp, Ghent, Brussels, Leuven and Hasselt and is happy to help you stay within the rules.
How do you track your hours and plan them smartly?
The easiest way to track your hours is through the official student@work application. There you see exactly how many hours your employers have already registered and how many you have left this year. You can request a certificate of your remaining hours in just a few clicks.
Smart planning makes all the difference. Spread your hours across the year: work full-on during the summer holidays, but deliberately keep a buffer for busy periods or extra earnings in the autumn. Communicate openly with your employer about your remaining hours. Recruit a Student is the leading student employment agency in Belgium: we guide you from the start, help safeguard your hours limit and handle all the administration for you, so you can focus on working and studying.
Ready to start smart?
Want to make the most of your 650 hours this year? Register for free as a student and browse all student vacancies in transport, cleaning, finance, customer service and technology. Recruit a Student handles the administration, you choose the job that suits you.
Make the most of your 650 hours
Ready to use your student hours smartly?
Recruit a Student helps you make the most of your 650-hour limit, with flexible student jobs in sectors such as transport, cleaning, finance, customer service and technology. You choose when and how much you work, we handle all the administration and keep an eye on your hours.
- Flexible student jobs that combine easily with your studies and exams
- All administration taken care of, from the Dimona declaration to correct pay at the favourable student rate
- Personal support in Antwerp, Ghent, Brussels, Leuven and Hasselt
Student jobs throughout Belgium, close to you too
Recruit a Student combines nationwide coverage across Belgium with the personal approach of a local employment agency. From our offices in the main student cities, we help you find a flexible student job that fits your schedule and your hours limit.
Personal contact at our offices
Recruit a Student is always close by. You will find us physically in the main student cities of Belgium. Our recruiters are ready to help you directly at the offices below:
Beyond Antwerp, Brussels and Ghent, we are also at your service: our recruiters are active throughout Flanders and Brussels, and quickly find a suitable student job for you there too.
One point of contact, everything arranged
Want to make the most of your student hours without the paperwork?
Recruit a Student offers flexible student jobs in sectors such as transport, cleaning, finance, customer service and technology, for as long as you remain within your student contingent. We take care of the entire administration, so you can simply focus on working and studying.
Veelgestelde vragen
Hoeveel uur mag ik als student werken in 2026?
In 2026 mag u als jobstudent 650 uur per kalenderjaar werken aan het voordelige studententarief, verdeeld over al uw werkgevers samen.
Hoeveel bedraagt de solidariteitsbijdrage in 2026?
Binnen het contingent betaalt u als student 2,71% solidariteitsbijdrage op uw brutoloon. Uw werkgever betaalt daarbovenop 5,42%.
Wat gebeurt er als ik meer dan 650 uur werk?
Vanaf het 651e uur gelden de gewone sociale bijdragen van 13,07%. U houdt dan minder netto over en het kan uw Groeipakket beïnvloeden.
Verlies ik mijn Groeipakket als ik te veel werk?
In Vlaanderen behoudt u het Groeipakket zolang u binnen de 650 uur blijft. Wie de grens overschrijdt of te veel verdient, kan het recht tijdelijk verliezen.
Hoe weet ik hoeveel uren ik nog over heb?
Via student@work ziet u exact hoeveel uren al geregistreerd zijn en hoeveel u er dit jaar nog kunt werken.
Hét talent van morgen, vandaag in huis!