Flemish Region: Flemish job bonus from 2022 SD Worx Knowledge Centre Source Draft decree regulating the granting of a job bonus, approved by the Flemish Government on 23 December 2021.
The Flemish Government provides for the allocation of a Flemish job bonus from the end of 2022. It is a bonus for persons: • • •
with a low professional income; with their principal residence in the Flemish Region; and younger than the retirement age.
In the meantime, the definitive calculation rules have been determined, as well as the way in which the discount will be allocated. Legislation is still under preparation. At the end of December 2021, the Flemish Government issued a second approval in principle for the draft decree. We expect another implementing decree that lays down further terms and conditions. Situation The idea of a job bonus is included in the Flemish governmental agreement of 2019. The Flemish Government wants to give people with a low professional income an additional financial incentive to work or to continue working. The job bonus must increase the difference between work and non-work and therefore make work more rewarding. The original plan was to grant the job bonus as early as 2021. However, this development is taking a long time. After exploring the various possibilities, a job bonus in the form of a bonus awarded based on the annual salary was chosen. Moreover, the aim is to grant the bonus automatically as far as possible based on information from authentic sources. The development of such a system is very difficult. For whom? The decree specifies the target group of the job bonus in detail. This will include: •
employees subject to social security (at least the sickness and disability benefits and medical care, unemployment and pension);
SD Worx Social/Legal News March 2022
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