Meal vouchers are set to rise to a maximum value of €10 a day from 1 January 2026. Here is everything you need to know about the jump and what it means for you.
Last Friday, Federal Economy Minister David Clarinval (MR) announced that the maximum value of meal vouchers would increase from €8 to €10 from 1 January 2026.
Employers will also benefit from a higher tax deduction – up to €4 from €2 – "to maintain the balance between purchasing power and competitiveness", his cabinet stated in a press release.
What does it mean?
Under current rules, meal vouchers are worth either €4.50, €7 or €8. Vouchers to the value of €8 cost the employee €1.09 and employees €6.91, part of which is tax deductible.
From 1 January 2026, the maximum value will rise to €10. This is at the discretion of the employer, who will benefit from increased tax deductions if they opt for the higher value.
Credit: Belga / ImageGlobe
Meal cheques are not compulsory. Around three million employees in Belgium currently benefit from the scheme.
The maximum value is expected to increase again, to €12, by 2029.
Only 'small minority' to benefit
Trade unions have welcomed the measure, but not without reservations.
FGTB Secretary-General Bert Engelaar said "further negotiations" would be necessary. He also highlighted that "this increase obviously only applies to employees who already receive meal vouchers."
"It is now up to the sectors and companies to negotiate concrete agreements so that workers can actually benefit from this increase," echoed CGLSB.
The Economy Ministry says the reform will save workers €400 a year but trade union CSC says this is inaccurate.
"This will undoubtedly apply to those who already receive €8 in meal vouchers today, which is a small minority," Secretary-General Marie Hélène Ska told RTBF. "And the increase from €8 to €10 for these people will be accompanied by an additional tax deduction for employers. So it is you and I who will pay for the increase through taxation."
The Federation of Belgian Businesses (FEB) says the reform is positive but is waiting to see how it works in practise.
"Meal vouchers are important for the competitiveness of Belgian businesses, as they can only be spent in our country," said FEB CEO Pieter Timmermans.
