Belgium’s unemployment benefit system has long been politically sensitive. One reason is that ordinary unemployment benefits — meaning benefits for people who have lost their job completely, not temporary unemployment — were not generally limited to a fixed period.
The amount could decrease over time, and unemployed people still had to remain available for the labour market and prove that they were actively looking for work. But the person could, in principle, continue receiving benefits.
That system has now changed. A reform, adopted in 2025 and effective for new cases from 1 March 2026, introduces a major shift: ordinary unemployment benefits for people who have lost their job are now limited in time.
The key change is simple: Belgium is moving from a system where payments decreased over time to a system where entitlement generally ends after a fixed period.
Transitional rules apply to people who were already receiving unemployment benefits before 1 March 2026, so anyone in this situation should consult the National Employment Office (ONEM) website for details.
What changes under the new system?
Before the reform, access to unemployment benefits was already conditional. Among other requirements, a person had to prove a sufficient number of salaried working days within a set reference period, with the requirement varying by age.
Once someone qualified, however, ordinary unemployment benefits were not generally subject to a time limit.
The amount nevertheless decreased over time through dégressivité/degressiviteit (gradual reduction) eventually becoming a flat-rate amount depending mainly on family situation. The person also had to remain available for work.
The new system changes this logic. Work history now matters not only for qualifying, but also for determining how long benefits last. From 1 March 2026, a person must prove at least 312 days of work or assimilated days — roughly one year — over a 36-month reference period. This requirement no longer varies by age.
Once that condition is met, the person starts with 12 months of benefits. Additional months are then calculated as follows: each block of 104 working days or assimilated days gives access to one additional month, up to a maximum total duration of 24 months.
For this calculation, ONEM counts salaried working days and some assimilated days, such as holidays, temporary unemployment, certain family-leave periods, strikes or lock-outs. Self-employed activity does not count.
In simplified terms, this means that 24 months of work gives 15 months of benefits, 36 months gives 18 months, 48 months gives 21 months, and five years gives the maximum of 24 months.
The time limit does not apply in exactly the same way to everyone. ONEM lists several exemptions, including for some specific groups of workers. People aged 55 or over may also be exempt, but only if they have a sufficiently long work history.
For new claims from March 2026, the required work history gradually rises from 31 years in 2026 to 35 years from 2030.
Can someone receive unemployment benefits again later?
The end of benefits does not mean someone can never receive them again. If they later meet the admission conditions again – one year of salaried work in the previous three years – they may qualify again.
The reform also introduces the idea of unused benefits. For example, someone who has worked five years may qualify for two years of unemployment benefits. If they use only one year and then find work, one year remains unused. If they later lose that job and qualify for new benefits, the unused year may be added, as long as the total does not exceed two years.
If, however, the person returns to unemployment after only a short period of work, without meeting the conditions for new benefits, they may still use their previous benefits that were not yet consumed.
A major break with the old Belgian model
In short, Belgium has moved from a system where ordinary unemployment benefits could, in principle, continue indefinitely while decreasing over time, to one where most people can receive them for between 12 and 24 months, depending mainly on work history.
The system still includes exemptions, postponement rules and the possibility of qualifying again after a new period of work. But for most people covered by the new rules, the reform marks a major break with the old Belgian model.
