Calculating the wages of nearly one million employees under Belgium’s new cent-based indexation system by January 2026 is likely to be impossible, according to the country's largest HR consultancy, SD Worx.
The government plans to implement cent-based indexation in 2026 and 2028. Under this system, salaries exceeding €4,000 gross per month will not be indexed above that threshold.
Details of the plan remain unclear, and the government still needs to finalise its legal framework for the indexation reform.
The deadline for many employees is tight, as their wages are set to be adjusted to the index on 1 January. This includes workers covered by Paritair Comité 200, representing over 500,000 staff across various sectors.
Other sectors like the food industry, hospitality, and transport, covering an additional 350,000 employees, also adjust wages annually on 1 January.
SD Worx, which processes wages for 1.2 million private-sector and public employees, calls the timeline infeasible.
Geert Vermeir, its legal expert, explained that finalised legislation for the January 2026 indexation would need to be ready by the end of December this year.
Vermeir warned that achieving this deadline is “highly unlikely” due to the complexity of the proposal and the time-intensive parliamentary process.
