Flexi-jobbing through an app in 2026: from sign-up to payment, step by step

More and more people no longer look for a flexi-job through an advert or a temp agency, but through an app on their phone. The question that comes with it is always the same: what exactly happens between tapping a shift and the money landing in your account. In this article we walk through the five steps, the formalities the law attaches to each one, the six points on which to check an app and the difference with agency work. You will also read what goes wrong when the Dimona is missing, because that costs you the entire tax advantage of 18,440 euros.

What a flexi-job app is and is not

A flexi-job app brings employers and flexi-jobbers together directly. Your employer is the business where you stand that evening, not the app. That is the big difference with a temp agency, where the agency is your legal employer and takes a margin on your hourly rate.

That distinction has consequences. Your pay is set by the employer's sector, not by the app. You sign your framework agreement with the employer. And your Dimona sits under that employer's company number. The app handles the matching, the paperwork and the administration, but does not step in between you and your employer.

Step 1: your profile and the 4/5 check

You create a profile with your national register number, your bank account and your availability. Most apps identify you through itsme, so you do not have to send a copy of your ID card.

Then comes the most important check: the 4/5 rule. To work a flexi-job as an employee, you must have worked at least 4/5 in the third quarter before your flexi-job, for one or more other employers. For a shift in September 2026, the social security office looks at the fourth quarter of 2025.

Pensioners and anyone with 45 career years already behind them fall outside that rule. They can start immediately. Separate limits apply to people who took early retirement, and those are set out in anyshift.be

Step 2: the framework agreement

Before your first hour of work, a framework agreement must exist between you and the employer. It states your role, the agreed flexi-wage and how shifts are offered. Without that agreement, your work is not a valid flexi-job.

In an app you sign it digitally, usually once per employer. After that you only confirm each shift. If you work for five businesses, you have five framework agreements. That is allowed, and how to keep track is explained in anyshift.be

Step 3: accepting the shift and the Dimona

When you accept a shift, the employer must file a Dimona declaration of the FLX type with the social security office before it starts, stating the exact start and end time. If that does not happen, your work counts as ordinary employment: social security, withholding tax and a good deal less net.

So always check that you can see a Dimona confirmation in the app before you leave. A good app shows that status per shift. If a shift is cancelled, the Dimona has to be cancelled too, and that should be visible as well.

Step 4: working and confirming your hours

On site you clock in and out, usually with a QR code or a button in the app. If a shift runs over, you adjust the end time and the employer confirms. That adjusted time has to reach the Dimona as well.

If you work at night, on a Sunday or on a public holiday, sector premiums come on top of your flexi-wage. Which ones is set out in anyshift.be

Step 5: payslip and payment

After the shift, the employer's payroll office draws up a payslip. Your flexi-wage in hospitality is at least 12.11 euros per hour in 2026, or 13.04 euros including the flexi-holiday pay of 7.67 percent. The maximum is 21.42 euros per hour, or 23.06 euros with holiday pay.

On that amount you pay no social security and no tax as long as you stay below 18,440 euros per year. Gross is net. All the amounts and exceptions are in anyshift.be

Payment follows the employer's payroll calendar. In practice you usually see the money within two weeks of the end of the month, and sooner with some employers.

Six things you should be able to see in an app

• Who your employer is. The name and company number of the business, not just the manager's first name.
• The hourly rate before you accept. Never accept a shift without a visible rate.
• Your Dimona status. Declared, amended or cancelled, per shift.
• Your framework agreement. Findable and downloadable, not just ticked off.
• Your counter towards 18,440 euros. Without that counter you only find out in May of the following year that you went over.
• The cancellation rules. What happens if the employer cancels two hours ahead, and what happens if you do.

Practical: what the employer has to do

The employer signs the framework agreement, files the Dimona FLX, pays the flexi-wage with holiday pay and keeps track of working time. The solidarity contribution of 28 percent on the flexi-wage is for their account. What a flexi-jobber actually costs a business is calculated in anyshift.be

Since 1 July 2026, almost every sector may work with flexi-jobbers, so shops, warehouses and care institutions now use this route too. Employers will find more on anyshift.be

Five tips to get more out of it

• Turn notifications on. Shifts in the larger cities are often gone within the hour. Look a day later and you are looking at an empty list.
• Fill in your profile completely. Languages, experience and a driving licence all help decide which shifts you get to see.
• Check the Dimona before you leave. One missing declaration costs you the tax advantage on that shift.
• Track your counter. Anyone heading towards 18,440 euros plans the last months of the year better with a student contract or ordinary work.
• Build a relationship with two or three businesses. Regular employers offer you their shifts first, often before they go public.

Frequently asked questions about flexi-jobbing through an app

Is my employer the app or the business where I work?

The business where you work. The app facilitates the match and the administration, but your employment contract runs with the employer.

Do I have to register separately with the social security office?

No. The employer files the Dimona. You only need to meet the 4/5 condition and sign the framework agreement.

What if no Dimona was filed?

Then it is not a flexi-job. Your hours count as ordinary employment, with social security and withholding tax. Report it to your employer straight away.

How quickly do I get paid?

That depends on the employer's payroll calendar. Expect payment during the month after your shift.

Can I combine a flexi-job through an app with a benefit?

In certain cases yes, but conditions and reporting obligations apply. The rules are in anyshift.be

In short

Flexi-jobbing through an app changes nothing about the law: you still need a framework agreement and a Dimona FLX, and the employer remains the employer. What an app does change is how fast you find a shift and how visible your paperwork is. Before you start, check that you can see your employer, your hourly rate, your Dimona status and your counter towards 18,440 euros. Read more on anyshift.be and anyshift.be. All open shifts per city are on anyshift.be and anyshift.be, and if you would rather look at a shifter's profile first, go to anyshift.be

📲 Everything in this article is handled inside the AnyShift app. Download it on the App Store apps.apple.com or on Google Play play.google.com