The pros and cons of a flexi-job in 2026: is it worth it? An honest look

A flexi-job pays you up to 18,440 euros a year in 2026 without income tax and without personal social security contributions. On the other hand, you can only start if you work at least 4/5 elsewhere or are retired, and you get no guarantee of hours. Whether it is worth it therefore depends on your situation: your main job, your schedule and how much you already earn on the side. In this article we put the pros and cons side by side, work out what you take home and compare with a student job and a side business. Employers will find a short section near the end. Everything applies to Flanders in 2026.

What is a flexi-job and who can do one?

A flexi-job is a side job with its own status. You work for an employer who is not your main employer, and your flexi-wage falls outside ordinary social security contributions and, up to a ceiling, outside personal income tax.

The basic conditions are easy to sum up.

• 4/5 in quarter T-3. Three quarters before your flexi-job, you worked at least 4/5 of a full-time job for one or more other employers. If you start in October 2026, the reference period is January to March 2026.
• Or you are retired. The 4/5 condition then no longer applies.
• A different employer. It is not possible with your own employer.

Since 1 July 2026, flexi-jobs are possible in almost all sectors. A sector can still exclude them fully or partly through its joint committee, and artistic functions remain excluded. Current openings are listed at anyshift.be

The pros of a flexi-job

• Tax-free up to 18,440 euros. In 2026 you pay no tax on your flexi-wage up to that amount, for all your flexi-jobs together. If you are retired, there is no ceiling.
• No personal social security contribution. Nothing is deducted from your pay. Your gross wage is also your net wage.
• Holiday pay straight away. On top of your flexi-wage you receive 7.67 percent flexi holiday pay, which your employer pays out with every payment.
• You choose when you work. You sign a framework agreement, but you are not obliged to accept every shift you are offered.
• A choice of almost every sector. Since 1 July 2026 you can also work outside hospitality and retail, for example in logistics or care.
• Compatible with your pension. Retirees can earn unlimited tax-free extra income. The limits for early retirement are explained in anyshift.be

You can also work flexi-jobs for several employers at the same time. How to organise that is explained in anyshift.be

Is a flexi-job well paid?

In hospitality, the minimum flexi-wage has been 12.11 euros per hour since 1 September 2026, or 13.04 euros including flexi holiday pay. The maximum is 21.00 euros, or 22.61 euros including holiday pay. In other sectors you receive at least the pay scale for your job and at most 150 percent of it.

Because no contributions or withholding tax are deducted, your gross wage is also your net wage. An example: you work 10 hours a week in a brasserie at the hospitality minimum. That earns you 130.40 euros a week, and the full amount lands in your account. Over 40 weeks that comes to 5,216 euros, well below the ceiling.

If your base wage is 15 euros, you receive 16.15 euros per hour with holiday pay.

The cons and limitations

• The 4/5 condition. If you cut your hours in your main job, you lose your right to a flexi-job three quarters later. Keep that in mind before you ask to go part-time.
• Not with your own employer. Since 1 July 2026, a full-time employee may do a flexi-job at a related company, such as a sister company. Someone who works there part-time may not. Whether your boss can stop your flexi-job is covered in anyshift.be
• No job security. You get a contract per shift or per period. Your employer is not obliged to offer you work, and in quiet months the offers can dry up.
• Few extras. Outside hospitality you usually do not get an end-of-year bonus, and in hospitality only after at least two months of uninterrupted contract.
• Tax above the ceiling. If you earn more than 18,440 euros, only the part above it is taxed, at the ordinary progressive rate. Because no withholding tax is deducted, you pay that tax afterwards.
• No benefit on flexi days. If you receive unemployment benefit, you lose it for every day you work a flexi-job, and you have to declare those days.

Do you build up pension and social rights?

Yes. Your employer pays a special contribution of 28 percent on your flexi-wage, so your work counts as ordinary work.

In practice, your flexi hours count towards your pension, unemployment insurance and holiday entitlement. Your flexi-wage is used as the basis for calculating a future benefit and as gross pay for your pension. You pay nothing for this yourself.

Flexi-job, student job or side business

• Flexi-job. For people who work at least 4/5 elsewhere or are retired. No personal contributions and tax-free up to 18,440 euros a year, with no cap on hours.
• Student job. For people who are studying. You pay a 2.71 percent solidarity contribution as long as you stay within 650 hours per calendar year. What you earn per hour is explained in anyshift.be
• Side business as a self-employed person. You work for your own account and pay self-employed social contributions and ordinary income tax on your profit.

Open student jobs are listed at anyshift.be

What does a flexi-job offer employers?

As an employer, you pay the flexi-wage, the flexi holiday pay of 7.67 percent and on top of that a special contribution of 28 percent. There are no other employer contributions. You only pay for hours worked and you can add staff quickly at busy times.

On the other side are the framework agreement, a Dimona for each shift and checking the 4/5 condition. A cost calculation per hour is in anyshift.be and how AnyShift handles it is at anyshift.be

Practical: contract, Dimona and your tax return

Before your first shift you sign a written framework agreement with the employer. It sets out, among other things, your job, your pay and how shifts will be offered to you.

For each shift or period a flexi employment contract follows, and the employer files a Dimona FLX for every shift. Without a correct Dimona, the flexi status does not apply to that shift.

Your flexi-wage appears on the tax form your employer gives you and is usually pre-filled in your tax return. Check those amounts, even if you stay below the ceiling.

Five tips to get the most out of your tax advantage

• Add it all up. The 18,440 euro ceiling applies to all your flexi-jobs together, including holiday pay and bonuses. Keep your own running total.
• Spread your hours over the year. Per month the ceiling works out at about 1,537 euros. A busy December can be balanced by a quieter spring.
• Put money aside if you go over. The part above the ceiling is taxed afterwards, with nothing withheld from your pay.
• Protect your main job. Without 4/5 in quarter T-3 you lose the status and with it the tax advantage.
• Pick shifts close to home. Less travel means more hours worked per evening. Openings per city are at anyshift.be

Frequently asked questions about the pros and cons of a flexi-job

What are the basic conditions for a flexi-job?

You worked at least 4/5 for one or more other employers in quarter T-3, or you are retired. You also cannot do a flexi-job with your own employer.

How much can you earn tax-free with a flexi-job in 2026?

Up to 18,440 euros for all your flexi-jobs together. Retirees have no ceiling, and above the ceiling only the part above it is taxed.

Is a flexi-job well paid?

In hospitality you get at least 13.04 euros per hour including holiday pay, and you keep that amount net. In other sectors you get at least the pay scale for your job.

Do you build up a pension with a flexi-job?

Yes. Thanks to the 28 percent employer contribution, your flexi work counts towards your pension, unemployment insurance and holiday entitlement.

What is the biggest downside of a flexi-job?

You have no job security. You work per shift, and your employer is not obliged to offer you work.

Summary

A flexi-job pays up to 18,440 euros a year in 2026 without tax or personal contributions, with 7.67 percent holiday pay on top and pension rights built up. You do need a main job of at least 4/5 in quarter T-3, or a pension, and you get no guarantee of hours. If you meet those conditions and have free evenings or weekends, you keep every euro you earn net up to the ceiling. Read more at anyshift.be and anyshift.be. Employers looking for flexi-jobbers will find more information at anyshift.be

📲 Shifts that fit around your main job are in the AnyShift app. Download it from the App Store apps.apple.com and Google Play play.google.com