How many hours can you work in a flexi-job in 2026? The rules per day, per week and per year

As a flexi-jobber you have no maximum number of hours per year in 2026. The limit you do need to know is an amount: you can earn 18,440 euros in flexi pay tax-free, and for pensioners there is no ceiling at all. Per day and per week the ordinary rules of the Labour Act apply, with a maximum of 8 hours per day, 38 hours per week, 11 hours of rest between two shifts and a break as soon as you work more than 6 hours. On top of that, you need enough hours in your main job to be allowed to do a flexi-job in the first place. Below are all the hours in one place, with a worked example.

No cap on hours, but a tax ceiling

A student worker counts hours: 650 per year. A flexi-jobber counts euros. The flexi status has no annual maximum on hours, and you can work full-time or part-time as a flexi-jobber.

What you do keep an eye on is your flexi pay. For income year 2026, 18,440 euros is tax-free. That amount applies to all your flexi-jobs together, not per employer, and the flexi holiday pay and any premiums count towards it. If you are retired, you can earn extra without limit and without tax.

In hospitality the minimum flexi hourly wage has been 12.11 euros since 1 September 2026, or 13.04 euros including flexi holiday pay, and the maximum is 21.00 euros, or 22.61 euros including holiday pay. In other sectors you get at least the pay scale for your job and at most 150 percent of it. How that pay reaches you when you work through an app is explained in anyshift.be

How many hours per day and per week

The flexi status changes nothing about the Labour Act.

• Maximum 8 hours per day. The normal limit for every employee.
• Maximum 38 hours per week. This limit applies as an average over a reference period, usually a quarter. A busy week can therefore be longer if a quieter week makes up for it.
• Exceptions up to 9, 10 or 11 hours per day. The law allows longer days in certain situations, such as shift work, with an absolute limit of 11 hours per day and 50 hours per week.

If you are wondering how many hours per day you can work as a flexi-jobber, the answer in most cases is 8 hours.

How short can a shift be

There is also a lower limit. Every work period must in principle last at least 3 hours. A break does not interrupt it: a shift from 6 pm to 9.30 pm with half an hour for dinner counts as one work period.

Some sectors may deviate from those 3 hours. In hospitality, a 2-hour shift is allowed. An employer who calls you in for a single hour without an applicable exception is breaking the rules.

Rest periods, breaks and Sunday work

• 11 hours of rest between two shifts. In every 24-hour period you are entitled to at least 11 consecutive hours of rest. If you finish at 11 pm, you start your next shift at 10 am at the earliest. Exceptions exist for split shifts, such as restaurants with a lunch and a dinner service.
• A break after 6 hours. If you work more than 6 hours, you are entitled to a break of at least 15 minutes, unless a collective agreement says otherwise.
• A long rest each week. Together with Sunday rest, this adds up to a break of 35 consecutive hours per week.

Sunday work is prohibited in principle in Belgium, but the Labour Act makes exceptions, including for hospitality. In other sectors it depends on the rules of your sector. What you earn extra for a Sunday or a night shift is explained in anyshift.be

How many hours you need in your main job

To be allowed to do a flexi-job, you must have worked at least 4/5 of a full-time job for one or more other employers during the reference quarter.

That reference quarter is called T-3: the quarter three quarters before your flexi-job. If you start in October 2026, the check looks at January to March 2026. With a full-time week of 38 hours, 4/5 comes down to an average of 30.4 hours per week.

Pensioners do not have to meet this condition. If you work less than 4/5 and are still studying, a student job may be an alternative: see anyshift.be

Do your hours add up with your main job?

This causes a lot of confusion. The Labour Act only explicitly adds up hours worked for different employers for minors. For adults, the limits of 8 hours per day and 38 hours per week apply first and foremost per employer.

For rest periods, it is wiser to look at everything together. The 11-hour rest rule is written as a right of every employee, and your main employer cannot expect you at 7 am if you were behind a bar until 2 am. So plan your flexi shifts around your fixed schedule, not the other way round.

Working for several flexi employers? How to organise that is explained in anyshift.be And whether your main employer can stop your flexi-job is covered in anyshift.be

Worked example: how many hours fit within 18,440 euros

• At the minimum of 13.04 euros per hour. 18,440 euros divided by 13.04 euros gives about 1,414 hours per year. That is an average of 118 hours per month or 27 hours per week.
• At the hospitality maximum of 22.61 euros per hour. You then reach the ceiling after about 816 hours, or an average of 68 hours per month.
• With premiums added. Night and Sunday premiums count towards the ceiling.

Per month, the ceiling comes to 1,536.67 euros. That is a guideline: the ceiling applies per calendar year, so a busy December can be balanced by a quieter spring.

What happens if you go over the ceiling

You can keep working as a flexi-jobber, even above 18,440 euros.

Only the part above the ceiling is taxed, under the ordinary rules of personal income tax. If you earn 20,000 euros in flexi pay, 1,560 euros is taxable. That amount is added to your other income and taxed at the progressive rate. Because no withholding tax is deducted, you pay that tax afterwards, through your tax assessment. So set some money aside if you know you will go over.

Practical: contract, Dimona and your schedule

Before your first flexi shift, you sign a framework agreement with the employer. It is in writing and includes your job, your base wage and the way shifts are offered to you.

For each shift or period, a flexi employment contract follows. It can be oral or written. With an oral contract, the employer files a Dimona FLX for each day with your start and end times. With a written contract, the declaration can cover a longer period, up to a maximum of one quarter.

Keep your own record of your start and end times and check that your payslip matches what you actually worked.

Five tips for planning your hours

• Count in euros, not hours. Your ceiling is 18,440 euros, so keep a running total of your flexi pay, holiday pay and premiums together.
• Respect the 11 hours. A closing shift followed by an early start in your main job goes against the rules.
• Check your main job three quarters ahead. Working fewer hours can cost you your flexi-job later. Do the maths before you drop below 4/5.
• Choose shifts of at least 3 hours. Outside hospitality, shorter shifts are in principle not allowed.
• Look for shifts close to home. The shorter the trip, the easier it is to combine. The offer per city is on anyshift.be

Frequently asked questions about flexi-job hours

How many hours per day can you work in a flexi-job?

In principle a maximum of 8 hours per day, like any employee. In certain situations the law allows up to 11 hours per day.

Is there a maximum number of hours per year for a flexi-job?

No. There is no cap on hours, but there is a tax ceiling of 18,440 euros in flexi pay per year in 2026. Pensioners have no ceiling.

How many hours do you need to work in your main job?

At least 4/5 of a full-time job in quarter T-3, for another employer. With a full-time week of 38 hours, that is an average of 30.4 hours per week.

How short can a flexi shift be?

In principle at least 3 hours. In hospitality, a shift can last 2 hours.

What happens if I earn more than 18,440 euros?

You can keep working. Only the part above the ceiling is taxed under the ordinary rules, through your tax return.

In short

As a flexi-jobber you have no maximum number of hours per year in 2026, but a tax ceiling of 18,440 euros, which is about 1,414 hours at the minimum wage. Per day and per week the ordinary limits apply: 8 hours per day, 38 hours per week, 11 hours of rest between two shifts and a break after 6 hours. Your main job must reach at least 4/5 in quarter T-3, and above the ceiling only the excess is taxed. Read more on anyshift.be and anyshift.be. Employers looking for flexi-jobbers will find guidance on anyshift.be

📲 Shifts that fit around your fixed schedule are in the AnyShift app. Download it on the App Store apps.apple.com or on Google Play play.google.com