From what age can your child work in 2026? The rules at 15, 16 and 17

Since 7 May 2026, every 15-year-old in Belgium may work as a student worker. Before that the threshold was effectively higher, and the change raises the same questions with parents: what exactly may my child do at that age, how many hours a day, does the child benefit keep running and does the child stay a dependent. This article sets out the rules per age, with the working time limits for minors, the 650-hour quota, the 12,300 euro net means threshold and what you have to sign as a parent. Everything here applies to Flanders in 2026.

What changed on 7 May 2026

Since 7 May 2026, any 15-year-old may sign a student employment contract. The condition is that the work is non-industrial and light in nature. Think of stocking shelves, helping out in a shop, clearing tables or light warehouse work.

For anyone aged 16 or over, that extra condition falls away. From then on the general rules for underage employees apply, which we go through below. The full explanation of the change is in anyshift.be

15 years old: what is allowed and what is not

Your child may work, but only at tasks that are light in nature. That rules out industrial work, and anything involving heavy loads, machinery or risk.

Construction, industrial production and work with hazardous substances are therefore out. The same goes for work that requires a licence or specific training.

In practice, shops, garden centres, bakeries, supermarkets and events are the most common fit. Those are also the sectors where demand is highest.

16 and 17: more is allowed, but not everything

• From 16, the restriction to light work falls away. Your child can then work in almost any sector where student work is permitted.
• Prohibitions for minors do remain. Work with certain machinery, with hazardous products or at height stays off limits, whatever the age, as long as your child is not 18.
• Serving alcohol is a separate matter. Separate age rules apply to serving and selling spirits, and they stand apart from employment law.

How many hours may a minor work

This is the part that surprises parents most often, because the rules are stricter than for adults.

• Maximum 8 hours per day. Even if your child would happily stay longer.
• Maximum 40 hours per week. No overtime to cover a peak.
• Maximum 5 days per week. A sixth working day is not allowed.
• No night work. Minors do not work at night.
• Sunday work only in exceptional cases. And then with compulsory compensatory rest.

On top of that there are mandatory breaks during longer shifts and a minimum rest period between two shifts. An employer who works with student workers knows these rules, but it helps if you know them too when a schedule comes in.

What your child earns and what comes off

A student worker falls under the pay scale of the sector they work in. There is no separate student wage: someone stocking shelves in a supermarket follows the retail scale.

On that pay your child does not pay ordinary social security contributions but a solidarity contribution of 2.71 percent, as long as they stay within the quota of 650 hours per calendar year. The employer pays 5.42 percent.

Above those 650 hours your child may keep working, but the ordinary contributions of 13.07 percent then apply. The difference in net pay is considerable.

Does the child benefit keep running?

As long as your child is under 18, the Groeipakket, the Flemish child benefit, keeps being paid regardless of the number of hours worked. Working at weekends or during the holidays has no effect on it.

From 18 that changes. The Groeipakket is then kept as long as your child stays within the quota of 650 hours per year. If they work outside that quota under ordinary social security, a limit of 80 hours per month applies on top. From the 81st hour in a month the Groeipakket lapses for that month.

For parents of a 17-year-old, that is the moment to plan ahead: the summer after the eighteenth birthday falls under a different regime than the one before.

Does your child stay a dependent for tax?

Here is the figure most parents are looking for. Your child stays a dependent for tax as long as their net means in income year 2026 do not exceed 12,300 euros.

For student work a favourable rule applies: a first tranche of 7,010 euros of gross student pay is not counted as means. After that, 20 percent in flat-rate costs is deducted as well.

In practice that works out at roughly 22,400 euros of gross student pay before your child stops being a dependent. That is an amount a student worker with 650 hours rarely reaches, so in most families this is not an issue.

Your child themselves only starts paying tax from 15,971.43 euros gross taxable in 2026. Below that they keep everything.

Practical: contract, Dimona STU and your signature

For every student job a written student employment contract is drawn up, at the latest on the day your child starts. It states the role, the pay, the workplace and the duration.

If your child is a minor, you sign as parent or guardian. Without that signature the contract is not in order.

The employer also files a Dimona declaration of the STU type, with the number of hours per quarter. That declaration is what feeds the 650-hour counter, so check that it has been made.

The first day counts as a trial period of three days. During that period either side can stop without notice or compensation.

Five tips for parents

• Let your child track the counter themselves. Someone at 400 hours in October plans the Christmas holidays differently than someone at 120.
• Check the schedule against the rules. Eight hours a day and five days a week are hard limits, not guidelines.
• Ask about the Dimona. No declaration means no student contract, and therefore ordinary contributions.
• Sort out transport before you say yes. A shift ending at 9 pm in a shopping centre needs a plan for the way home.
• Start small. A first job of one Saturday a week works better than three full weeks that weigh on school results. Holiday periods are a good starting point: see anyshift.be

Frequently asked questions about the age for a student job

From what age may my child work in Belgium?

From 15, since 7 May 2026, and then only for non-industrial work of a light nature. From 16 that restriction falls away.

Can a 15-year-old work full time during the holidays?

Within the limits for minors, yes: a maximum of 8 hours per day, 40 hours per week and 5 days per week, with no night work.

Do we lose the child benefit if our child works?

Under 18, no, whatever the number of hours. From 18 the quota of 650 hours applies, and outside it a maximum of 80 hours per month.

How much may my child earn without losing dependent status?

Up to 12,300 euros in net means in 2026, with the first 7,010 euros of student pay not counted. In practice the threshold sits around 22,400 euros gross from student work.

Do I have to sign anything as a parent?

Yes. For an underage student worker, a parent or guardian co-signs the student employment contract.

In short

From 15 your child may work, but only at light tasks; from 16 that restriction falls away. For every minor there are hard limits of 8 hours per day, 40 hours per week and 5 days per week, with no night work. The Groeipakket keeps running under 18, and staying a dependent for tax works up to roughly 22,400 euros gross from student work. As a parent you co-sign the contract and check that the Dimona STU has been filed. Read more on anyshift.be and anyshift.be. Open student jobs are on anyshift.be and per city on anyshift.be. Employers looking for student workers will find guidance on anyshift.be

📲 Shifts that fit into a weekend or a school holiday are in the AnyShift app. Download it on the App Store apps.apple.com or on Google Play play.google.com