“A nice increase in purchasing power,” said the prime minister regarding the potential to pay workers more in meal cheques
The maximum amount of maaltijdcheques, or meal cheques, that can be paid per day is rising to €10 next year. The current maximum per day allowance is €8.
Meal checks are a common employee benefit in Belgium. Accessible via a payment card, they can be used to pay for groceries or for meals in restaurants. They cannot be spent on non-food items. All supermarkets in Belgium accept maaltijd cheques as do a good number of restaurants and fast food outlets. Delivery platforms Uber and Deliveroo also accept them.
While workers must contribute a portion of the cost of the cheques, neither they nor the employers are taxed on the amount of the cheques. They are also tax deductible for the employer.
This is great for workers because it’s more money in their pockets
Prime minister Bart De Wever
Employees receive one cheque for every day worked via an electronic card that is topped up every month. Previously the maximum amount of a daily cheque was €8 – from 1 January 2026 it will be €10.
That doesn’t mean that everyone willl start getting €10 per day; employers do not have to pay the maximum amount. Employers decide (potentially with unions or HR departments) how much the daily meal cheques will be.
The government, however, encourages employers to offer the maximum amount, thereby offering employees a rise in netto income without extra salary costs involved. “This is great for workers because it’s more money in their pockets,” said prime minister Bart De Wever (N-VA). “If you look at the amount extra per month, it’s a nice increase in purchasing power, especially since the wage norm is 0 right now.”
The wage norm is legal ceiling on how much average labour costs per employee are allowed to increase in the private sector over a two-year period.