What changes in Belgium from 1 January? Pensions, salaries, energy and telecom prices, service vouchers, healthcare ...

The new year traditionally heralds a raft of changes in Belgium. Here’s the measures that will affect the nation’s citizens from 1 January 2025, report RTBF and Belga.

Pensions: Legal retirement age increases to 66, integrated bonus

The legal retirement age increases from 65 to 66, although workers can take an early pension if they have accumulated a certain number of years.

The pension bonus is also integrated. This is a net amount paid to people who decide to work beyond the pension age. It is built up over a maximum period of three years as long as the worker has not retired. The longer the period of work, the higher the bonus. It is proportional to the hours worked beyond the retirement age.

In another pension reform, access to the guaranteed minimum pension becomes more complicated. Workers will need to prove 20 years of work, which corresponds to:

-          5,000 days of full-time work as an employee (3,120 days of full-time work for a part-time minimum pension)

-          5,000 days of full-time work for a mixed career (employee, self-employed, civil servant)

-          189 months for those with only a civil servant career

-          64 trimesters for those with only a self-employed career

The pensions of retired military personnel increases by almost 10%. This is due to a system in which civil servants' pensions follow the evolution of the salaries of those who are still active. Retired police officers will benefit from a 2.5% increase.

From 1 January, those with a flexi-job need to respect an additional ceiling of €7,876 per year if they have taken early retirement and not yet reached the legal retirement age, and have worked for less than 45 years.

The retirement of civil servants for physical incapacity is abolished. A transition system is in place until 2028, but for those who already benefit from the pension, nothing changes.

Salary indexation of 3.58% for private sector employees

Employees' salaries will benefit from an automatic increase of 3.58% in January according to HR service providers SD Worx and Acerta. This concerns employees in around 30 sectors. According to recent figures from the ONSS, it represents 522,623 employees. Salary indexation was 1.48% in 2023 after a record of 11.08% in 2022.

Reduction in property registration fees from 12.5% to 3% in Wallonia

From 2025, property buyers will be able to benefit from reduced registration fees of 3% if it is their only home and they reside in it. A buyer who already owns part of another property may not be entitled to the lower rate. Previous measures in place to help first-time buyers will disappear, such as the tax reduction on registration fees.

Brussels landlords have to register their lease twice in 2025

Landlords in Brussels need to register their residential lease in both regional and federal registers. This will be operational from the first week of January. It will be linked to the electronic counter of the Brussels Region administrations IRISbox. A tab named "irisrent" enables you to fill out the registration form directly and free of charge.

Energy: Social tariffs for electricity and natural gas rise to 15%, distribution costs increase in Brussels

The social tariffs for electricity and natural gas increase from 1 January. Compared to the last quarter of 2024, the social tariff for electricity increases by 10% and exceeds the €20 mark per kilowatt hour, both for the single-rate tariff (€20.815 including VAT) and for the dual-rate tariff (€21.263 during the day and €20.466 at night). The exclusive night-time tariff increases to €17.632 per kilowatt hour. The social tariff for natural gas and heat increases by 15% and climbs to €5.894 per kilowatt hour.

Electricity and gas distribution rates in Brussels increase to around €50 per year. Transport rates, validated by the federal regulator, increase for an average Brussels customer by €17.70 per year. An average Brussels household consuming 2104 kWh of electricity per year will see its distribution bill increase by €26.58 in 2025, an increase of 11.6% compared to 2024. This will increase by 5.1% in 2026 and 4.3% in 2027.

For gas, a household consuming 12,000 kWh per year will see an increase of €23 in distribution costs in 2025, or 12.70% more than this year. The increases remain limited to 1.8% in the following years. The average customer will see distribution and transport costs increase by around €67 between 2024 and 2025, or €5.60 per month. The price increases will be more pronounced for medium-voltage users, who will see the distribution component increase by 14.60% in 2025. The "distribution" part represents around a third of the electricity bill and a fifth of the gas bill of a residential customer in Brussels.

Service vouchers: Price indexation in all three regions

The price of a service voucher will increase by 20 cents from 1 January  in Wallonia. Service vouchers previously purchased for €10, €11 or €12 rise to €10.20, €11.20 and €12.20. The price depends on the family situation and the number of service vouchers purchased. The price of service vouchers can now be indexed twice a year in Wallonia. The validity period does not change and service vouchers purchased in 2024 remain valid in 2025.

In the Brussels Region, service vouchers will be indexed each year and increase to €10.20 instead of the current €10 for the first 300 vouchers. The indexation takes place each year according to economic developments and inflation. The Brussels Region is also removing the minimum number of 10 service vouchers per online order. It is retained for paper orders. The tax deduction remains unchanged at 15%. The validity period does not change and service vouchers purchased in 2024 remain valid in 2025.

In Flanders, the price of service vouchers rises from €9 to €10 in 2025. The tax deductibility of €1.80/cheque disappears. The total increase is therefore €2.80 per cheque, according to VRT.

Bpost, Proximus, Voo: Price increases expected

Due to inflation and rising costs, the price of the classic "non-priority" stamp increases from €1.49 to €1.53 for 10 stamps purchased, says Bpost. The "priority" stamp for delivery the next working day, increases from €2.33 to €2.37 for five stamps purchased. The rates for sending parcels also increase by 2% on average for national and international shipments.

Proximus increase the rates of its Flex packs, which internet, mobile and landline telephones and/or television, to an average €3 per month.

Voo, taken over in 2023 by the Orange group, will also increase several of its products with increases ranging from €1 to €3.50.

Technical inspection every two years for vehicles less than 8 years old and with less than 110,000kms

In Wallonia, well-maintained vehicles less than eight years old and with less than 110,000kms on the clock will only have to undergo a technical inspection every two years from 1 January. This is subject to several additional conditions. The vehicle must not tow a trailer heavier than 750kg and it must have obtained a green certificate without a validated limit or only minor administrative breaches.

Kilometre charge for lorries more expensive in Wallonia

The price scale for the kilometre charge imposed on heavy goods vehicles in Wallonia is subject to indexation in 2025 and will be on average +2.86%. This indexation is calculated on the basis of the consumer price index for August 2024. The kilometre charge has been in force in Belgium on motorways and main national roads since 1 April 2016. It concerns all heavy goods vehicles with a maximum authorised mass of more than 3.5 tonnes as well as vehicles towing semi-trailers of category N1.

TEC and SNCB fares increase from 1 February

SNCB and TEC have announced an indexation of their fares in 2025 from 1 February. On Belgian rail, a standard ticket for a second-class seat will cost almost 3% more. The increase in ticket and season ticket prices will be similar for TEC buses, also around 3%.

Brussels Airlines flights more expensive due to environmental surcharge

The German airline group Lufthansa introduces a surcharge for environmental costs from 1 January. This will apply to all its subsidiaries for all flights departing from Europe. The surcharge will range from €1 to €72 per flight, depending on the route and travel class. Brussels Airlines will apply a surcharge ranging from €1 to €36.

Hospitals to electronically verify patients' identities

Hospitals will be required to check patients' identities for the healthcare services invoiced to mutual insurance funds. A monitoring phase to test the system has been mandatory since 1 September 2024. This applies to both hospitalisations and outpatient care. Patients are reminded of the importance of carrying their identity card for hospital appointments.

Health insurance: shorter waiting period for people cured of cancer

Five years after the end of treatment for cancer or a chronic illness, insurance companies will no longer be able to take patients’ medical history into account to refuse insurance. In Belgium, the right “to be forgotten” was introduced in 2019. It is a protection mechanism for people who have had cancer or suffered from certain chronic diseases. This facilitates access for people to outstanding balance insurance for a mortgage or professional loan, after a certain period and under certain conditions.

Changes to maternity leave

Mutual insurance companies will have to pay maternity leave benefits monthly and no longer at the end of the leave. Fathers and co-parents are entitled to 20 days of maternity leave to be taken within four months of giving birth. This leave, which is not mandatory, can be spread over a period of four months from the birth of the child. The first three days of this leave are the responsibility of the employer, who pays the normal salary to his employee. For the following 17 days, compensation of up to 82% of the normal gross salary can be granted, based on information provided by the employer.

Adoptive or foster parents will benefit from four weeks of additional leave credit from 1 January to be taken by one of the parents or to be shared between them, in addition to the six weeks of leave already provided for per parent.

Tobacco: Increase in the price of a packet, age control and end of display in stores

Several changes in laws come into force concerning the sale and consumption of tobacco. Excise duties on the price of a packet of cigarettes will increase by €52 for 1,000 cigarettes; an increase of approximately €2 per packet. An excise duty of €0.15/ml is also introduced on electronic cigarettes.

Tobacco products can no longer be displayed in stores. Sellers will have to check the age of a buyer if the latter appears to be under 25. The sale of tobacco remains prohibited to under 18s. It will no longer be possible to sell tobacco at temporary points of sale such as markets or festivals.

It will also be forbidden to smoke within 10 metres of an entrance or exit of a healthcare, reception or educational establishment. This concerns hospitals, schools and public libraries.

Support for transgender people in six centres

The list of approved centres for transgender people expands to six with reimbursement provided for support with psychosocial and/or medical help related to gender identity, gender expression or gender dysphoria.

Agriculture: Mandatory vaccination of cattle and sheep against bluetongue

The vaccination of cattle and sheep against bluetongue disease becomes mandatory. The funding for the vaccination will be directly allocated to veterinarians with planned amounts €23.50 per bovine and €7 per sheep.

Photo: ©Belgium.be