From 1 July 2026, new hospitality flexible pay rules apply. Deviations require Company Council agreement to ensure clear employer-employee rights and responsibilities.

Since 1 July 2026, a fixed maximum pay applies to flexi-jobbers in JC 302 (hospitality). The previous 150% rule no longer applies.

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Minimum wage flexi

Before we discuss the new maximum wage, let us first review the rules about the minimum wage in the hospitality sector. In JC 302, a flat-rate minimum wage applies to flexi-jobbers, no matter what job they do. This is an important difference compared to other sectors, where the wage depends on the applicable scales and function classifications.

On top of the minimum wage, there is an additional flexi holiday pay of 7.67% per hour, which is paid together with the flexi wage.

The current minimum wage is 11.87 euros. Together with the flexi holiday pay, this comes to 12.78 euros per hour.

Maximum wage flexi

New from 1 July 2026 is the introduction of a flat-rate maximum wage for flexi-jobbers in the hospitality sector. This wage ceiling is 21 euros per hour, excluding flexi holiday pay, or 22.61 euros per hour including flexi holiday pay.

History

At the start of 2024, a maximum wage for flexi-jobbers was introduced to prevent abuse of the system. That wage ceiling was set at 150% of the flexi minimum wage, including any bonuses and allowances. This caused problems in sectors where bonuses of 100% exist, for example for Sunday work.

New rule

The rule has now been adjusted for all sectors.

In the hospitality sector, a flat-rate maximum wage was introduced.
In all other sectors, the maximum wage was adjusted to 150%, excluding bonuses established by law or collective labour agreement.

To which bonuses and allowances is a flexi entitled?

A flexi-jobber is entitled to all bonuses and allowances that a traditional worker receives. This is also true in the hospitality sector.
However, for calculating the flexi wage, you must distinguish between bonuses (gross) and allowances (net). We will explain this for the hospitality sector.

Bonuses

For flexi-jobs, the principle of gross = net applies. Not only the basic wage but also bonuses subject to social security contributions benefit from the favourable flexi statute. For the flexi-jobber, these amounts are therefore exempt from ordinary social security contributions and taxes.

For calculating the maximum flexi wage of 21 euros per hour, you must include all pay elements that are part of the flexi wage.

Specifically, you must include night bonuses, Sunday allowances and any bonuses at company level. Together with the basic wage, these amounts may not exceed the ceiling of 21 euros per hour (excluding flexi holiday pay).

Allowances

In the hospitality sector, besides bonuses, there are also several allowances. They cover expenses and are always net allowances. They do not form part of the flexi wage but are paid on top of it.

The flexi-jobber is entitled to these allowances, just like a regular worker. These include the clothing allowance and the allowance for commuter traffic.

These net allowances do not have to be included in the maximum flexi wage.

Numerical example

Example 1: wage ceiling respected

Jean works every Sunday as a flexi-jobber behind the bar of café De Vriendschap. He receives a basic wage of 18 euros per hour. Because he works on Sunday, he is also entitled to the Sunday allowance of 2 euros per hour.

For checking against the maximum flexi wage, you must add both amounts:

18 euros + 2 euros = 20 euros per hour

Jean thus remains below the maximum of 21 euros per hour (excluding flexi holiday pay). This pay is allowed.

On top of that, Jean is also entitled to:

Flexi holiday pay;
An allowance for commuter traffic;
Possibly a clothing allowance.

These allowances do not count towards the maximum flexi wage.

Example 2: wage ceiling exceeded

Suppose Jean receives a basic wage of 20 euros per hour. With the Sunday allowance of 2 euros per hour, his flexi wage is:

20 euros + 2 euros = 22 euros per hour

The maximum of 21 euros per hour is then exceeded. This pay is therefore not allowed. To stay within the flexi scheme limits, the basic wage must be reduced.

Index

In the hospitality sector, there are now also various indexation rules.

Amount	Indexation moment
Scale	1 January of each year
Flexi wage (both minimum and maximum)	3 months after exceeding the central index rate
Extra flat rates	Start of the quarter following the exceeding of the central index rate