Energy crisis: support for self-employed

To address the consequences of the energy crisis, the government has decided to offer self-employed people two temporary options regarding social security contributions: either a deferral of payment or an exemption from contributions.

Deferral of contribution payments

Who can make use of this?

Self-employed as their main occupation
Helping spouses
Self-employed students contributing as self-employed with main activity
ART 37 who pays contributions as self-employed with main activity
Self-employed person who has reached retirement age without a pension and who pays contributions as self-employed with main activity

Contributions concerned

These measures apply only to provisional contributions for the 2nd and 3rd quarters of 2026.

The contribution for quarter 02/2026 must be paid by 30 June 2027 at the latest
The contribution for quarter 03/2026 must be paid by 30 September 2027 at the latest

This measure does not apply to contributions already paid.

How can you benefit from this measure?

A written application must be submitted by:

Before 15 June 2026 (to benefit from a payment deferral for February 2026 and March 2026)
Before 15 September 2026 (to benefit from a payment deferral for March 2026)

The request may be made by email or post and must include:

Your name - first name and place of residence
Name and address of business establishment
Your enterprise number
A motivated request with:

- Either supporting documents (not mandatory)

- Or a clear explanation of the difficulties encountered (declaration on honour)

Please note

A request that is not motivated or not signed will not entitle you to a deferral!

Does this affect certain rights?

These measures do not affect the following entitlements:

The right to family allowances.
The right to a pension.
Health care and the right to benefits in case of work incapacity.
The right to benefits under bridging rights, maternity allowance, paternity leave and the allowance for volunteers providing care.

Note: PLCI premiums are only tax-deductible if the social security contributions for the year have been paid in full. A deferral of contributions prevents this deductibility

Consequences of non-payment

If contributions are not paid in full by the deadline, you will lose the benefit of the deferral, i.e. the automatic waiver of surcharges for the contribution not paid in full. You will be liable for surcharges on the contributions concerned, as if the measure had never been applied to you.

Furthermore, certain benefits may be affected. If entitlements have been granted on the basis of the deferred quarters, these may have to be repaid

Are there other ways to mitigate the impact of this crisis?

• Difficulty paying social security contributions: if you believe your income has fallen as a result of this crisis, you can request that your contributions be calculated on a lower income.

• Payment plan: payment of social security contributions in instalments.

• Waiver of increases

Exemption from contributions

An exemption from social security contributions is available for the second and third quarters of 2026.

Important: For the third quarter of 2026, applications may only be submitted from 17 July 2026

How?

The request for exemption must be submitted using the form on this page. Your request for exemption must be motivated with a clear explanation of the difficulties caused by the energy crisis. If you have supporting documents, you may certainly add them but this is not mandatory.

You can send this form by email or by post:

Email: Mybusiness@securex.be
Post: SECUREX, Verenigde Natieslaan 1 9000 Gent

Notes:

An unsigned or unsubstantiated request will not qualify for exemption!
Are you a starter? You can only apply for an exemption after having been subject to contributions for at least four consecutive quarters (unless you have ceased in the meantime).
The quarters for which an exemption is granted do not count towards the accrual of pension rights, but they can be regularised within five years.

To apply for an exemption for quarters other than those covered by the measure, please use the standard procedure: Self-employed as a main occupation | Securex (link to standard exemption).

What can Securex do for you?

Would you like to discuss which solution best suits your situation? Contact the Securex Integrity Social Insurance Fund. Send an email to mybusiness@securex.be and we will be happy to help you.