Student jobs and child benefit in Belgium (2026): the limits region by region
In short
In 2026 the limit depends on the region where you live and is counted in hours, never in euros. Brussels: 240 hours per quarter, all contracts combined, summer free only if you carry on studying; Wallonia: 240 hours per quarter, summer included, not counting your student-contract hours as long as you stay within your 650 hours; Flanders: 80 hours a month outside student contracts (your student hours beyond 650 count towards it); German-speaking Community: 175 hours per quarter outside student contracts. The limits start on 1 September of the year you turn 18 in Brussels and Wallonia, the month after your 18th birthday in Flanders and on your 18th birthday in the German-speaking Community, and the entitlement ends at 25. Go over the limit and your parents lose that quarter’s child benefit (that month’s Groeipakket in Flanders).
The rule that applies is that of the region where you live, not where you work or study. Everywhere, the limit is counted in hours actually worked, never in euros, and it is a maximum: exactly 240 hours in a quarter is still allowed. Before the conditions start, around your 18th birthday, you can work as much as you like without any risk for child benefit.
Brussels: 240 hours per quarter, all contracts combined
| Brussels | 2026 rule |
|---|---|
| From when | From 1 September of the year you turn 18. Before that, no limit. |
| Limit | 240 hours per quarter at most. |
| Summer (July to September) | No limit if you carry on studying in September or October. In the summer after your final year, the 240 hours apply too. |
| Hours that count | All of them: student contract (even within your 650 hours) and any other employment contract. Not counted: internships required for your degree, work-study (alternance) training, entrepreneurship training. |
| Up to what age | 25. |
| If you go over | Your parents get no child benefit for the whole quarter. |
Wallonia: 240 hours per quarter, summer included
| Wallonia | 2026 rule |
|---|---|
| From when | From 1 September of the year you turn 18. Before that, no limit. |
| Limit | 240 hours per quarter at most. |
| Summer (July to September) | Counted like the rest of the year: no summer exception. |
| Hours that count | Student contract: no, as long as you stay within your 650 hours for the year; beyond that, yes. Any other contract (fixed-term, flexi-job, agency work outside a student contract): from the very first hour. Not counted: work-study training, compulsory internships for your degree, paid public holidays. |
| Up to what age | 25. |
| If you go over | Your parents lose that quarter’s child benefit. |
Flanders: 80 hours a month outside student contracts
| Flanders (Vlaams Groeipakket) | 2026 rule |
|---|---|
| From when | From the first day of the month after your 18th birthday. Until the end of the month you turn 18, no limit. |
| Limit | 80 hours a month on any contract other than a student contract. On a student contract, 650 hours per calendar year at reduced contributions do not count towards those 80 hours. |
| Summer (July to September) | Counted: the 80 hours apply every month, July and August included. |
| Hours that count | Agency work, flexi-job, fixed-term or permanent contract, student contract without reduced contributions: within the 80 hours. Your student-contract hours beyond 650 in the year also count towards that month’s 80 hours. |
| Up to what age | 25. |
| If you go over | No Groeipakket for that month. Each month is assessed separately. |
German-speaking Community: 175 hours per quarter outside student contracts
| German-speaking Community (East Belgium) | 2026 rule |
|---|---|
| From when | From your 18th birthday. Before that, no limit. |
| Limit | 175 hours per quarter at most, on any contract other than a student contract or as a self-employed worker. |
| Summer (July to September) | Counted: no summer exception. |
| Hours that count | Student contract: never, even beyond 650 hours. Any other employment contract and self-employed work: within the 175 hours. Not counted: activities that are part of your training, volunteering, self-employed work at reduced contributions. |
| Up to what age | 25. |
| If you go over | No Kindergeld for that quarter. |
Four examples
- Brussels: Inès, 20, works 300 hours as a student in July and August 2026 and goes back to her course in September. No limit in summer: her parents keep everything. Had it been her final year, those 300 hours would exceed 240 and her parents would lose the child benefit for July, August and September.
- Wallonia: Lucas, 20, has 500 hours on a student contract in 2026 (within his 650 hours, so not counted) and does 250 hours of agency work outside a student contract from July to September. That is more than 240 hours in the quarter: his parents lose that quarter’s child benefit, even though it is summer.
- Flanders: Emma, born on 10 March 2008, is subject to the limits from 1 April 2026. In July 2026 she does 90 hours of agency work outside a student contract: more than 80 hours that month, so no Groeipakket for July. Her student-contract hours, under 650, change nothing.
- German-speaking Community: Jonas, 19, works 800 hours on a student contract in 2026: no limit. If he also works 180 hours on another contract between April and June, he goes over 175 hours: no Kindergeld for that quarter.
Common trap: in Wallonia and Flanders, hours on another contract count from the very first one, even if you have not used up your 650 student hours. Getting close to the limit? Add up your hours for the quarter (for the month in Flanders) across all your employers and tell your parents: if in doubt, their child benefit fund decides. Student@work only counts your student-contract hours.
Related questions
Will my parents lose child benefit if I work as a student in Belgium?
No, as long as you stay under your region’s limit: 240 hours per quarter in Brussels and Wallonia, 80 hours a month outside student contracts in Flanders, 175 hours per quarter outside student contracts in the German-speaking Community. Before you turn 18 there is no limit anywhere; in Brussels and Wallonia, none before 1 September of the year you turn 18.
Student pay and child benefit: is there a cap in euros?
No. In 2026 all four regions set their limits in hours; the Vlaams Groeipakket states that what you earn plays no role. Your pay does matter, however, for staying your parents’ dependant for tax.
Flanders: what is the 80-hour rule?
From the month after your 18th birthday, you can work at most 80 hours a month on a contract other than a student contract (agency work, flexi-job, fixed-term contract) without your parents losing that month’s Groeipakket. Your student-contract hours do not count towards it up to 650 hours in the year; beyond that, they are added to the 80 hours.
Does the summer count for child benefit?
In Brussels, July to September are free if you carry on studying in September or October, but not in the summer after your final year. In Wallonia, Flanders and the German-speaking Community, the summer counts like the rest of the year.
What if I have finished my studies?
In Brussels, if you register with Actiris as a young jobseeker, your parents can keep child benefit for a limited period, provided you do not work more than 240 hours per quarter. In the other regions the rules after your studies are different: ask your parents’ child benefit fund.
Where can I check my hours?
Student@work (NSSO) tracks your student-contract hours, that is, your 650 hours. For child benefit, also add your hours on other contracts, per quarter (per month in Flanders), across all your employers.
Official sources
- Famiris (Brussels): Can I still receive child benefits if my child works?
- Famiwal (Wallonia): basic conditions for young people after 18 (in French)
- Wallex: Walloon Government decree of 20 September 2018, article 3, 240 hours per quarter (in French)
- Vlaams Groeipakket (Flanders): Werken tijdens de studies (in Dutch)
- Ostbelgien Familie, Ministry of the German-speaking Community: children aged 18 to 25 in education (in German)
- Student@work (NSSO): Hours package and impact
Trakko is not an official source: this guide sums up the rules as published by the authorities on the date shown. For an answer you can rely on, check Student@work, mycareer.be or the body quoted.
Read next
- Student jobs in Belgium 2026: how many of your 650 hours are left?
- Student jobs in Belgium 2026: tax, tax return and staying your parents’ dependant
- Student jobs and health insurance in Belgium 2026: when must you register yourself?
- Tracking your student or flexi-job hours in Belgium in 2026: Student@work, a spreadsheet or an app?