Hospitality (horeca) 2026 in Belgium: student pay, extras (50 days) and Sundays
In short
In 2026, the lowest hourly pay scale in Belgian hospitality (joint committee 302) is €15.21 gross: as a student you are entitled to all of it from age 18, and to 70, 80 or 90% of it at 15, 16 or 17. On top of your 650 student hours, you can work 50 days a year as an extra, never more than 2 days in a row for the same employer. On Sundays and public holidays the sector adds €2 per hour worked, €12 a day at most: pay is only doubled for overtime.
How much does a student earn in hospitality in 2026?
In hospitality (hotels, restaurants, cafés, caterers: joint committee 302), your minimum pay depends on your job, placed in a category of the pay scale, and on your years of service in that job. The lowest rate, category I with 0 years of service, is €15.2097 gross an hour for a 38-hour week (2026 pay scale published by the FPS Employment). From age 18 you are entitled to 100% of the scale, even on a student contract. Under 18, on a student contract, you get a percentage of the scale for your category.
| Your age (student contract) | Share of the scale | Minimum gross an hour, category I |
|---|---|---|
| 15 | 70% | €10.65 |
| 16 | 80% | €12.17 |
| 17 | 90% | €13.69 |
| 18 and over | 100% | €15.21 (€15.2097) |
Student or extra: what is the difference?
In hospitality you can work on a student contract, as an occasional worker (an “extra”), or both. An extra is hired for at most 2 consecutive days by the same employer: beyond that, the whole job must be declared as that of an ordinary worker. Your days as an extra are not deducted from your 650 student hours. A day counts as a full day, even if you only work a few hours; two employers on the same day, or a shift that runs past midnight without a break, count as one day.
| Student contract | Extra (occasional worker) | |
|---|---|---|
| Yearly limit | 650 hours, all employers together | 50 days, all employers together (and 200 days per employer for all its extras) |
| With the same employer | No more than 12 months without a break | At most 2 days in a row |
| Your contributions | 2.71% of your gross pay | Ordinary contributions (usually 13.07%), calculated on a flat amount rather than on your real pay |
| Flat amount since the 3rd quarter of 2026 | None | €11.52 per hour started, at most €69.12 a day, plus 8% for a blue-collar worker |
| Official counter | Student@work | Horeca@work |
| Beyond the limit | Ordinary contributions from the 651st hour | Ordinary contributions from the 51st day |
Sundays and public holidays: double pay?
Not automatically. For a public holiday, the rules provide no pay supplement, and the 100% rate only applies to overtime worked on a Sunday or public holiday. In hospitality, a sector collective agreement adds a premium of €2 per hour actually worked on a Sunday or statutory public holiday, up to €12 a day, unless a company agreement gives more. Working on a public holiday also entitles you to paid compensatory rest.
| A Sunday at €15.2097 an hour | Gross pay | Hospitality premium | Total gross |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 h | €60.84 | €8.00 | €68.84 |
| 6 h | €91.26 | €12.00 | €103.26 |
| 8 h | €121.68 | €12.00 (maximum) | €133.68 |
Between midnight and 5 am, another sector agreement provides a night supplement per hour, indexed every 1 January. It does not come on top of the Sunday or public holiday premium (if it is higher, only the difference is due), nor on top of overtime pay. At 16 and 17, a hospitality employer can have you work until 11 pm, not later.
Flexi-jobs and recording your hours
- Flexi-job: neither your student hours nor your days as an extra count towards the access condition (having worked at least 4/5 time for another employer three quarters earlier, unless you are retired).
- Flexi pay in hospitality since 1 September 2026: at least €12.11 an hour, plus 7.67% flexi holiday pay (€13.04 in total), and at most €21.00 excluding holiday pay (€22.61 including it). The other rules are in the flexi-job guide.
- Extra declared by the day in Dimona (with no end time): your employer must enter you in the sector’s working time register.
- Flexi-job: every shift must be recorded, in hospitality for example through the registered cash register system, or through a daily Dimona with start and end times.
- Keep your own record of your hours every day: it is your proof if your payslip does not match.
Related questions
Hospitality extra: how many days a year?
At most 50 days per calendar year, all employers together; each employer also has 200 days a year for all its extras. An extra never works more than 2 days in a row for the same employer. Your balance is on Horeca@work.
Can I combine working as a hospitality extra with my 650 student hours?
Yes. You can work 650 hours a year on a student contract, at 2.71% contributions, and on top of that 50 days as an extra in hospitality. Your days as an extra are not deducted from your 650 hours: they have their own counter, Horeca@work.
Student job on a Sunday: double pay?
No, except for overtime (+100% on Sundays and public holidays). In hospitality you get a premium of €2 per hour worked on a Sunday, €12 a day at most. In another sector, the collective agreement of your joint committee says whether there is a premium.
Student job on a public holiday: what pay?
Your usual pay, plus €2 an hour in hospitality (€12 a day at most), and paid compensatory rest. The rules provide no other supplement, except for overtime, paid +100%.
Is a public holiday paid to a student who does not work that day?
Yes, if it falls during your student contract: your employer must pay it. If it falls just after the contract ends, it may still be due, depending on how long you worked for that employer.
Can an extra work 3 days in a row for the same boss?
Not as an extra: beyond 2 consecutive days with the same employer, the whole job must be declared as that of an ordinary worker, with contributions on your real pay.
Official sources
- FPS Employment, minimum wages of joint committee 302, hotel industry (in French)
- FPS Employment, joint committee 302 information sheet: Sunday, public holiday and night premiums (updated 21 January 2026, PDF)
- NSSO, occasional work in the hospitality sector, instructions 2026/3 (in French)
- Student@work (NSSO), hours package and impact: 650 hours and 50 horeca days
- FPS Employment, public holidays (in French)
- NSSO, flexi-jobs: minimum and maximum flexi pay in hospitality, instructions 2026/3 (in French)
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.