Just like last year the Flemish, Brussels and Walloon region have published their new minimum salary thresholds for 2023 for work and single permits. Depending on the region and the category of employee (such as highly skilled employees, artists, executives, …) different thresholds will apply.

Compliance with the salary thresholds is crucial not only to obtain new permits for employment in Belgium as of 2023, but also for the continuation of current employment in Belgium: the salary must meet the new thresholds as of January 2023.

The following new gross salary amounts (EUR) will be applicable as of 1 January 2023:

Type of permit	Flanders	Brussels	Wallonia: to be confirmed
Highly skilled	45.984 EUR (36.787,20 EUR for local employee < 30 or nurse)	47.174 EUR	47.175 EUR
Executive	73.574 EUR	78.704 EUR	78.704 EUR
Blue Card	55.181 EUR	60.998 EUR	60.998 EUR
ICT (Intra-Corporate Transferee)	73.574 EUR (executive) 45.984 EUR (specialist) 45.984 EUR (trainees)	60.998 EUR (executive) 48.798 EUR (specialist) 30.499 EUR (trainees)	60.998 EUR (executive) 48.799 EUR (specialist) 30.499 EUR (trainees)

The gross salary as such includes all payments to the employee in consideration for work: the amounts must be known with certainty to employer, employee and the Belgian authorities prior to the start of the employment in Belgium. The fact that the amount must be certain excludes discretionary bonuses. In Wallonia, contributions paid for professional supplementary pension schemes are not taken into account either. In the event of assignment, allowances, directly linked/specific to the assignment, are considered part of the salary, provided they are not paid in reimbursement of expenditure actually incurred on account of the assignment, such as expenditure on travel, lodging, and board: travel, lodging, and board allowances are thus not considered salary. Moreover, employers are required to guarantee the salary in EUR regardless of payroll location and/or exchange rate fluctuations.