How to hire a student in 2016 ?

 ⚠️ Attention this article is not up to date. Click here for the revised version (2025)

Hiring students for a summer is not a piece of cake. With all the administrative procedures to follow and the different laws, things can easily get confusing. The aim of this article will be to (at least try to) simplify the series of steps that an employer has to go through while hiring a student.

1. The student employment contract

This contract is mandatory for an employer to hire a student and with it comes with several conditions:

• Has to be a written contract
• Has to be filled before the first day of the student on the job
• It is a temporary contract of maximum 12 months (therefore it is advised to sign a contract for 11 months and a half maximum so that the interruption between two contracts is adequate)
• Has to be a copy for the employer and one for the student.

Here are templates of the student employment contracts in Dutch and in French.

2. The Dimona declaration

It is an online declaration that informs the NSSO when an employee is hired by the company or leaves it. The Dimona declaration is also obligatory for every employer and has to be sent before the student begins the job. The declaration is active for 3 months (if the job lasts longer you should introduce a new declaration).

What should be in your Dimona declaration?

• Information about the employer and the employee
• The employer’s NOSS registration number
• The employee’s NOSS identification number
• Employee’s national number
• The number of days the student will have to work
• The dates of beginning and end of the job

There are several ways to fill your Dimona declaration:

• Via the UCM website (for Brussels and Wallonia)
• Via https://www.socialsecurity.be/
• By phone: 02 511 51 51

Then, you will receive a confirmation from the NOSS with your Dimona code.

3. The 50 days

Before hiring a student it is essential to check that he has not already worked more than 50 days that year or you will not benefit from reduced social contributions (5,42%).

The student has to register online via Student@work and get a certificate with a code that will enable you to check his status by visiting the social security website.

4. The insurance

As for any other employee, it is your responsibility to insure a student.

5. Legal questions

• The age

A student can be hired if he is at least 15 (which means that he does not have to remain in full-time education) but the is no limitation of age. The only condition is that he/she has the status of “student”, whether it is in secondary school or college.

• The wage

The wage for a student job depends on the sector of the company. Indeed, the minimum salary changes regarding the sector.

Lees ook: How to Compensate an Intern?

Therefore, If you want to check if a specific salary for your sector of activity there is the current pay scale provided by sfonds200.be

• The duration

Regarding the duration of the job there are also a few facts to remember:

- A student under 18 cannot work more than 8h/day and 38h/week (a student above 18 can work up to 9h/day)

- An hour break has to be granted to the student every 6h of labour.

- It is forbidden for a student to work on Sunday or on a Bank Holiday (some exceptions exist depending on the sector).

• Foreign students

If they come from countries member of the EEE (or Switzerland) they have the same rights and obligations as Belgian students.

 

Now that you understand all the steps to follow in order to hire a student don’t forget to visit our website and post a student job. For sure many suitable candidates will seize the opportunity to work with you! 

 

Jordan Godet