In the context of the Covid-19 crisis, the government adopted a measure allowing employees to enjoy their various cheques for longer.
Eco vouchers, gift vouchers, sports and culture vouchers and electronic meal vouchers must be used within a certain period of time in order to retain their validity.
In order not to be subject to social security contributions, these vouchers must - among other things - have a limited period of validity (see table below).
Considering the health crisis and the closure for several weeks of certain businesses, the Government extends the validity of the various types of vouchers:
|
Type of voucher |
Validity period to be observed |
Extension of their validity due to Covid-19 |
|
Paper or electronic eco-vouchers expiring in March, April, May and June 2020 |
24 months |
Extension by 6 months |
|
Gift vouchers expiring in March, April, May and June 2020 |
No specific period of validity, but it must be limited |
Extension by 6 months |
|
Electronic meal vouchers expiring in March, April, May and June 2020 |
12 months |
Extension by 6 months |
|
Sports and culture vouchers expiring on 30 September 2020 |
15 months (from 1 July to 30 September of the following year) |
Extension up to and including 31 December 2020 |
Source: Royal Decree of 20 May 2020 amending the Royal Decree of 28 November 1969 implementing the Law of 27 June 1969 revising the Decree-Law of 28 December 1944 on the social security of workers, extending the validity of meal vouchers, eco vouchers, gift vouchers and sport/culture vouchers as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, Belgian official gazette of 29.05.2020