Premium for contact professions and non-essential businesses in the Brussels-Capital Region

From 1 July 2021, a new corona premium will be available for the sector of contact professions and so-called 'non-essential' businesses. More specifically, it is a premium for businesses which, from 27 March onwards, were obliged to remain closed for almost a month or could only open to a limited extent.

What businesses?

The Brussels-Capital Region grants aid to businesses that:

1° were forced to close one or more establishment units located in the Region on 27 March 2021;

2° or could only continue their activities as from 27 March 2021 via an order and pick-up system, a delivery system or a system based on appointments.

Under which conditions employers can benefit from this premium?

Eligible for this premium are the businesses that:

1. are registered at the CBE on 31 December 2020 and have at least one active establishment unit on the territory of the Brussels-Capital Region on that date;
2. do not benefit from the vat exemption scheme for small businesses;
3. have not received[1] one of the following aid measures:  
   
       - a premium for non-profit creative and cultural institutions;
   
       - a premium for the compensation of non-profit creative and cultural institutions;
4. had a turnover of more than 25,000 EUR in 2019, unless they have only been registered with the CBE since 1 January 2019.  The turnover shall be determined on the basis of figures from the receipts of the VAT returns dated no later than 24 June 2021.
5. have an approved NACE code registered with the CBE by 31 December 2020 at the latest in order to receive the premium. You can consult the NACE codes for non-essential activities and contact professions here;
6. for the so-called non-essential activities: could only continue their activities via an order and pick-up system, a delivery system or a system based on appointments;
7. for the contact professions: had to close one or more establishment units in the Brussels-Capital Region;
8. for businesses registered with the CBE before 1 January 2019: have a loss of turnover for the period January-April 2019 versus January-April 2021 that is greater than the amount of the premium applied for.

To what premium may you be entitled?

Contact professions

The aid consists of a premium of 3,000 EUR per active establishment unit in the Region in a contact profession. The premium is granted for a maximum of 5 establishment units per beneficiary.

Non-essential activities

The aid consists of a premium of 1,500 EUR per active establishment unit in the Region which is active in a so-called non-essential activity and which could only continue its activities via an order and pick-up system, a delivery system or a system based on appointments. The premium is granted for a maximum of 5 establishment units per beneficiary.

The premiums cannot be combined.

Application

You can apply for the premium through this link.

Applications for the premium can be submitted- under certain conditions - until 28 July.

Source:

• https://1819.brussels/blog/1-juillet-Bruxelles-nouvelle-prime-metiers-contact-secteurs-non-essentiels
• https://economie-emploi.brussels/prime-contact-non-essentiels
• Decree of the Government of the Brussels-Capital Region of 1 July 2021 on aid for companies carrying out a contact profession or a so-called non-essential activity in the context of the COVID-19 health crisis.

[1] The Decree describes this as 'not having benefited from one or more of the following premiums'. When taken literally, this does not have the same meaning. We follow the interpretation given by the competent public service.