School holidays: a good time to hire students?

Author: Alexia Buyl (Legal expert)
Read time: 3min
Publication date: 01/02/2024 - 11:57
Latest update: 01/02/2024 - 11:59

The school holiday period is the perfect time to hire a student since students are more available during this period than during the school year. However, since the previous school year, these school holidays are different in Flanders on the one hand and the Walloon and Brussels regions on the other hand.

We would like to remind you of these periods and the advantages of this type of contract.

Note: you can also hire students outside these holiday periods.

When are the holidays?

In 2024, there are 5 holiday periods spread over two school years. These periods are:

For the 2023-2024 school year:

 

Spring break

Easter holidays

Summer holidays

Flanders

from Monday 12 February 2024 to Sunday 18 February 2024

from Monday 1 April 2024 to Sunday 14 April 2024

from Monday 1 July 2024 to Saturday 31 August 2024

Wallonia and Brussels

from Monday 26 February 2024 to Sunday 10 March 2024

from Monday 29 April 2024 to Sunday 12 May 2024

from Saturday 6 July 2024 to Sunday 25 August 2024

For the 2024-2025 school year:

 

Fall Break

Christmas holidays

Flanders

from Monday 28 October 2024 to Sunday 3 November 2024

from Monday 23 December 2024 to Sunday 5 January 2025

Wallonia and Brussels

from Monday 21 October 2024 to Sunday 3 November 2024

from Monday 23 December 2024 to Sunday 5 January 2025

What are the characteristics of the student contract?

The student employment contract is a contract under which you and the student you hire are not liable for ordinary social security contributions, but only for a solidarity contribution.

To qualify for this solidarity contribution, you must meet certain requirements, among other things a 600-hour quota.

The quota is the number of hours that your student can work over a calendar year without being liable for ordinary social security contributions. In 2024, this number is set at 600 hours.

A counter for this quota can be consulted by your student via the "student@work" on-line application available on the website https://www.studentatwork.be. This website allows your student to check his counter and inform you of the number of hours he can still work during the calendar year.

A specific Dimona declaration must also be made for this student contract: the "STU” Dimona declaration. This declaration must be made each time you hire a student. In particular, this Dimona declaration must indicate the number of hours of employment per quarter set out in the student contract. As the Dimona declarations are made, hours worked are deducted from the 600-hour quota.

For more information on the student contract and its characteristics, please refer to our infoflashes on the student contract and on the termination of the student contract.

The Partena Professional website is a channel for making information available in an understandable form to affiliated members and non-members. Partena Professional strives to provide up-to-date information and this information is compiled with the greatest care (including in the form of Infoflashes). However, as social and fiscal legislation is constantly changing, Partena Professional cannot accept any liability for the correctness, the up-to-date or the completeness of the information consulted or exchanged via this website. Further provisions can be read in our general disclaimer that applies to every consultation of this website. By consulting this website, you expressly accept the provisions of this disclaimer. Partena Professional can unilaterally change the content of this disclaimer.