This chapter tells you what you need to know in order to claim invalidity benefits in Belgium.

In what situation can I claim?

 When you have been certified as having been incapacitated from work for more than a year you switch to invalidity. The period of invalidity therefore begins from the second year of your inability to work.

What conditions do I need to meet?

If you are employee or unemployed you must:

• be registered with a mutual health insurance fund, as holder;
• have worked for 180 days within a period of one year. Certain periods of inactivity, for example paid leave, sickness absence, etc., are counted as working periods;
• be certified as having been unable to work for a year;
• demonstrate that the minimum contributions have been paid.

If you are a self-employed worker:

• You must have completed a work placement of 6 months or be exempt;
• You must be able to demonstrate that you have paid sufficient contributions for the compensation sector in a reference period preceding your incapacity for work;
• There must not have been a period of interruption of more than 30 days between the date of your incapacity for work and the last quarter of social security contributions (or equivalent period) or an exemption from social security contributions.

What am I entitled to and how can I claim?

It is the Invalidity Medical Council (Conseil médical de l'invalidité - CMI) of the INAMI which decides whether to certify the invalidity and on any possible extensions on the basis of a medical report drawn up by the medical officer of the employee's mutual insurance fund.

The invalidity benefit payments can continue until retirement age, provided that the beneficiary continues to fulfil the medical conditions.

Amount

The amount of the benefit depends on your family circumstances and on the date the incapacity started:

• It amounts to 65% of the lost earnings (capped), if the incapacitated person has at least one dependant (maximum €  110.95 per day for incapacities occurring from 1 January 2022);
• If you have no dependants, this amount is set at 55% (maximum € 93.88 from 1 January 2022);
• If there is a cohabitant the rate is 40% of the lost earnings (capped), maximum €  68.28 per day for invalidities occurring from 1 January 2022.

The daily compensation cannot be lower than the following amounts (as at 1^st January 2023):

• for a regular worker: € 73.10 (with dependants), € 58.21 (single, without dependants) or € 49.91 (cohabitation without dependants);
• with regard to a non-regular worker: €  63.11 with dependant(s) and €  46.70 for others.

If the dependant receives a monthly income below € 1,160.02, the holder is regarded as having a dependant.

If the dependent receives a monthly professional income between € 1,160.02 and € 1,955.09, the holder is considered single.

It is the same if the dependent has a monthly replacement income (possibly combined with a professional income) between € 1, 160.02 and € 1,276.68.

More information about the amounts of invalidity benefit for employees can be found on the INAMI website.

If you are a self-employed worker, the amount of your sickness benefit is a flat-rate amount which depends on your family circumstances. During the period of invalidity it also depends on the cessation or otherwise of her business.

The amount of the benefit is linked to the index. Sickness benefits are paid by your mutual insurance fund.

Jargon busters

• INAMI: National Institute for Sickness and Invalidity Insurance. A public body which administers the sickness, maternity and invalidity sector and distributes the financial resources between the different insurance organisations (mutual insurance funds). http://www.inami.fgov.be/fr/Pages/default.aspx.

Know your rights

The links below allow you to find out more about your rights. These sites are not dependent upon the European Commission and so do not represent the viewpoints of the latter:

• The website of the Federal Public Service for Social Security : http://www.socialsecurity.be;
• The INAMI website.

Commission publication and websites:

• Unemployment and social security benefits: your rights abroad as a European citizen.

Who do you need to contact?

National Institute for Sickness and Invalidity Insurance (INAMI)

• Address: Avenue de Tervueren 211 - 1150 Brussels
• Telephone: +32 27397111
• Email: communication@inami.fgov.be
• Website:  http://www.inami.fgov.be/FR/Pages/default.aspx

To contact the mutual insurance funds:

• National Alliance of Christian Mutual Insurance Funds
• National Union of Non-denominational Mutual Insurance Funds
• National Union of Socialist Mutual Insurance Funds
• National Union of Liberal Mutual Insurance Funds
• National Union of Free Mutual Insurance Funds
• Auxiliary Fund for Sickness and Invalidity Insurance
• The SNCB Holding health insurance fund

In the event of any problems with your rights as a European citizen: EU helpdesks