Are you retired but still working as a self-employed person? In many cases, you will still have to pay social security contributions. But the good news is that as a self-employed pensioner, you pay a lower rate than ordinary self-employed persons.
How much do you pay in social security contributions as a self-employed pensioner?
The standard percentage you have to pay in social security contributions as a self-employed pensioner is 14.70%.
As with all self-employed persons, the contributions are calculated on the basis of your net taxable annual income. Regular self-employed persons pay 20.50% of this. For you, as a self-employed person with a retirement pension or a person over 65 with a survivor’s pension, a lower rate applies. See the table below:
| Your annual income | % for calculating your social security contributions |
| moins de 3 763,51 € | 0 % |
| de 3 763,51 € à 77 498,93 € | 14,70 % |
| de 77 498,93 € à 108 238,40 € | 14,16 % |
| tout ce qui dépasse 108 238,40 € | 0 % |
When are you exempted from paying contributions?
Do you expect to earn less than €3,763.51? If so, notify your social insurance fund. This means you will not have to pay the fixed minimum contribution of €142.53. What’s more, you will not have to pay any social security contributions at all.
Examples of how much you have to pay in social security contributions
What exactly do these percentages mean? In Belgium, we have a progressive tax system. This means that you only pay a higher tax rate on the amount in the higher bracket. Let’s look at a few examples to clarify this:
- Do you earn €10,000?
- Then you pay 14.70% in social security contributions, which amounts to €1,470.
- Do you earn €80,000? Then you pay:
- 14.70% on the first €77,498.93 = €11,392.38
- 14.16% on the remaining €2,501.07 = €354.26
- Total: €11,746.64
Can you have your provisional contributions reduced or increased?
Yes! Are you expecting lower income (for example, because you are scaling back your activities)? Then you can request a reduction from your social security fund. This is useful for keeping your cash flow under control.
Please note: if it later turns out that you earned more than estimated, you will have to pay the difference, possibly with increases and interest.
In the same way, you can ask your social insurance fund to increase your provisional contributions. This will help you avoid unpleasant surprises.
Final social security contributions are only calculated three years later
In Belgium, you have to pay provisional contributions, and the tax authorities only calculate your final contributions three years later.
What social security rights do you still build up?
Your social security contributions as a self-employed pensioner are a solidarity contribution. They help to support the social security system, but:
- You no longer accrue any additional pension.
- You do not acquire any new social rights.
Your contribution therefore no longer affects your final pension amount.