What are service vouchers?
Belgium’s regional payment system for household help: you work on a normal employment contract for a licensed company; the customer pays per voucher.
Service vouchers (dienstencheques / titres-services) are a subsidised payment system with which private households pay for domestic help: cleaning, washing and ironing, and depending on the region also errands or transport. Since the sixth state reform the system is regional: Flanders, Wallonia and Brussels each run their own scheme, prices and tax advantages.
For the worker, service-voucher work means a normal employment contract — with pay set by the competent joint committee, social protection and holiday rights — with a licensed service-voucher company; you are never employed by the customer directly. The sector is one of Belgium's largest employers of household helpers; the current conditions per region are published by the regional services.
Frequently asked questions
Am I employed by the customer under service vouchers?
No — your employer is always the licensed service-voucher company, with a normal employment contract and the matching social protection.
Does the system differ per region?
Yes: since regionalisation, Flanders, Wallonia and Brussels each run their own scheme, with their own prices and tax advantages.