Outplacement is mandatory in two cases: with notice or compensation in lieu of notice of at least 30 weeks (general scheme), and for employees aged 45 or over with at least 1 year's service and shorter notice (specific scheme). You offer 60 hours of support by registered letter. Dismissal for serious cause is excluded.
Is outplacement mandatory? The decision tree
Ask these questions in this order:
- Dismissal for serious cause? Then no outplacement.
- Notice or compensation in lieu of notice of at least 30 weeks? Then the general scheme applies, whatever the age. For contracts since 2014, an employee reaches that threshold at 9 years' seniority.
- Less than 30 weeks, but the employee is 45 or over with at least 1 year's continuous service? Then the specific scheme of CBA 82 applies, unless an exception applies.
- Neither? Then there is no obligation. You may offer voluntary outplacement under CBA 51.
Under the specific scheme you do not have to make an offer of your own accord to someone working less than half-time, to someone leaving with company top-up (SWT) in a collective dismissal at a company in difficulty or restructuring, or to someone who at the end of notice is 62 or has a 42-year career, with or without SWT. Some specific jobs are also excluded, such as workers in urban and regional transport and disabled or target-group workers in a sheltered or social workshop. A part-timer below half-time who expressly asks does receive an offer, unless they also fall under another exclusion. An employee who can already claim a retirement pension is no longer entitled to outplacement.
What do you offer under the general outplacement scheme?
The employee receives 60 hours of support. How it works depends on how you dismiss.
| Dismissal with notice | Dismissal with compensation | |
|---|---|---|
| Support | 60 hours, counted against job-search leave | 60 hours after the contract ends |
| Value | Cost of the provider | 1/12 of last year's gross annual pay, min. € 1,800, max. € 5,500 (excl. VAT) |
| Your offer | By registered letter, no later than 4 weeks after notice starts | By registered letter, no later than 15 days after the contract ends |
| Employee's answer | Within 4 weeks of your offer. No reaction counts as acceptance | Same |
| Effect on compensation | None | Compensation minus 4 weeks' pay |
If an employee leaving with compensation can show within 7 days that they cannot follow the support for medical reasons, the right to outplacement lapses.
On top of outplacement, an employee with at least 30 weeks' notice is entitled to an employability budget, for training or career coaching for example, of € 1,840. They apply for it to the National Employment Office (RVA/ONEM).
Worked example: deducting 4 weeks for outplacement
A white-collar employee with 10 years' seniority (employed since 2016) is entitled to 33 weeks' notice. You terminate with compensation in lieu of notice. Her gross monthly salary is € 3,500 and her gross annual pay in 2025 was € 48,000.
| Item | Calculation | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Weekly pay | € 3,500 × 3 / 13 | € 807.69 |
| Compensation without deduction | 33 x € 807.69 | € 26,653.77 |
| Outplacement deduction | 4 x € 807.69 | € 3,230.76 |
| Compensation after deduction | € 23,423.01 | |
| Minimum value of outplacement | € 48,000 x 1/12 | € 4,000 (excl. VAT) |
The deduction is 4 weeks' pay, whatever the support actually costs you. Here the support costs at least € 769.24 more than you deduct. For high earners it works the other way, because the value of the support is capped and the deduction is not. So get a quote before you calculate the compensation.
You only deduct the 4 weeks if you make a valid offer and carry it out. If you make no offer, you pay the full compensation.
Outplacement for workers aged 45 or over: the specific scheme
For an employee aged 45 or over with notice of less than 30 weeks, you bear the full cost of 60 hours of support. There is no deduction. Some joint committees (JC) cover the cost collectively through their sector fund: check before you choose a provider.
- Offer with notice: by registered letter, at the earliest when notice is given and no later than 15 days after notice ends.
- Offer with compensation: by registered letter, no later than 15 days after the contract ends.
- Employee's answer: with compensation, within 1 month of your offer; with notice, no later than 1 month after notice ends. If they refuse a valid offer without reason or do not respond, you are released from your obligation.
An example: a 52-year-old warehouse worker with 5 years' service has 18 weeks' notice. That is less than 30 weeks, so the specific scheme applies.
Offering outplacement on dismissal: the deadlines
An example under the general scheme. Notice of 33 weeks starts on Monday 12 October 2026. Your registered offer must go out by Monday 9 November 2026 at the latest. The employee then has 4 weeks to answer. The support takes place during notice, on job-search leave days: an employee in outplacement may be absent 1 day a week throughout the notice period.
If you make no offer, the employee can put you on formal notice. You must then make an offer within 4 weeks.
Template letter: outplacement offer
Registered post
Re: offer of outplacement support
Dear Mr / Ms [name],
Following your dismissal, notified on [date], we offer you 60 hours of outplacement support, provided by [provider name, address].
[With compensation: The value of this support is € [amount] excluding VAT.]
The support [starts on ... / will be scheduled by agreement with you and the provider].
Please let us know in writing within [general scheme: 4 weeks of this offer / 45+ with compensation: 1 month of this offer / 45+ with notice: 1 month after notice ends] whether you accept it, by registered letter or by a document we sign for receipt. [General scheme: Without an answer within that period, the offer is deemed accepted.]
Yours sincerely,
[Name, role, signature]
Download this template in Word and PDF, in Dutch and French.
Do not mention the outplacement offer only in the notice letter. A separate registered letter makes the deadline easy to prove. The notice letter itself is covered in dismissal letter employer template.
Medical force majeure: no more outplacement
The specific outplacement scheme for medical force majeure only applies if the employer relied on medical force majeure before 1 April 2024. Since then, a contribution to the Return to Work Fund replaces that obligation. More in our guide to medical force majeure.
What Business Centrum does for you
For every dismissal we determine which scheme applies, calculate the compensation with the right deduction and put the deadline for your offer in the diary. We process the final pay and social documents together with Acerta. How the notice period itself is calculated is explained in our guide to the employer's notice period. More about our help with employment contracts and dismissal.