The JC 216 indexation in January 2027 falls on 1 January 2027: the pay scales and the actual wages of notary employees rise with the smoothed health index of September to December 2026 against that of May to August 2026. The committee indexes every four months, in January, May and September, so each step absorbs four months of price movement. The percentage is only known once Statbel publishes the December index on 23 December 2026.
The percentage of the JC 216 indexation in January 2027
Until then there is no official percentage. The entry for January 2026 in the JC 216 history was last edited on 19 January 2026.
Federal Planning Bureau forecast. In its inflation forecasts of 6 October 2026 the Planning Bureau estimates the smoothed health index at 102.35 points in November 2026 and 102.92 points in December 2026. That is an estimate of the index, not a percentage for JC 216. The Planning Bureau does not calculate a sector percentage, and neither do we: the percentage only follows from the final figures of Statbel. The next forecasts appear on 3 November 2026.
How does the indexation work in JC 216?
The rule is in article 16 of the collective agreement on job classification and pay conditions, as set by the agreement of 14 June 2018. It applies for an indefinite period. The pay scales and the actual wages are linked to the smoothed health index and rise or fall every four months:
- Add up the smoothed health index of the four months before the month of the indexation.
- Add up the index of the four months before those.
- Divide the first sum by the second. That is the percentage.
For January 2027 that is September, October, November and December 2026, divided by May, June, July and August 2026. You round the percentage to two decimals: if the third decimal is 4 or lower, the second stays the same; if it is higher than 4, you round up. You round the monthly wages the same way to the euro cent.
What rises with it? The pay scales with the minimum wages and the actual wages. A wage above the pay scale therefore rises by the same percentage.
Wages can also fall. The collective agreement has no floor and no neutralisation. In September 2023 wages fell by -0.14%.
JC 216 indexation history since 2023
This is how the wages of notary employees changed in January, May and September in recent years, according to the history in the FPS minimum wage database:
| Year | 1 January | 1 May | 1 September |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 0.42% | 1.20% | 1.30% |
| 2025 | 0.86% | 1.48% | 0.25% |
| 2024 | 0.64% | 1.48% | 1.21% |
| 2023 | 3.88% | 1.92% | -0.14% |
Because the committee indexes three times a year, a January percentage here is smaller than in committees that only index in January. Add the three steps together for a full year. In 2026 they were 0.42%, 1.20% and 1.30%.
What is already fixed for January 2027, and what is not?
What is already fixed:
- The date: 1 January 2027, and the next step on 1 May 2027.
- The formula: September to December 2026 against May to August 2026, on the smoothed health index.
- The rounding: two decimals for the percentage, the euro cent for the wage.
- The cents index: in JC 216 the moderation still runs in January, see below.
What is not fixed yet:
- The percentage. It follows from the December 2026 index, published on 23 December 2026.
- The new amounts of the pay scales per job category. FPS Employment then publishes them in the minimum wage database.
The cents index in the JC 216 indexation of January 2027
In JC 216 the first indexation after the start of the cents index on 1 June 2026 was that of 1 September 2026, with 1.30%. For a full-time reference wage above € 4,000 a month, the first 2% of index only counts on € 4,000. In September that 2% was not reached. In January 2027 part of the index therefore still only counts on € 4,000, until the steps since September together reach 2%. What lies above that applies to the full wage again. Anyone earning € 4,000 or less gets the full index.
Meanwhile you pay a special wage moderation contribution to the NSSO. How to calculate it, with a full example, is in our piece on the cents index.
Worked example: how the September 2026 index worked
A notary employee earned € 3,000 gross a month in August 2026. On 1 September 2026 that rose by 1.30%: 3,000 x 1.0130 = € 3,039.00. If the wage is below € 4,000, the cents index plays no role. In January 2027 you calculate the same way with the new percentage, rounded to the euro cent.
Where do you find the percentage for January 2027?
You find the percentage and the new amounts in these places:
- Statbel publishes the December 2026 index figure on 23 December 2026. With it, the formula of the collective agreement can be filled in completely.
- FPS Employment puts the percentage and the new amounts in the minimum wage database. The entry for January 2026 was last edited on 19 January 2026.
- The collective agreement database of FPS Employment holds the agreement with the job categories and the indexation rule.
You then also see the new pay scales on our page with the JC 216 pay scale. Construction also indexes more than once a year, every quarter: see the JC 124 indexation. Other white-collar committees index once a year, such as JC 200 in January 2027. What a pay rise yields net for your employee is in our guide gross to net. How the 2026 index turned out per sector is in our news on wage indexation in 2026. Not sure which committee applies to your staff? Read our explanation of the right joint committee.
What Business Centrum does for you
Business Centrum applies the January 2027 indexation in JC 216 in your payroll administration, together with Acerta, with the percentage that follows from the collective agreement. We apply the percentage to the pay scale and the actual wage of each notary employee, in January, May and September, round as the agreement requires and follow the cents index per employee. All committees that index in January, with their formula, are in our overview of salary indexation in Belgium 2027.