Business Centrum adviser in Ghent checking the joint committee 124 wage scale for construction at his desk

Joint Committee 124:
wages and rules in construction

Joint Committee 124 (PC 124, paritair comité 124) covers the blue-collar workers of the construction industry: those who mainly do manual work in building, renovation, finishing, maintenance or demolition. The wage scale below has applied since the indexation of 1 October 2026, for a 40-hour working week.

Go to the wage scale

By Published

Updated and figures checked on

Minimum category I
€ 18.747
per hour since 1 October 2026
Loyalty stamps
9%
of gross wage, through the sector fund
Meal voucher
€ 2.00
employer share since 1 July 2026
Latest index
+0.83%
every quarter, on the minimum wages

Scope

Who falls under joint committee 124?

PC 124 applies to employers and their blue-collar workers in companies that build, renovate, finish, maintain, repair or demolish buildings and structures. What counts is the main activity of the company, not the trade of a single employee.

Joint committee 124: construction pay scale 2026: category I per hour € 18.747, category IV per hour € 22.561, loyalty stamps 9%

Typical PC 124 activities

  • Structural work, masonry and concrete
  • Earthworks, foundations and road works
  • Roofing, tiling, plastering and pointing
  • Painting, wallpapering and insulation
  • Central heating, plumbing and air conditioning
  • Demolition and asbestos removal
  • Making and fitting wooden elements fixed to the building, such as windows, doors and stairs
  • Wholesale of building materials and equipment rental to construction companies

The neighbours: who is not covered?

  • White-collar staff of a construction company fall under joint committee 200. A site manager or accountant in the same company therefore has a different wage scale and different bonuses.
  • Electricians in installation and distribution fall under joint subcommittee 149.01, with their own wage scale and mobility rules.
  • Temporary agency workers in construction are declared in Dimona under PC 322, with 124 as the user's committee. The sector rules on pay and loyalty stamps apply to them as well.
  • Students fall under PC 124, with their own minimum hourly wage of € 16.176. They do not receive loyalty stamps and are excluded from the sector meal vouchers.

Unsure about the committee?

The wrong joint committee means the wrong wage scale and the wrong contributions, with retroactive effect. Have it checked before your first hire.

Wage scale

Joint committee 124 minimum wages per category

Gross hourly wages for a full-time 40-hour week, valid from 1 October 2026. The increase column shows the amount that was also added to the hourly wage actually paid on that date.

CategoryWhoHourly wageIncrease
IUnskilled: simple work without specialisation, or a starter without a construction diploma. The employer evaluates at the latest after 9 months.€ 18.747€ 0.155
IACategory I + 5%: starter with a construction diploma from full-time education or after on-the-job training (IBO), or an unskilled worker with above-average ability.€ 19.680€ 0.163
IISemi-skilled: not yet fully familiar with the trade, such as a bricklayer's assistant, groundworker, demolition worker or concrete worker.€ 19.985€ 0.165
IIACategory II + 5%: semi-skilled with above-average ability, and drivers below 18 tonnes.€ 20.984€ 0.174
IIISkilled: knows the trade thoroughly and has practised it for at least 3 years, and drivers from 18 tonnes. Other lorry drivers move up after 3 years of experience.€ 21.254€ 0.176
IVHighly skilled: clearly above category III, such as a central heating fitter-welder or a tiler.€ 22.561€ 0.187
Team leader IIILeads a team and works alongside it: at least 10% above his own category and above the scale wage of the most skilled worker in his team.€ 23.379€ 0.193
Team leader IVTeam leader with category IV skills, at least 10% above it.€ 24.790€ 0.193
ForemanOrganises and leads several teams: category IV + 20%.€ 27.003€ 0.193
StudentUnder a student employment contract. This hourly wage is indexed once a year.€ 16.176none

These are minimums. If you pay more, the category's index increase is added to that higher wage as well. Because of the cent index, the minimum for team leader IV and foreman has been slightly below category IV + 10% and + 20% since 1 July 2026.

Indexation

How and when do wages rise in PC 124?

Wages in PC 124 follow the smoothed health index and are adjusted every quarter, on the first day of the quarter.

On 1 October 2026, the minimum wages rose by 0.83%, after 1.10% on 1 July 2026. The increase is calculated on the category's minimum wage and added as a fixed amount per hour to every wage in that category. This keeps the gap between the scale and the actual wage the same.

Since 1 June 2026, the so-called cent index applies: for the part of a gross monthly wage above € 4,000, indexation is limited. In construction this mainly affects team leaders and foremen. On 1 October 2026 they received the same increase of € 0.193 per hour instead of a percentage on their higher wage.

A missed index means underpayment

A missed quarterly index is a wage arrear. After an inspection you pay the back wages and contributions for every worker concerned.

Worked example

What does a skilled construction worker earn?

A bricklayer in category III, full-time, without overtime or supplements:

Hourly wage category III
€ 21.254
Week of 40 hours
€ 850.16
Converted to an average month
€ 3,684.03
Your loyalty stamp contribution (9.12%) per month
€ 335.98
Meal voucher, your share per day worked
€ 2.00

On top of this come the regular employer contributions, the other sector contributions and the mobility allowance. To see what the worker keeps net, use our gross-to-net calculator.

Sector funds

Year-end bonus, holiday pay and rest days run through the sector

In construction you do not pay part of the wage directly. You pay contributions through the social security return and the sector funds pay the worker. That is why, in PC 124, you pay sector contributions on top of the regular social security contributions.

  1. Employer

    contributions through the quarterly return (DmfA)

  2. Constructiv and the holiday fund

    collect, calculate and pay out

  3. Worker

    stamps, holiday pay and allowances

Loyalty stamps: the construction year-end bonus

PC 124 has no year-end bonus that you pay yourself. The worker receives loyalty stamps worth 9% of his gross wage earned between 1 July 2025 and 30 June 2026. You pay 9.12% for this through social security. Payment starts on 26 October 2026.

Bad-weather stamps

For wage loss caused by bad weather, Constructiv gives the worker bad-weather stamps worth 2% of his gross wage.

Holiday pay through the construction holiday fund

You do not pay holiday pay yourself either. The sector's holiday fund (Vakantiefonds Bouw) pays the worker 15.38% of his gross wage from the previous year, raised to 108%: 8% single and 7.38% double holiday pay.

Rest days

A construction worker works 40 hours a week, but 38 hours on average over the year. The difference is covered by 12 rest days a year, set by the joint committee and paid by Constructiv.

Bad weather

Bad weather: who pays what?

Rain, frost or snow that makes work impossible gives the right to temporary unemployment due to bad weather. Exceptional heat can also count, if you show in your notification that the weather made the work impossible.

Work cannot start

On arrival at the site the worker finds that work is impossible. You pay no wage for that day. The day falls under temporary unemployment.

Work stops during the day

The worker is entitled to his wage for that day. For the hours lost to the weather, you may pay half the normal wage, provided Constructiv pays the other half. Temporary unemployment for half a day does not exist.

What you need to do

  1. 01

    Notification to the RVA

    Electronically, per worker, for the first actual day of unemployment in the month. You may send it the working day before, the same day or the working day after. Every new month needs a new notification.

  2. 02

    eC3.2 control card

    Since 1 January 2025, the worker fills in his control card electronically, every day before work starts.

  3. 03

    Benefit

    The RVA pays 60% of the capped average wage, with 26.75% withholding tax. Constructiv adds the construction allowance.

  4. 04

    Registration as a jobseeker

    Since 1 March 2026, a worker must register with VDAB, Actiris, Forem or ADG after 3 months of temporary unemployment.

Constructiv supplement per day

Worker's hourly wageConstruction allowance per day
up to category I€ 6.84
up to category IA€ 7.16
up to category II€ 8.13
up to category IIA€ 8.52
up to category III€ 10.58
above category III€ 11.35

Daily amounts in a system of six compensable days a week, since 1 April 2026, for workers holding a valid entitled legitimation card. At most 60 credit days per service year.

A late notification costs wages

If the notification is late, early or missing, you pay the normal wage for the first 7 days and a capped wage after that. Above 24 bad-weather days in a service year, Constructiv reclaims the construction allowance for the days above that threshold from you.

Mobility

Mobility allowance and travel costs in PC 124

Construction workers receive two separate allowances. Travel costs cover the means of transport and are paid from the first kilometre. The mobility allowance compensates the time on the road and is due once the total distance per day reaches 10 km.

Total distance per dayPassenger or own transportAlone in a company vehicle
0 to 59 km€ 0.0619€ 0.1000
60 to 77 km€ 0.0676€ 0.1060
78 to 103 km€ 0.0700€ 0.1085
104 to 129 km€ 0.0724€ 0.1110
130 to 155 km€ 0.0773€ 0.1162
156 to 207 km€ 0.0818€ 0.1209
208 to 259 km€ 0.0844€ 0.1236
260 km and more€ 0.0868€ 0.1261

Amounts per kilometre, outward and return journey together. The company vehicle column applies if you ask the worker to drive to the site alone and no collective transport is possible.

  • Driver transporting colleagues outside working hours: € 0.1579 per km, from the first kilometre.
  • By train: € 0.0870 per km shown on the rail pass, plus travel costs under the sector scale.
  • By bicycle: € 0.32 per km since 1 October 2026 (or the amount under National Labour Council agreement no. 164 if that is higher), instead of travel costs and mobility allowance.
  • A worker compensated for 28,500 km or more in a year is entitled to a paid mobility day.
  • If the worker cannot go home every day, you provide board and lodging or pay € 35.48 board allowance and € 16.95 lodging allowance per working day.

Monthly breakdown required

Every month the payslip must come with a written overview showing, per day, the kilometres travelled and the amount, unless the worker or the union delegation exempts you from it.

Meal vouchers

Meal vouchers in PC 124

  1. 31 March 2026

    End of the sector eco vouchers of € 115 a year.

  2. 1 April 2026

    Meal vouchers mandatory for all workers: employer € 1.50, worker at least € 1.09, together at least € 2.59 per voucher.

  3. 1 July 2026

    The employer share rises by € 0.50 to € 2.00. A voucher is now worth at least € 3.09.

Did you already give meal vouchers before the sector scheme? Then your existing employer share rises by the same amounts, without having to change your company agreement. Students and flexi-jobbers fall outside this scheme.

Dimona and registration

Dimona, Checkin@work and ConstruBadge

Dimona in construction

Every Dimona declaration for a construction worker states PC 124 and the type BCW. Apprentices in construction use RTA, students STU. Agency workers go under PC 322, with 124 as the user's committee. A mistake carries through: the ConstruBadge also starts from the Dimona. Read what a late Dimona costs in our guide.

Daily attendance registration

On a site worth € 500,000 or more excluding VAT, you register every day, before work starts, who is working there: your own workers, subcontractors and self-employed people. This is done in Checkin@work, and the site must be listed in the declaration of works. From 1 April 2027, this becomes a registration on arrival and departure, through Check in and out at work. On the same day, Catena replaces the online service Declaration of works; the duty to declare stays the same.

ConstruBadge

Every construction worker gets a personal badge based on his Dimona. From 1 January 2027, it is digital, in the MyConstructiv app.

Flexi-jobs in construction

On 16 July 2026 the sector concluded an agreement that excludes flexi-jobs on site for work that requires basic safety training. Retired people with at least 5 years of site experience in the last 10 years are still allowed. For work in a workshop, warehouse or office, the agreement does allow flexi-jobs. The royal decree of 30 August 2026 on the excluded sectors did not include construction: check the status before you take on a flexi-jobber.

Pitfalls

Where PC 124 employers lose money

  1. 01

    A category that is never reviewed

    A starter in category I must be evaluated after 9 months at the latest. Forget it and you risk underpaying and a back-pay claim.

  2. 02

    Bad weather notified too late

    A missed monthly notification costs up to 7 days of normal wage per worker, and a capped wage after that.

  3. 03

    Too many bad-weather days

    Above 24 days per service year, Constructiv reclaims the construction allowance for the days above it from the employer. Plan winter work and training as well.

  4. 04

    Advance payments not made

    If you owe flat-rate social security advances, in construction they amount to € 700 per worker per month, from worker number 3. In construction, an advance that is not paid correctly counts as a social debt, and your clients must then withhold part of your invoices.

  5. 05

    A subcontractor with debts

    Check every (sub)contractor in the withholding obligation service before you pay. For tax debts you withhold 15% of the invoice, with a maximum of 50% for both parts together. If you do not withhold, you pay a surcharge and can become jointly liable.

  6. 06

    Saturday work without supplement

    Saturday work is limited in construction: up to 96 hours per worker per year, only for work that cannot be done at any other time or cannot be combined with other activities for safety or technical reasons, always voluntary and with a 50% supplement.

  7. 07

    Seniority bonus forgotten

    After 25 years of uninterrupted service with you, a worker is entitled to € 500 gross, after 35 years to € 700, unless your company has its own scheme. You pay it yourself, on the day itself or the next payday.

Business Centrum

How we handle PC 124 for you

From Ghent, Business Centrum runs the personnel administration of SMEs, including many construction, transport and hospitality companies. As a partner of Acerta, a recognised social secretariat, we take care of your PC 124 payroll, from Dimona to DmfA.

Read more about our approach for construction companies on the page social secretariat for construction.

  • Every quarterly index applied to the scale and to the actual wage
  • Dimona with the right type: BCW, RTA, STU or FLX
  • Bad weather: the monthly notification to the RVA on time
  • Mobility allowance calculated per day, with the required overview
  • Meal vouchers at the sector amounts
  • Checks on categories, seniority and withholding obligations

Frequently asked questions

Questions about PC 124

Sources

Every amount and deadline on this page was checked against these official sources, last consulted on .

More at Business Centrum

PC 124 construction

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