Joint committee 317 is the committee for security and guarding services: security companies, cash-in-transit, alarm centres with call-outs, dog handlers and the guarding of military bases. On 1 August 2026 minimum and actual wages rose by 2%. A category SB guard now earns at least € 19.06 an hour, for an average week of 37 hours. What makes the committee expensive or not is mainly the premiums for weekends, nights and public holidays.
Who falls under joint committee 317?
JC 317 covers employers and employees of companies that provide security or guarding services to third parties. The sector CLAs apply to blue-collar and white-collar staff together, with separate pay scales. The CLAs show which activities are covered:
| Activity | What the sector CLAs regulate specifically |
|---|---|
| Static guarding and surveillance | Categories SB to SMBP, hourly premiums |
| Cash-in-transit and vault staff | Own categories, higher weekend premiums, hourly premium |
| Alarm response with call-out | Stand-by premium per 24 hours or per week |
| Work with a dog | Maintenance allowance and hourly premium |
| Guarding military bases | No starting wage, no weapon premium |
| Administration, planning and sales | White-collar scale, administrative or operational |
A company that only has its own buildings guarded by its own staff does not fall under JC 317 for those people: they follow the company's own committee. If in doubt, read how to find your joint committee in Belgium and what a joint committee actually regulates.
Wages in joint committee 317
Wages are set in the CLA of 22 April 2026 (no. 199929/CO/317) and, indexed since August, in the minimum wage database. The full tables per category are on the JC 317 pay scale page. The key figures:
| Job | Minimum wage |
|---|---|
| Guard SB, first 3 months | € 18.11 an hour |
| Guard SB, afterwards | € 19.06 an hour |
| Category SE | € 19.52 an hour |
| Cash-in-transit TR | € 22.79 an hour |
| Administrative employee, category 1 STAT | € 2,912.16 a month |
| Operational employee OP1 STAT 1a | € 3,073.44 a month |
| Operational employee OP4 STAT | € 3,881.26 a month |
Three rules from the CLA shape the wage:
- Starting wage. A newcomer to the sector receives 95% of his category's wage, for at most 3 months or 100 NSSO days per 12 months. It does not apply on military bases.
- All hours of presence count. The minimum hourly wages and the wages actually paid are due for all hours of presence.
- White-collar experience. An employee's scale rises with experience, counted from age 18. Years of study, agency work, fixed-term contracts, self-employment and periods of suspension all count, full-time or part-time.
Indexation. Every indexation applies to minimum and actual wages. How the index moved in 2026 is in wage indexation in 2026. Above € 4,000 a month, the cents index has applied since June 2026; in JC 317 this mainly affects managers and operational employees with many premiums. More in our piece on the cents index.
Weekend, night and public holiday premiums in joint committee 317
Security runs day and night, so premiums weigh heavily in wage costs. They apply to all hours of presence and are calculated on the hourly wage actually paid, excluding premiums:
| Premium | Guarding | Cash-in-transit and vault |
|---|---|---|
| Saturday (0 to 24 h) | 18% | 50% |
| Sunday (0 to 24 h) | 23% | 100% |
| Public holiday | 30%, doubled from the 7th holiday worked | same |
| Night, 8 to 10 pm | 12% | same |
| Night, 10 pm to 6 am | 22.50% of the SB wage | same |
| Shift work | 2% | same |
Combining. Saturday, Sunday and holiday premiums can be combined with the shift or night premium. The night premium includes the shift premium, so for night hours the employee gets no shift premium on top. A guard working a Sunday night receives the Sunday premium and the night premium.
Public holidays. Besides the ten statutory holidays, every employee counts one community holiday, so eleven in total. White-collar staff convert their hourly wage for premiums with the formula monthly wage x 3 / 481. What applies when a holiday falls on a rest day is in our piece on the replacement holiday. The statutory rules for night work are in night work in 2026.
Worked example: a night and a Sunday for a security guard
An SB guard works full-time at the minimum of € 19.06 an hour. At 37 hours a week that comes to about € 3,056.07 a month.
- A night shift from 10 pm to 6 am on a Wednesday: base pay 8 x € 19.06 = € 152.49, plus night premium 22.50% = € 34.31.
- An 8-hour day shift on a Sunday: base pay € 152.49, plus Sunday premium 23% = € 35.07.
A month with four such nights and two Sundays brings the guard about 207 euros in premiums on top of base pay, and you pay NSSO contributions on them too. Build these premiums into every quote to your clients.
Other premiums and allowances in joint committee 317
The CLA grants a series of fixed amounts, indexed like wages. The amounts below apply from 1 February 2026, before the August indexation:
| Premium | Amount | For whom |
|---|---|---|
| Stand-by for alarm call-out | € 7.67 per 24 hours or € 53.69 per week | Those on the stand-by list |
| Armed duty | € 0.25 an hour | Categories 2, 3 and 4, not on military bases |
| Maintenance of own dog | € 109.08 a month | Those working regularly with their own dog |
| Seniority bonus | from € 109.08 after 5 years to € 954.39 after 40 years | All employees, in the anniversary month |
| Union bonus | € 145, pro rata | Through the Subsistence Fund |
The seniority bonus rises in steps: € 409.02 after 20 years, € 681.70 after 30 years. Seniority here means seniority in the company, or that arising from a transferred commercial contract. More on such bonuses in our piece on the seniority bonus.
Year-end bonus in joint committee 317
The sector CLA grants a year-end bonus to white-collar employees: a full 13th month, paid in December before the holidays. It is calculated pro rata to the months worked in the current year and the days treated as worked for annual leave; half a month counts pro rata. Employees who resign or are dismissed during the year also receive a pro rata bonus, except on dismissal for serious misconduct.
Administrative and operational employees also receive a flat-rate bonus of € 211.32 in December, pro rata to their work pattern and full months of service. Since December 2021 the employee can ask to convert both bonuses into an equivalent benefit.
Worked example. An operational employee OP1 on € 3,073.44 a month started on 1 April and works the rest of the year. His year-end bonus is nine twelfths of a monthly wage: € 2,305.08, plus the flat-rate bonus pro rata.
For blue-collar workers, the sector CLA provides wages, premiums and the fund's allowances, but no year-end bonus in the form of a thirteenth month. Check your company CLA and employment contracts: what they promise must be paid. The rules of the other committees are in our overview of the year-end bonus 2026, gross to net in calculating the year-end bonus.
Working time, leave and transport in joint committee 317
Average working time is 37 hours a week. The sector has separate CLAs on working time, humanising work and a minimum monthly working time for part-timers. Put the schedules and exceptions in your work rules; how to do so is in our guide on drafting work rules. Overtime and time off in lieu are covered in paying overtime.
Seniority leave. Every employee receives one paid day after 5 years of seniority, rising by one day every 5 years. Since 1 May 2026 the maximum is 7 days after 35 years. A public holiday and a day of seniority leave are paid at an average wage of 7.4 hours. The overview of statutory leave is in types of leave.
Transport. The sector has its own CLA on travel costs. For shifts starting or ending between 10 pm and 6 am, when public transport is not running, the employee receives an allowance based on the weekly train ticket up to 60 km, and € 0.31 per kilometre for the part of the trip above that. The general rules are in commuting allowance.
Meal vouchers. Separate CLAs per staff group regulate meal vouchers; for administrative staff, one voucher per 7.40 hours actually worked. What the employer pays in tax and social terms is in our guide on meal vouchers.
Subsistence fund in joint committee 317
The Subsistence Fund for security services pays blue-collar workers a subsistence allowance of € 12.50 per day of economic or technical unemployment, for at most 60 days per reference period from 1 October to 30 September. More favourable amounts from company agreements still apply. How to apply for economic unemployment for blue-collar workers is in our guide on temporary unemployment. The fund also pays the union bonus.
Pitfalls in joint committee 317
- Applying the starting wage too long. It applies for at most 3 months or 100 NSSO days per 12 months, and not on military bases.
- Calculating premiums on the scale instead of the actual hourly wage. Weekend and holiday premiums apply to the hourly wage actually paid, the night premium after 10 pm to the SB wage.
- Paying the shift and night premium together. The night premium includes the shift premium.
- Forgetting the seventh holiday. From the seventh holiday worked the premium doubles.
- Underestimating white-collar experience. Agency work, internships and self-employment also count for the scale.
- Refusing the thirteenth month on resignation. An employee who leaves of his own accord is entitled to a pro rata bonus.
- Forgetting Dimona for a short contract. Every job requires a Dimona declaration before the first working day.
Checklist for an employer in joint committee 317
- Place every employee in the right category, blue-collar or white-collar, static or cash-in-transit.
- Apply the starting wage only to newcomers to the sector and within the limit.
- Record all hours of presence, including stand-by, and calculate premiums per hour.
- Adjust wages and premiums at every indexation.
- Pay white-collar staff the thirteenth month and the flat-rate bonus in December.
- Grant the seniority bonus and leave on the anniversary of joining.
- Watch the minimum monthly working time of part-timers.
What Business Centrum does for you
Business Centrum processes the payroll of security companies together with Acerta, with one dedicated contact in Ghent who knows your rosters and premiums. We calculate weekend, night and holiday premiums per hour, apply every indexation and pay the thirteenth month and flat-rate bonus correctly in December, as part of your payroll administration. Also see our social secretariat for SMEs.