A first job agreement in Belgium (startbaanovereenkomst, convention de premier emploi) is any employment contract of at least half-time, or any apprenticeship, traineeship or integration agreement, with a young person who is under 26 when they start. You do not sign a separate contract: the label attaches to the contract by itself and you report it in the DmfA. The start job obligation for employers with at least 50 employees was abolished from 1 January 2026, together with its penalty. What remains: the young worker's special rights, the starter wage and the DmfA code.
Start job obligation: abolished from 1 January 2026
The law of 18 December 2025 laying down various provisions repealed, in the law of 24 December 1999 on the promotion of employment, the articles on the start job obligation and on work placements, with effect from 1 January 2026. The article with the penalty went with them. The FPS Employment, Labour and Social Dialogue (FOD WASO) puts it this way: the obligation is abolished, but the first job agreement for employing a young person up to and including the quarter of their 26th birthday continues to exist.
| Until the end of 2025 | From 2026 | |
|---|---|---|
| Individual start job obligation | Employers with at least 50 employees, based on the headcount on 30 June of the previous year | Abolished |
| Quota, profit sector | 3% of the headcount | No quota |
| Quota, non-profit and non-federal authorities | 1.50% | No quota |
| Work placements (collective, private sector) | 1% of the total headcount, whatever the size | Abolished |
| Penalty for a shortfall | In the 1999 law | Article repealed |
| First job agreement for young people under 26 | Exists | Exists |
First job agreement conditions: who qualifies?
Only age counts. Any young person under 26 when they start, working under a contract that qualifies, is on a first job agreement. No formality is needed: since 1 April 2010, the young person no longer has to be registered as a jobseeker.
What does not matter:
- Their work history. They may already have worked as a student, temp worker, apprentice or even under another first job agreement.
- Their status when hired. Jobseeker, person receiving unemployment benefits or already in work: it makes no difference.
- The number of employers. Until they turn 26, the young person may work for any number of employers. Each new employer starts a new, separate first job agreement.
- The size of your company. Every employer may hire as many young people as it wants.
What cannot be a first job agreement: a student employment contract, a work experience placement (beroepsinlevingsstage), an employment contract of less than half-time and a statutory appointment. A working student is therefore outside the scheme, even if under 26. More on that contract on our page about student workers. A temporary agency contract with a young person under 26 does count as a first job agreement.
How long? For as long as the young person works for you, at the latest until the last day of the quarter in which they turn 26. An example. Sara was born on 14 May 2001. She joins you on 2 November 2026, aged 25. She turns 26 on 14 May 2027, in the second quarter. Her first job agreement runs until 30 June 2027 inclusive. In the DmfA for the third quarter of 2027, you no longer report the code. She simply stays on with the same contract.
With the same employer, a first job agreement can consist of several consecutive contracts, for example a fixed-term contract followed by an open-ended one. Do check that employment law allows that sequence.
First job agreement types 1, 2 and 3
The law has three types. You do not choose one: the type follows from the contract you sign with the young person.
| Type | What it is | Conditions |
|---|---|---|
| Type 1 | An ordinary employment contract | At least half-time, fixed-term or open-ended, no minimum duration |
| Type 2 | A part-time employment contract plus training | At least half-time work, training of at least 240 hours a year, organised or recognised by the Community or a sector; work and training together no more than a full-time job |
| Type 3 | An apprenticeship, traineeship or integration agreement | Dual learning contracts (such as the alternating training agreement), a traineeship in business manager training, a socio-professional integration agreement |
Type 1 is what you see most in practice: a young person who starts with you half-time, part-time or full-time on an ordinary employment contract. No model has been required since 1 January 2004. How to draw up a part-time contract correctly, with working schedule and working arrangement, is explained in our guide to the part-time employment contract.
Type 2 takes more paperwork. The contract states the name and content of the training, its duration, the timetable and the training institution. The institution gives the young person a certificate of enrolment and, every quarter, proof of regular attendance. The young person hands these to you and you keep them for at least 5 years. If the training stops and they keep working, it automatically becomes a type 1.
Reporting the first job agreement in the DmfA
You file the Dimona as for any other employee. The first job label only appears in the quarterly declaration. From the first DmfA after the start date, you enter the correct code on the employment line in the field "Measure to promote employment", for as long as the employment lasts and at the latest up to the quarter in which the young person turns 26.
| Code | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 10 | First job agreement, type 1 |
| 11 | First job agreement, type 2 |
| 12 | First job agreement, type 3 |
| 13 tot 18 | The same types, for a young person with a disability or of foreign origin |
What else the DmfA contains and how the quarterly cycle works is explained in what is DmfA. Supervision of the law lies with the social inspectors, with their usual powers under the Social Criminal Code. Since the abolition, the law no longer contains a specific fine linked to the first job agreement.
What the young worker on a first job agreement gets on top
The young worker has the same rights as your other employees, including the right to the same pay as a colleague in the same job. On top of that, three special rules apply during the first 12 months.
| Rule | For which type | What it means for you |
|---|---|---|
| Absence with pay to respond to job offers | All types | You keep paying wages when they go to a job interview |
| Notice of 7 days if they find another job | Types 1 and 2 | The period starts the day after notification, as an exception to the ordinary notice periods |
| Spend up to 10% of the pay on training and withhold it | Type 1 only | Pay may not fall below the guaranteed average minimum monthly income. Each year you report to the works council, or failing that the employee delegation, or failing that the subregional employment committee, on what the amount was spent |
An example of the short notice. Jonas, 22, starts with you on 1 February 2027 on an open-ended contract. On Monday 7 June 2027, he serves notice because he has found another job. The 7-day period starts on Tuesday 8 June and ends on Monday 14 June 2027. From 1 February 2028, the short period no longer applies and the ordinary notice rules apply.
When a young worker leaves, you hand over the same documents as for any departure: C4, holiday certificate for a white-collar worker, individual account. The full list is in social documents on dismissal.
Starter wage: lower gross pay for a young worker aged 18 to 20
With a type 1 first job agreement, you can lower the gross pay of a young person aged 18, 19 or 20. The young person loses nothing in net terms: you pay them a compensatory supplement equal to the difference between the net pay on the full and on the reduced gross pay. You deduct that supplement from the payroll withholding tax you pay over. The scheme applies to young people hired from 1 July 2018.
| Age on the last day of the month | Reduction of gross pay |
|---|---|
| 18 | 18% |
| 19 | 12% |
| 20 | 6% |
The conditions according to FOD WASO:
- Type 1, no student, no flexi-job. An apprenticeship or other form of dual learning does not qualify.
- A new employee without work experience. Just before being hired, they were registered as a jobseeker with VDAB, Forem, Actiris or the Arbeitsamt, and in the reference quarters they worked at most one quarter at the equivalent of a 4/5 job.
- Pay at the minimum. The unreduced gross pay is not higher than the minimum wage of your joint committee, or the national minimum if your committee has none.
- No lower youth wages in your sector. Joint committees with lower minimum wages for 18 to 21 year olds are excluded, unless those wages only apply to students.
- It is in the contract. You state explicitly in the employment contract that the gross pay is reduced and compensated under this scheme.
A timeline. Milan was born on 3 March 2008 and is registered with VDAB. He starts full-time with you on 1 September 2026, at the minimum wage of your joint committee, with the clause in his contract. From September 2026 to February 2027, he is 18 on the last day of each month: you reduce his gross pay by 18%. From March 2027 it is 12%, and from March 2028 6%. From March 2029 you pay the full wage.
If not all conditions are met, the unreduced pay applies and NSSO contributions are due on that full pay. Correcting afterwards costs more than checking up front.
NSSO reduction for young workers in 2026: what still exists
Target group reductions are now a regional matter. For young people as a target group, little remains in 2026.
| Region | What applied | Situation in 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Flanders | Federal reduction for young workers, then a Flemish one for low-skilled young people | Federal one ended for good on 31 December 2018. Flemish one: no right for hires after 30 June 2024 |
| Brussels | Federal reduction for young workers; later activa.brussels for jobseekers, young people included | Federal one ended on 31 December 2018. Activa.brussels abolished from 15 July 2026, with a transition until 31 December 2026 for contracts signed before that date |
| Wallonia | Federal reduction for young workers, then Impulsion -25 ans | Federal one ended on 30 June 2020. Impulsion -25 ans: no new applications since 1 July 2026, replaced by the Job Plus incentive |
What does exist in Flanders, regardless of age: the target group reduction for people without recent sustained work experience. The employee was registered as an unemployed jobseeker with VDAB for at least 2 years, and you get at most € 1,000 per quarter, for 4 quarters. If the young person is your first or one of your first employees, see the NSSO reduction for your first employee. The online service Ecaro shows whether an employee qualifies.
A young person asks for a first job agreement
There is nothing to apply for. According to FOD WASO, any employment of a young person under 26 under a qualifying contract is automatically a first job agreement, without formalities and without registration as a jobseeker. The start job card or work card no longer exists: the RVA/ONEM has not issued work cards since 1 July 2019. If you want to apply the starter wage, though, the young person must be registered as a jobseeker with VDAB, Actiris or Forem just before being hired.
Mistakes with the first job agreement that we see
- Still counting on the quota. Since 1 January 2026, there is no start job obligation. Advice or an internal plan that still imposes a percentage of young workers is out of date.
- Using an old model with a start job card. Old models refer to a card from the RVA and to registration with VDAB. That is no longer needed and confuses the young person.
- Forgetting the DmfA code, or leaving it in. The code belongs in the return from the first quarterly declaration, and it goes after the quarter in which the young person turns 26.
- Reporting a working student as a first job agreement. A student contract is never a first job agreement, even if the student is under 26. The same goes for a contract of less than half-time.
- Applying the starter wage without a clause in the contract. The full wage is then due, with contributions on it. A contract cannot be amended retroactively.
- Refusing the young worker's short notice. If they find another job within the first 12 months, they may leave with 7 days' notice. You cannot demand a longer period.
- Not keeping the certificates for type 2. Keep the enrolment certificate and the quarterly training certificates for at least 5 years.
First job agreement and your payroll
Business Centrum drafts the employment contract of a young employee with you, files the Dimona and reports the right first job agreement type in the DmfA for as long as needed. This runs together with Acerta, as part of your payroll administration, with one fixed point of contact. Want to know what this means for a young person in your company? Ask us.