Social secretariat for SMEs: a Business Centrum case manager at work in the Ghent office

For growing SMEs

Social secretariat for your SME: every growth step handled on time

A social secretariat for your SME has to grow with you: with the second employee, with blue-collar workers next to white-collar staff and with a second joint committee, your wages, contributions and obligations change. Business Centrum keeps track of it for you, with a fixed contact in Ghent and Acerta as the recognised social secretariat. You know in advance what the next hire changes.

What we take over

What changes as your SME grows

With the first employee the work is easy to follow. With every next hire, something shifts:

  1. The second to fifth employee

    Each of them gives a reduction of € 1,000 per quarter, for 12 quarters within a period of 20 quarters. It is not automatic: it has to be in the quarterly return. More in the guide to first hires.

  2. An extra contribution above a threshold

    If you employed on average at least 10 people in the reference period, you pay an additional employer contribution of 1.6%. If you are close to that number, factor it in before you hire.

  3. Prevention and well-being

    Below 20 employees you may act as prevention adviser yourself. The external prevention service charges a lower rate up to and including 5 employees.

What Business Centrum takes over for your SME

You grow the business, we keep the staff work up to date:

  • The right committee for each group of staff, even if there are two
  • Contracts for every new employee, full-time or part-time
  • Every Dimona before the first working day
  • Wages under each pay scale, with indexation and premiums
  • The reductions for the first five employees in the quarterly return, via Acerta
  • What the next hire will cost, before you decide

What is left for you

You tell us who joins or leaves and pass on the hours worked. We call you if something is not right.

Business Centrum is a payroll and HR office and your fixed contact in Ghent. Returns to the NSSO go through Acerta, a recognised social secretariat.

Blue-collar, white-collar and more than one committee

In many SMEs, blue-collar and white-collar staff work side by side. Two sets of rules then run at once:

  1. Two joint committees

    Blue-collar workers fall under the committee of your sector, for example JC 124 in construction or JC 111 in metalworking. White-collar staff often fall under JC 200, the auxiliary committee, with its own pay scale, premiums and indexation date.

  2. Different contributions for blue-collar workers

    For blue-collar workers the NSSO contributions are calculated on 108% of the gross wage. Their holiday pay comes from a holiday fund, not from you.

  3. A different payment rhythm

    Blue-collar workers are paid at least 2 times a month, with no more than 16 days in between. White-collar staff are paid at least once a month.

How Business Centrum takes over

  1. Get acquainted

    A conversation about your SME: who works there, under which committee, and who is coming next?

  2. Start

    We set up your file with Acerta and handle the switch if you already have a social secretariat.

  3. Grow along

    With every new employee we tell you what changes, and we take care of it.

Social secretariat for an SME: frequently asked questions

Which social secretariat suits a small SME?

Every recognised social secretariat files the same statutory returns. The difference is who helps you when it gets complicated: a second committee, a blue-collar worker next to a white-collar one, a reduction you can claim. At Business Centrum a fixed contact knows your file.

What if my blue-collar and white-collar staff fall under different committees?

Then you follow two pay scales, two sets of premiums and often two indexation dates. We set up both committees and adjust each wage when the pay scale changes.

Do I also get a reduction for my second employee?

Yes, for the second up to the fifth employee: € 1,000 per quarter, for 12 quarters. With every hire we check whether you qualify and put it in the return.

Read more

Sources

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

Social secretariat for your SME

Your next hire well prepared?

Call us or request a call back. We look at your team and tell you what the next step changes.

Call 09 395 94 00Free consultation