Anyone who becomes temporarily unemployed, remains employed but performs less or no work due to circumstances. You will receive temporary unemployment benefits for the days or period that you are temporarily unemployed by your employer and do not work. There are different forms of temporary unemployment. The most common types are:
  • Economic reasons: decline in customers, orders, turnover, production… Due to this decline, it is not possible to maintain normal services.
  • (Medical) force majeure: occurs when the employer is confronted with something unexpected beyond his control.
  • Bad weather (only for workers): work cannot be carried out due to rain, frost or heat.
  • Collective closure of annual leave or compensatory rest: your employer closes but you do not have enough leave days to cover this period.
Your employer will provide you with a numbered control card C3.2A. You must use the control card from the first day of your effective unemployment until the end of that month. Carefully read the instructions on the control card. You must be able to provide this control card whenever asked for by the social inspection.

Bring the signed control card to an ABVV office near you at the end of the month.

Starting September 1st 2023, anyone who is temporarily unemployed can use the electronic control card eC3.2 on the condition that your employer agrees.

Watch this video for more information about the electronic control card.
If you are temporarily unemployed, you will receive 60% of your wage regardless of your family situation. The gross maximum wage on which this amount is calculated is 3.299,11 euros. A withholding tax of 26,75% is deducted from your benefits.
In most cases, your employer (or ‘Fonds voor Bestaanszekerheid’ (subsistence security fund)) will also pay you an additional compensation of 5 euros per day of temporary unemployment.

Are you temporarily unemployed due to (medical) force majeure? You will receive 65% of your salary. In this case, your employer is not obliged to pay you the additional compensation of 5 euros per day.

The payment of the temporary unemployment benefits always takes place at the beginning of the month following the month you were unemployed.

You can follow the status of your file yourself through My ABVV.
Contact your local ABVV office and we will start a file for you.

Not a member yet? Register online here.

Were you temporarily unemployed by the same employer in the last 3 years, and has nothing changed regarding your personal status or the hours you work per week? Then you don’t need to submit a new application.

If you are older than 65 and receive a pension, you are not entitled to temporary unemployment benefits.
Do you have a secondary occupation or side activity? Do you have other income? Do you work for a second employer? Then you must also indicate that. Please note, this may affect your right to benefits. Therefore, be sure to contact your local ABVV office.
As soon as you have been unemployed full-time for more than 3 months, you must register as a job seeker with VDAB (Flanders), FOREM (Wallonia) or Actiris (Brussels). If you work continuously for more than 2 weeks, the 3-month period will end.

You can then be called up and receive work proposals. Just like with regular unemployment, you are required to cooperate.
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