Special measures when working in the care sector

Updated on 03/05/2023

Do you work in the care sector in 2023?

As a measure to encourage students to work in the care sector, the hours you work in that sector during the first quarter of 2023 are not taken into account. This means they are not deducted from the 600 hours you are allowed to work at reduced social security contributions.

This measure will not be extended. Hours you perform in the healthcare sector from 1 April 2023 onwards will therefore count towards your 600 hours.

Did you work as a student in the care sector during the third and/or fourth quarter of 2022?

Did you work as a student in the care sector in 2022, then the hours you worked during the 3rd and 4th quarter don’t count towards your total student work hours. So they have not been deducted from your 475 hours, and have not been taken into account for the calculation of the 475 hours you were allowed to work in 2022 at reduced social security contributions. The government took this measure to encourage students to work in the care sector.

You can read the list of employer categories and joint committees to which this measure applies in the intermediate instructions for employers (in French).

‘Working in the healthcare sector' also includes services represented by JC 322 (Joint Committee on Temporary Work and Recognised Enterprises providing community work or services), if you are employed as a temporary worker by an user that falls under one of the sectors mentioned in the interim instruction of 29 July 2022.

Parliament approved this measure on 27 October 2022. Dimona and Student@work have been modified technically to neutralise the hours you worked from 28 October onwards. Have you worked some hours in healthcare during the 3rd and 4th quarter of 2022? Then these are automatically deducted from your counter.

Did you work in the first and/or second quarter of 2022?

As a reminder, other measures were introduced at the beginning of 2022. If you worked as a student in any sector during the first quarter of 2022, your first 45 hours worked have not been deducted from your 475 hours. This is the case for all job students, except those who have worked in the care and education sectors.

For students who worked in the care and education sector, none of the hours they worked in the first and second quarters have been deducted from their count.

All special measures since 2020