Self-employed people, organisations and companies that have suffered a severe loss of revenue due to the coronavirus measures can claim the ‘compensatiepremie’ (compensation grant).
This grant may offer support to those not eligible for the ‘hinderpremie’. That means that the ‘compensatiepremie’ and ‘hinderpremie’ cannot be combined.
You will find all the information about the ‘compensatiepremie’ on the VLAIO website (only in Dutch).
Who is eligible?
Businesses:
- People who are self-employed as their main activity (‘zelfstandigen in hoofdberoep’).
- People who are self-employed as a second activity (‘zelfstandigen in bijberoep’) with a net taxable income of more than 13,993.78 euros (in 2019).
- People who are self-employed as a second activity (‘bijberoep’) with a net taxable income between 6,996.89 and 13,993.78 euros (in 2019), except those who also worked 4/5ths or more as a paid employee alongside their second activity.
- Companies with at least one full-time equivalent working partner or employee.
- Associations (e.g. vzw’s, non-profit associations) with an economic activity* with at least one full-time equivalent employee.
*Your non-profit has an economic activity if it “offers goods and services on the market”. Check this with your accountant if you are in doubt.
With a place of business in the Flemish Region
You can check this in the CBE. Enter your enterprise number and check whether your establishment unit (not your headquarters!) is in Flanders.
Brussels-based businesses are not eligible. Different support measures apply to the Brussels Region.
You are in one of the following situations:
- Your business is not obliged to close, but is suffering severe restrictions due to the coronavirus measures, or
- You are self-employed as a secondary activity (‘bijberoep’) and you were indeed obliged to close, but you were not eligible for the ‘hinderpremie’, or
- Your main activity is on a specific list of activities (including suppliers to the events sector – dance schools are not on this list).
What do you need to prove?
To be eligible, your business needs to have suffered a drop in revenue of at least 60% as a direct consequence of the coronavirus crisis.
To prove this, you need to compare your revenue in the period from 14 March to 30 April 2020 inclusive with the revenue in the same period in 2019.
You do not yet need to prove the drop in revenue when you file the application. Checks will be conducted afterwards. So it is best to store all the evidence carefully.
What you will have to justify in the application is the way in which your drop in revenue is a direct or indirect consequence of the coronavirus measures taken by the National Security Council. You are not eligible if your drop in revenue is not due to the coronavirus.
It is best to borrow a phrase from the federal FAQ at www.info-coronavirus.be and explain how the virus has impeded your normal activity. The measures imposed must be the cause of your drop in revenue.
If you are self-employed as a secondary activity (number 3 above) and you are obliged to close because of the coronavirus measures, you do not have to prove your drop in revenue.
What amount?
The ‘compensatiepremie’ (compensation grant) amounts to 3,000 euros. If you have more than one place of business, each with a full-time staff member, you can receive several grants (maximum 5).
For the group of self-employed people as a secondary activity (described under number 3 above), the grant amounts to 1,500 euros.
The ‘compensatiepremie’ is a one-off, fixed-sum payment.
How do I apply for it?
You can find the application module on the website of VLAIO (only in Dutch).
Please note that it uses a secure connection with validation. That means you will need to have the following information at hand:
- Your e-ID and e-ID pin code OR the itsme app.
- The account number of your business
- Your enterprise number and establishment unit number (this can be found in the CBE)
- Your legal form (e.g. vzw, zelfstandige, BV, NV etc.)
- Your website
More information?
You will find all the information and the application procedure on the VLAIO website (in Dutch).
Take a look at the page about the hinderpremie or our overview of support measures for staff, organisations and self-employed people as well.
You will find all the coronavirus news on our news page.