Terms and conditions (TC): A guide for freelancers in Belgium

Got a tax question? We’ll answer for free by email.

Bitte gib eine gültige E-Mail-Adresse ein

Ask your question

Terms and Conditions of Sale (T&C) are an essential legal tool for any self‑employed professional or business. They help you structure your sales or services, set the rules of engagement, and protect your interests in case of dispute. Although not always mandatory, not having them can lead to complications. This guide helps you understand their purpose, content, and implementation.

📄 What are terms and conditions of sale (T&C)?

T&C are a set of contractual clauses that outline the rules governing your sales of products or services. They establish the rights and obligations of both the seller and the client, while helping to prevent disputes.

❓ Are T&C mandatory?

In Belgium, T&C are not legally required for self‑employed professionals. However, they are strongly recommended: they bring clarity to your business relationships, specify your working conditions, and offer legal protection.
🔎 If you work with consumers (private individuals), certain information becomes mandatory under the Economic Law Code: cooling‑off period, payment methods, complaints handling, etc.

📃 What should your T&C include?

Here are the key sections to include in your Terms and Conditions:

• 🧟 Seller identification: trading name, legal form, address, BCE and VAT numbers, contact details.

• 📦 Description of products or services: clearly specify what you offer (e.g., training, consulting, technical services).

• 💳 Payment terms: price, deadlines, payment methods, penalties for late payment.

• 🚊 Delivery or performance: timelines, costs, associated responsibilities.

• ⚠️ Liability: limitations in case of damage or service failure.

• 💡 Intellectual property: usage rights for deliverables, confidentiality clause.

• ↩️ Right of withdrawal: only for consumers, according to the Economic Law Code.

• 🔐 Personal data: GDPR compliance, purpose of processing.

• ⚖️ Disputes and complaints: complaint procedure, competent court.

📍 How to make your T&C enforceable?

To be valid and enforceable, your T&C must be accepted by the client before the contract is concluded.

✔️ Include them in your quotes, invoices, or contracts.
✔️ Publish them clearly on your website.
✔️ Provide a mechanism for explicit acceptance (checkbox, signature).

✍️ Can you draft your own T&C?

Yes, you can use reliable templates to draft your T&C. For greater security, have them reviewed by a legal professional, especially if your activity is regulated or sensitive.

🔍 With Accountable, you can attach your T&C to every invoice sent, directly from the app:

📎 An alternative method is to keep the terms and conditions in a separate PDF file, to be manually attached to each email.

🧠 Best practices

• Use clear and balanced language: avoid unfair terms.

  A clause is considered unfair if it creates a significant imbalance between the rights and obligations of the parties to the contract.
  ​

  For example, you cannot include a clause that allows you to unilaterally change the contract without a valid reason or prior notice. This is not fair to all parties, and if a clause is deemed unfair, it will be considered void: it will have no legal effect.

• Tailor your T&C to your actual activity (B2B, B2C, digital services, crafts, etc.).

• Update them regularly in line with the evolution of your offerings or regulations.

Author - Valesca Wilms

As content marketing lead at Accountable Belgium, Valesca writes about freelancing, self-employment, and taxes based on her own experience as a freelancer.

Who is Valesca ?