{"id":18437,"date":"2025-04-24T13:24:42","date_gmt":"2025-04-24T11:24:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.accountable.eu\/?p=18437"},"modified":"2026-06-01T18:02:18","modified_gmt":"2026-06-01T16:02:18","slug":"self-employed-in-secondary-occupation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.accountable.eu\/en-be\/blog\/self-employed-in-secondary-occupation\/","title":{"rendered":"Everything you need to know about starting as self-employed in a secondary occupation in Belgium (2026)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Starting a secondary occupation is a great way to dip your toes carefully into self-employed life. But how exactly do you become self-employed in a secondary occupation in Belgium? What do you need to know about taxes, VAT, and social contributions? And what are the pros and cons? In this article you will find the answer to all your questions.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Self-employed in a secondary occupation: what is it?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Being self-employed in a secondary occupation is a legal status<\/strong> that describes a person with a primary salaried job who also carries out a self-employed activity alongside it. In Dutch it’s called ‘zelfstandige in bijberoep’<\/em>, and in French it’s ‘ind\u00e9pendant \u00e0 titre compl\u00e9mentaire’<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You probably know someone like this: the teacher who photographs weddings at weekends, or the civil servant who writes freelance copy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Most people with a secondary occupation choose this status because they want to keep the security of a steady income while gradually building up their client base.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n \n

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Do you also need to register as self-employed if you only earn a little on the side occasionally?<\/strong> Not straight away. Small, one-off earnings (think: once or twice a year) can be declared in your personal income tax return under “miscellaneous income”. But if you earn regularly or on a professional basis, you are required to register as self-employed (in a secondary occupation).<\/p>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n\n\n\n

1. Conditions for starting in a secondary occupation<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

To be allowed to be self-employed in a secondary occupation, your primary activity must provide you with sufficient social protection. In practice, this means:<\/p>\n\n\n\n