Platform work rules in Belgium
Belgium already has a platform-work presumption of employment in national law, and must transpose the rest of the EU Platform Work Directive by 2 December 2026.
Belgium's platform work rule applies, but no new law yet
What happened
Since 1 January 2023, Belgian law has treated a platform worker as an employee when the app controls the work, unless the company proves otherwise. It checks eight signs of control. As of 1 September 2026, no new law for the rest of the EU rules had been passed.
What it means for you
If you use platform workers in Belgium, this rule applies to you today. Some rules on algorithms and human review already apply too. The rest of the EU rules are still to come.
Dates to know
- 2 December 2026EU deadline for the rest of the rules to be in Belgian law.
Source: National / EU employment source. We check this page every week. Last checked .
The EU Platform Work Directive (Directive (EU) 2024/2831) improves conditions for people working through digital labour platforms. Its centrepiece is a rebuttable presumption of employment: where the facts show the platform directs and controls the work, the person is presumed to be an employee, and the platform, not the worker, carries the burden of proving otherwise. It also regulates algorithmic management, requiring transparency about the automated systems that monitor and decide, human oversight of significant decisions, and limits on the personal data platforms may process. Member states must write it into national law by 2 December 2026, and the presumption applies from that date with no retroactive effect. In Belgium, the 2022 Labour Deal presumption uses eight control-and-direction criteria (triggered by three of eight, or two of the last five) and is widely seen as broadly aligned with the Directive.
Where does Belgium stand on the Directive?
Belgium already operates a rebuttable presumption of an employment relationship for platform work under its 2022 Labour Deal, but has not yet passed a dedicated bill transposing the remaining Directive obligations. A platform-work presumption of employment already applies under national law.
What is the presumption of employment?
The presumption of employment means that where the facts of the relationship point to direction and control, a platform worker is legally treated as an employee unless the platform proves otherwise. It shifts the burden of proof onto the platform. Each member state sets the exact mechanism in national law, so the trigger and the rebuttal differ country by country.
What must platforms do on algorithmic management?
Platforms must be transparent about the automated systems that assign work, monitor performance and make decisions. Significant decisions, such as suspending or blocking an account, must have human oversight rather than being left to an algorithm alone, and platforms cannot process certain personal data, for example a worker's emotional state, private conversations, or data used to predict trade-union activity.
Hiring in Belgium?
How Teamed helps in Belgium
Belgium's eight-criteria control test has applied since January 2023, and Teamed is the employer carrying the algorithmic transparency and human review duties for your Belgian workers.
These sit with us
- Evidence of who directs and controls the work
- Transparency on the systems that assign and monitor work
- Human review of significant automated decisions
- Restricted personal data kept out of monitoring
You keep
The role, the budget and day-to-day direction. Teamed answers Belgium's control-and-direction criteria as employer.
Belgium's presumption and some algorithm rules already apply; no dedicated bill transposing the remaining Platform Work Directive obligations has passed.
At a glance
| Presumption of employment | Yes |
|---|---|
| Algorithmic-management rules | Partly, under existing national law |
| Human oversight of decisions | Partly, under existing national law |
| National law in force | 1 January 2023 |
| Penalties | Under existing national law |
Key figures
| Detail | Value |
|---|---|
| Directive reference | Directive (EU) 2024/2831 (source) |
| Transposition deadline | 2 December 2026 (source) |
| National transposition status | Partly in force: the 2022 Labour Deal presumption has applied since 1 January 2023, but no dedicated bill transposing the remaining Directive obligations has been passed (as of 1 September 2026) (source) |
Frequently asked questions
When does the Platform Work Directive take effect?
Member states must transpose it into national law by 2 December 2026, and the presumption of employment applies from that date. It has no retroactive effect, though it can apply to relationships still ongoing on that date.
Does the Directive apply in Belgium yet?
Belgium already operates a rebuttable presumption of an employment relationship for platform work under its 2022 Labour Deal, but has not yet passed a dedicated bill transposing the remaining Directive obligations.
Who is responsible if we hire through an Employer of Record?
If Teamed is the legal employer, your team in Belgium is already employed compliantly, so the presumption of employment is not a reclassification risk you carry. Teamed handles the statutory pieces in-country.
The Platform Work Directive is about ending misclassification: if a person is genuinely directed and controlled like an employee, they should be employed like one. When Teamed is your legal employer in Belgium, your people are compliantly employed from day one, so a shifting presumption of employment is not a risk you carry.
