Find out which changes are taking place in Belgium this month;
✔ One million Belgian employees' wages increased thanks to the country's wage indexation system
✔ Civil servants' wages rose by 2% on 1 March due to index adjustment
✔ Savings account interest rates at ING, BNP Paribas Fortis, and Keytrade Bank reduced again
Belgium Unlocked
Salary increases and lower savings rates: What changes in Belgium on 1 March?
Credit: Belga
Saturday marks the start of a new month, which in Belgium brings new rules and the implementation of business decisions. Find the most important changes and how they will impact people living in the country below.
Salary increases
Around one million employees in Belgium saw their wages increase at the start of 2025 thanks to Belgium's wage indexation system, which obliges employers to adjust wages upwards along with the increase in the cost of living.
As part of a second indexation system, wage increases are triggered by the next "pivot index". This happened in January, resulting in civil servants' salaries increasing by 2% on 1 March. This index adjustment will also increase wage costs for holiday employment, meal allowance amounts and recruitment costs.
The automatic wage indexation system follows the rising cost of living. Credit Image: Belga/ Euc/ROPI
Social security benefits (such as pensions and unemployment benefits) already rose by the same amount in February. The Federal Planning Bureau predicts that the pivot index will be exceeded again in August, which will lead to an increase in benefits in September and civil service salaries in October.
The wages of some employees in the private sector (in eight joint committees) are also linked to this index and will increase by 2% on 1 March. These include PC 304 for the entertainment industry (performing arts), PC 307 for brokerage and insurance agencies and PC 322.01 (service vouchers).
The new Federal Government was considering a change to this system so that the wages of public servants are indexed only once a year – on 1 January. But the current system will remain in place as it is.
Financial changes
Savings accounts at several banks – ING, BNP Paribas Fortis, Fintro and Hello bank! – will become less attractive. The groups had already adjusted these rates downwards in January. They justified these second reductions by ‘market developments’ and the policy of lowering rates pursued by the European Central Bank since 2024.
Belgian banks often have two components that decide their savings rates: a base rate that is earned on all savings throughout the year, and a "fidelity" or "loyalty premium rate", which savers only earn on funds left deposited for at least one year. This system has been heavily criticised in the past.
The basic annual interest rate for the ING savings account will be reduced from 0.25% to 0.10%. The loyalty bonus will be lowered from 1.50% to 1.40%. This brings the total rate down from 1.75% to 1.50%. The ING Tempo Savings account will offer an annual basic rate of 1% and an annual loyalty bonus of 1.50%, compared to the previous rates of 1.05% and 1.70%. This brings the total rate down from 2.75% to 2.50%.
The Belgian branch of the French banking group BNP Paribas Fortis is lowering the basic rate of all its savings accounts in Belgium, including those under the Fintro and Hello bank! brand.
The rate of its classic savings account wasn't lowered at the start of the year but will drop from 0.50% to 0.40%. The loyalty bonus will drop from 0.25% to 0.20%. The same will apply to PRO savings accounts. This brings the total interest on these accounts to 0.60%, down from 0.75%. The Plus savings accounts see its base rate halve from 0.50% to 0.25%, while the loyalty bonus will remain fixed at 1.00%.
On Sunday 2 March, Keytrade Bank will also lower the interest rate on its savings accounts. The online bank offers one of the highest interest rates on the Belgian market but it will lower them for the third time since November.
The High Fidelity account will receive a basic interest rate of 0.60% and a fidelity premium of 1.40%, compared to 0.75% and 1.40% currently. This brings the total rate down from 2.15% to 2%. The basic interest rate on the Azur savings account will drop from 0.90% to 0.70%, while the fidelity premium will remain unchanged at 0.30%. The total rate will therefore be 1% instead of 1.20%.
The new rates will become effective for the account for any deposits made after this date. A comparison of the best rates offered on Belgian savings accounts can be found here.
Credit: Belga / Paul-Henri Verlooy
Meanwhile, Belgian bank KBC will make it possible to transfer from a savings account to an account in the same name at another bank. Until now, transfer options from savings accounts were limited to withdrawing cash from this account and transferring the money to the current account at the same bank. With this move, KBC follows some other banks.
Homeowners whose fuel oil tanks leak will no longer receive financial support to help pay for the clean-up. The so-called "Promaz fund" paid homeowners as the leaks cause serious environmental damage. Since the start of this year, leaking tanks must be decommissioned and cleaned immediately after the leak is discovered. From 1 March, it will no longer be possible to apply for an intervention in the cleaning costs which can amount to thousands of euros.
Regional changes
In Wallonia, the statutory status or permanent appointment of civil servants will officially end on 1 March, as stated in the Walloon coalition agreement. This status meant they could only be dismissed in the event of serious misconduct or two negative evaluations over a minimum period of six months. Civil servants who were already permanently appointed will retain that status.
The Flemish government abolished permanent appointments of civil servants in June last year, but here, this status remains possible for teachers and people in certain positions of authority.
In Flanders, the first dementia reference doctors will start working. The number of people with dementia is expected to double by 2070 due to the ageing of the population. To support doctors in the face of this rise in patients, the role of dementia reference doctors was coined.
These are doctors who have followed specialised training to recognise or confirm early signs of dementia, for example, and to follow up on complex care needs. They can support GPs who have questions about patients with dementia, and be a point of contact for local policy structures and care facilities, such as residential care centres.
