Meal vouchers: benefits for companies, managers and employees

Why are meal vouchers good for companies, managers and workers?

Employees and company directors:

As well as employees, company managers/directors can benefit from meal vouchers.

Benefits for employees and company directors (subject to conditions):

• exempt from personal income tax;

• no social security contributions.

Conditions:

• maximum 1 meal voucher/day worked;

• maximum €8.00/cheque;

• employee/manager contribution of at least €1.09/cheque.

The employer may distribute a maximum of 220 meal vouchers per year to an employee/company director, which represents an annual alternative remuneration of maximum € 1760.00.

Please note: managers/directors may only grant themselves luncheon vouchers on condition :

1. that the company's employees also receive them (no criteria if there are no employees);

2. that an agreement is drawn up;

3. that the amount of vouchers awarded to the manager is not greater than that awarded to the employees (criterion nil if no staff);

4. that the number of vouchers granted is equal to the number of days the manager actually works;

5. that they are allocated monthly according to the days worked during the month;

6. that they are in the name of the manager/director;

7. that they are valid for a maximum of 12 months;

8. that they are only used for ready-to-use food purchases or meals.

Taxation for companies :

Advantages of meal vouchers:

• exempt from social security charges ;

• deductibility of €2.00/cheque.

The company can therefore deduct a maximum of €440.00/year per employee/manager.

Note: the non-deductible part of the luncheon vouchers will be considered as a non-allowable expense. Example: €8.00 (value of the cheque) - €1.09 (worker's contribution) - €2.00 (deductible part) = €4.91 of non-deductible expenditure.

The companies officially recognised in Belgium for the provision of meal vouchers are Edenred, Monizee and Sodexo.

Ambre Vanhorebeek, David Bultreys

contact@dbaccounting.be