Dear Colleagues,
Now that most colleagues have decided to close their practices, questions about financial assistance are arising.
As a professional association, we can only share the government’s guidance.
To find out if you are actually eligible, it’s best to seek individual advice from your accountant or your payroll service.
The government’s guidelines are as follows:
Automatic payment deferral:
We have since received confirmation that the deadlines for filing various tax returns have been extended.
In addition, there is also an automatic extension for the payment of VAT and withholding tax. The payment deadline is automatically extended by 2 months.
There is also an automatic deferral of payment for personal income tax and corporate income tax on tax assessment notices issued on or after March 12, 2020.
Attached you will find a complete overview with all the details.
Below, we have also listed the main subsidy measures for you:
(in addition to the automatic deferral mentioned above):
-COVID-19 Hardship Allowance
A full closure entitles you to a one-time allowance of 4,000.00 euros
After 21 days, an additional allowance of 160.00 euros per day
Takeout restaurants and fry shops that switch to takeout service are eligible for the full closure allowance.
Closure on weekends only entitles you to a one-time payment of 2,000.00 euros
After 21 days, an additional payment of 160.00 euros per day
You cannot apply for the hardship allowance yet, but you can submit your information via the link below, and you will be notified when the application is available.
https://vlaio.be/nl/content/aanvraag-meer-informatie-over-de-corona-hinderpremie
-Temporary Unemployment Benefit
For a closure of at least 7 consecutive days: benefit of at least 322.92 euros
For a closure of at least 14 consecutive days: benefit of at least 645.85 euros
For a closure of at least 21 consecutive days: benefit of at least 968.77 euros
For a closure of at least 28 consecutive days: benefit of at least 1,291.69 euros
-Deferral (= NOT cancellation or exemption) of social security contributions:
Applies to the provisional contributions for the first two quarters of 2020 (with subsequent proof of financial difficulties due to the coronavirus).
To obtain a deferral of payment because you have been affected by the consequences of the coronavirus, you must take the following into account when submitting your application:
The deferral for the first quarter of 2020 must be requested by March 31, 2020; the deferral for the second quarter of 2020 must be requested by June 15, 2020.
The deferral period for contributions for the first quarter of 2020 runs until March 31, 2021, and for the second quarter of 2020 until June 30, 2021.
To do so, provide the following information to your social insurance fund:
last name, first name, and place of residence of the person concerned;
name and registered office of their company;
business registration number.
IN CONCLUSION:
There is only one urgent—and optional—application regarding a deferral of payment for social security contributions for the first quarter of 2020 (if you have not yet paid them).
You will have plenty of time for all other applications. So don’t panic just yet.
At the moment, even the application procedures for the hardship allowance and the bridging allowance are still being fully developed.
BAF Board