Older employees who transfer from heavy work duties to lighter work - while in service for the same employer and with his consent- and suffer a income loss, can once in their professional career apply for a so-called transfer premium with a payment institution of their choice as from 1 May 2010(1).
‘Heavy' and ‘lighter' work refers to a position which the employee, in his opinion, finds respectively too heavy for his abilities or better adapted to his abilities (a lighter work does not necessarily mean less hours for the same function). In order to benefit from the transfer premium, the following conditions must be (and remain) fulfilled:
* the transfer to lighter work takes place after 30 April 2010;
* the transfer occurs while in service with the same employer and leads to a gross income decrease of at least € 250 per month (FTE);
* the employee is at least 50 years old when the transfer occurs and has not yet reached the retirement age;
* the employee has continuously performed heavy work for at least 5 years on the date of the transfer (multiple functions, whether or not with the same employer);
* the transfer occurs at the employee's own request;
* the employee does not receive any social benefits (with some exceptions).
Age Transfer premium (basic amount) Grant period
< 55 75 EUR (63.51 EUR) 12 calendar months
> 55 100 EUR (82.03 EUR) 24 calendar months
> 58 125 EUR (102.54 EUR) 36 calendar months
(1) Royal Decree of 19 April 2010 amending articles 113, 133 and 144 of the Royal Decree of 25 November 1991 on unemployment and introducing article 131nonies (M.B./B.S. 27 April 2010).
