Flemish service vouchers purchased in 2026 will expire on December 31st

The Flemish government has announced that service vouchers (dienstencheques) purchased in 2026 that have not yet been used or refunded will no longer be valid after December 31, 2026. The announcement appears in a notice published in the Belgian Official Gazette on October 6, 2026, page 53182, under reference C − 2026/007314, in the “Werk, Economie, Wetenschap, Innovatie, Landbouw en Sociale Economie” section of the Vlaamse overheid. This is an official communication of intent: the regulations themselves must still be prepared and submitted for opinion to the competent authorities.

A notice of intent, not yet a definitive standard

The notice is titled “Bericht over de wijziging van de geldigheidsduur van dienstencheques in 2026” (notice regarding the modification of the validity period of service vouchers in 2026). It specifies that the necessary regulatory initiatives “will be prepared as soon as possible and submitted for opinion to the competent authorities.” Therefore, no decree has been published yet: the text announces a forthcoming modification to the service voucher regime.

The decision was made by the Flemish government as part of the preparation of the 2027 budget (begrotingsopmaak 2027). The notice indicates that, to avoid anticipatory effects, the Flemish executive chose to include this transitional provision now.

What the measure provides for

• The validity period of service vouchers purchased in 2026 and not yet used or refunded is limited to December 31, 2026, at the latest.
• These vouchers fall under the reimbursement mechanism provided for by the regulations.
• The measure is part of the preparation of the 2027 budget of the Flemish Community.
• The Flemish government justifies this choice by considering, “from the perspective of good administration and a coherent policy,” that it is not desirable for different regimes to coexist during a long transitional period.

Who is affected and from when

The notice explicitly targets three categories of actors:

• users (gebruikers);
• accredited service voucher companies (erkende dienstenchequeondernemingen);
• other stakeholders.

It specifies that as of the date of publication of the notice, “it can be reasonably considered” that these actors have been able to take note of the Flemish government’s intention to modify the validity period of service vouchers. This wording anchors the publicity of the announcement to October 6, 2026, the date of publication in the Belgian Official Gazette.

The legal framework of the sector

The service voucher system is based on the Royal Decree of December 12, 2001, concerning service vouchers, as amended several times. In the same Belgian Official Gazette of September 18, 2026, two Brussels texts illustrate the continuous regulatory activity of the sector:

• the decree of the Government of the Brussels-Capital Region of September 3, 2026 (C − 2026/006670), which amends the Royal Decree of December 12, 2001, and increases the value of service vouchers from “10 EUR or 12 EUR” to “11.40 EUR or 14 EUR” as of January 1, 2026 (p. 50782);
• the Brussels ministerial decree of September 14, 2026 (C − 2026/006800), which renews the members of the advisory accreditation commission for service vouchers within the Economic and Social Council of the Brussels-Capital Region (p. 51408).

On the Flemish side, the system has already been adapted by the decree of the Flemish Government of December 20, 2024, amending the Royal Decree of December 12, 2001, regarding the increase and indexation of the purchase price, published in the Belgian Official Gazette of December 30, 2024. The notice of October 6, 2026, follows this same logic of adjusting the Flemish mechanism.

Practical Scope

For users, the issue is immediate: any voucher purchased in 2026 must be used or refunded before December 31, 2026, otherwise it will lose its validity. Accredited companies must take this into account in their customer information and in the management of outstanding balances. However, the final schedule will depend on the regulatory texts yet to be prepared and the opinions to be collected, as the published notice constitutes only the formal announcement of the Flemish Government’s intention.

Official source: Belgian Official Gazette (Belgisch Staatsblad) of October 6, 2026, p. 53182, notice C − 2026/007314, “Bericht over de wijziging van de geldigheidsduur van dienstencheques in 2026”.