Meal vouchers

Meal vouchers are a net extra per day worked: at most 8 euros per voucher, of which you contribute at least 1.09 euros yourself and your employer pays up to 6.91 euros. Free of social security and tax, so every euro fully reaches you.

How much is it worth?

At the maximum of 8 euros and a full-time schedule of roughly 220 working days, it amounts to over 1,500 euros of purchasing power per year, of which your own contribution (1.09 per voucher) is withheld from your net pay. Because no social security or tax is due, a meal voucher of 8 euros is worth more than a gross pay rise of the same amount: of 8 euros gross raise you often keep less than half.

The rules

You receive one voucher per day actually worked (electronically on your meal voucher card), and the exemption only applies when all conditions are met: at most 8 euros face value, at least 1.09 euros own contribution, and granting through a collective or individual agreement. You can pay in supermarkets, bakeries and restaurants; vouchers remain valid for 12 months.

Meal vouchers in your pay package

Nearly all larger industrial employers grant meal vouchers, but the face value differs: 5, 6 or the maximum of 8 euros. So ask about it when you get an offer, it makes a difference of hundreds of euros per year. Use the gross-to-net calculator with the advanced options to see the effect on your net, and see extralegal benefits for the full picture.