Payroll provider

Payroll providers in Belgium: 8 approved ones compared

A payroll provider (sociaal secretariaat) handles your payroll and your declarations to the National Social Security Office. Here are eight approved providers side by side, in alphabetical order and only with facts they or the government publish, checked on 11 November 2026.

Eight approved payroll providers, alphabetical

Provider	Approval no.	Offices	Clients (own figures)	Target group	Services in the group
Acerta	250	26	More than 40,000 employers, more than 660,000 payroll calculations a month	Starters, self-employed, SMEs and larger companies	Business one-stop shop, social insurance fund
Attentia	110	31 (2025 key figures)	More than 12,000 clients (2025)	From micro business to large company, including non-profit and public sector	External prevention and protection service
Group S	100	21 regional offices plus head office	Some 20,000 employers	Large and small companies, self-employed, starters	Business one-stop shop, social insurance fund
Liantis	510	60 according to the site, 42 in the office finder	76,500 employers; 5.1 million payroll calculations in 2023	Starters, self-employed, SMEs, social profit sector	Business one-stop shop, social insurance fund, external prevention service
Partena Professional	300	29	362,623 payslips a month	Starters, small businesses, SMEs, large companies	Business one-stop shop, social insurance fund, Easypay Group
SD Worx	640	33	92,000 Belgian clients	SMEs, starters, large and international organisations	No own one-stop shop or fund; partner Xerius for the self-employed
Securex	120	No total given	91,500 employers	Starters, SMEs, large and international companies	Business one-stop shop, social insurance fund, external prevention service
UCM	200	18 addresses on the office page	25,000 employers	Very small businesses, SMEs, non-profit	Business one-stop shop, social insurance fund, child benefit fund

What a payroll provider does

A payroll provider carries out, in your name and for your account, the formalities you have as an employer, and gives you information and assistance about them. That is how the royal decree of 28 November 1969 describes the purpose of an approved provider.

In practice this means the Dimona for every hire and departure, the quarterly DmfA declaration and paying the social security contributions. For the National Social Security Office the provider is your mandatary: you sign a written agreement and a joint power of attorney. According to the Office, the vast majority of employers are represented this way.

Sources: Koninklijk besluit van 28 november 1969, art. 44 tot 49 over de erkende sociale secretariaten van werkgevers (Justel) (checked on 11 November 2026); Securex Lex4You, formaliteiten tegenover de RSZ (bijgewerkt 15 januari 2026) (checked on 11 November 2026); RSZ, administratieve instructies: het mandaat tussen werkgever en mandataris (checked on 11 November 2026)

What approved means

An approved payroll provider is a non-profit with a representative employers' organisation among its founding members and at least 300 affiliated employers, or 100 employers with at least 5,000 employees between them. The Minister of Social Affairs decides on approval based on a report by the social security inspectorate.

Approval gives the exclusive right to collect the social contributions of affiliated employers and pass them on to the National Social Security Office. It comes with obligations: a guarantee deposited with the National Bank or the Deposit and Consignment Office, oversight by a registered company auditor and the approval number on every document the provider issues.

The Belgian Official Gazette publishes the full list of approved payroll providers every year. The latest list we found is the one dated 20 June 2025, published on 15 July 2025. All eight providers on this page are on it.

Sources: Koninklijk besluit van 28 november 1969, art. 44 tot 49 over de erkende sociale secretariaten van werkgevers (Justel) (checked on 11 November 2026); RSZ, administratieve instructies: sociale secretariaten en dienstverrichters (checked on 11 November 2026); FOD Sociale Zekerheid, lijst van de erkende sociale secretariaten van werkgevers op 20 juni 2025 (Belgisch Staatsblad 15 juli 2025) (checked on 11 November 2026)

Is joining compulsory?

The obligations lie with you as the employer: the Dimona, the DmfA and paying the contributions are done by the employer or its payroll provider. You can fulfil them yourself or have a mandatary of your choice do it. The National Social Security Office notes that the vast majority of employers are represented.

If you hire your first employee, on top of the social security reduction for that first hire you get a contribution of 36.45 euros per quarter towards the cost of an approved payroll provider, in the quarters in which you actually receive the reduction. It does not apply to the second to fifth hire.

Sources: Securex Lex4You, formaliteiten tegenover de RSZ (bijgewerkt 15 januari 2026) (checked on 11 November 2026); RSZ, administratieve instructies: het mandaat tussen werkgever en mandataris (checked on 11 November 2026); Securex Lex4You, tussenkomst in de kosten van een erkend sociaal secretariaat bij een eerste aanwerving (bijgewerkt 1 juli 2026) (checked on 11 November 2026)

How it differs from payroll software, a bookkeeper or a non-approved service provider

The National Social Security Office recognises two kinds of mandatary: approved payroll providers and social service providers. A service provider is not approved by the minister, may not use the title sociaal secretariaat and does not collect the contributions the way an approved provider does. A bookkeeper or software vendor that handles your declarations is such a service provider for the Office, unless it is an approved provider.

Since 2017 the Office has measured the quality of declarations with a quality barometer, which can also cover non-approved service providers. Financial checks apply only to approved providers. If you use payroll software without a mandatary, you file the declarations yourself.

Sources: RSZ, administratieve instructies: sociale secretariaten en dienstverrichters (checked on 11 November 2026); Securex Lex4You, formaliteiten tegenover de RSZ (bijgewerkt 15 januari 2026) (checked on 11 November 2026)

How to compare as an employer

Start with objective points. Is the provider on the list of approved providers, and which number appears on the payslips? How many offices does it have in your region, and in which language does it work? Which employers does it target: starters, SMEs, large companies, non-profits? Which services sit in the same group, such as a business one-stop shop, a social insurance fund or an external prevention service?

Then read the terms: the minimum term, the notice period and the compensation for early termination. These are not in the law but in each provider's organic regulation or general terms. None of the eight publishes a price; ask for quotes based on the same headcount and the same services so you can compare them side by side.

Sources: FOD Sociale Zekerheid, lijst van de erkende sociale secretariaten van werkgevers op 20 juni 2025 (Belgisch Staatsblad 15 juli 2025) (checked on 11 November 2026); Koninklijk besluit van 28 november 1969, art. 44 tot 49 over de erkende sociale secretariaten van werkgevers (Justel) (checked on 11 November 2026); SD Worx, algemene voorwaarden erkend sociaal secretariaat, versie v202511 (PDF) (checked on 11 November 2026); Acerta, algemene bepalingen sociaal secretariaat van 1 mei 2026 (PDF) (checked on 11 November 2026); Partena, organiek reglement van het sociaal secretariaat, goedgekeurd op 14 november 2024 (PDF) (checked on 11 November 2026); Attentia, algemene voorwaarden juli 2025 (PDF) (checked on 11 November 2026)

Switching and notice period

A mandate with the National Social Security Office can only move to a new mandatary at the start of a new quarter. The new provider then takes over the management of the past, present and future; the old one must give it all the information it needs on the quarters it handled, on request.

The royal decree sets no notice period for the employer. It does require the provider to report the end of a mandate to the social security inspectorate at least 15 days in advance. The notice period itself is in the provider's terms.

In the terms published by SD Worx, Acerta, Partena Professional and Attentia, a membership ends on 31 December, with six months' notice. SD Worx, Acerta and Partena Professional require a registered letter and a first term of three years or 36 months. The details are on each provider's fact page.

Sources: RSZ, administratieve instructies: het mandaat tussen werkgever en mandataris (checked on 11 November 2026); Koninklijk besluit van 28 november 1969, art. 44 tot 49 over de erkende sociale secretariaten van werkgevers (Justel) (checked on 11 November 2026); SD Worx, algemene voorwaarden erkend sociaal secretariaat, versie v202511 (PDF) (checked on 11 November 2026); Acerta, algemene bepalingen sociaal secretariaat van 1 mei 2026 (PDF) (checked on 11 November 2026); Partena, organiek reglement van het sociaal secretariaat, goedgekeurd op 14 november 2024 (PDF) (checked on 11 November 2026); Attentia, algemene voorwaarden juli 2025 (PDF) (checked on 11 November 2026)

Frequently asked questions

What does a payroll provider cost?

None of the eight providers on this page published a price on 11 November 2026. Securex, Partena Professional and Liantis do describe the structure: an entry or start-up fee and a fixed price per month or per payroll calculation per employee. For a first hire you get a contribution of 36.45 euros per quarter towards the cost of an approved provider.

Sources: Securex, sociaal secretariaat: overstap en prijsopbouw (checked on 11 November 2026); Partena Professional, sociaal secretariaat: prijsopbouw (checked on 11 November 2026); Liantis, sociaal secretariaat: cijfers 2023 en prijsopbouw (checked on 11 November 2026); Securex Lex4You, tussenkomst in de kosten van een erkend sociaal secretariaat bij een eerste aanwerving (bijgewerkt 1 juli 2026) (checked on 11 November 2026)

SD Worx or Securex?

Both are approved: SD Worx under number 640, Securex under number 120. Offices: 33 against No total given. Own client figures: 92,000 Belgian clients against 91,500 employers. Services in the group: No own one-stop shop or fund; partner Xerius for the self-employed against Business one-stop shop, social insurance fund, external prevention service. Neither publishes a price; which one suits you depends on your profile, your region and the terms in the quote.

Acerta or Liantis?

Both are approved: Acerta under number 250, Liantis under number 510. Offices: 26 against 60 according to the site, 42 in the office finder. Own client figures: More than 40,000 employers, more than 660,000 payroll calculations a month against 76,500 employers; 5.1 million payroll calculations in 2023. Services in the group: Business one-stop shop, social insurance fund against Business one-stop shop, social insurance fund, external prevention service. Neither publishes a price; which one suits you depends on your profile, your region and the terms in the quote.

Which payroll provider for your first employee?

Any approved provider can register and pay your first employee. SD Worx has a separate starters' service and UCM explicitly targets employers hiring their first employee. If you choose an approved provider, you get a contribution of 36.45 euros per quarter towards the cost for that first hire.

Sources: SD Worx, startende werkgever (startersservice) (checked on 11 November 2026); UCM, affiliation au secrétariat social (checked on 11 November 2026); Securex Lex4You, tussenkomst in de kosten van een erkend sociaal secretariaat bij een eerste aanwerving (bijgewerkt 1 juli 2026) (checked on 11 November 2026)

Can I do without a payroll provider?

Yes. The Dimona, the DmfA and paying the contributions are the employer's obligations, which you can fulfil yourself. A payroll provider or another mandatary takes them over through a written agreement and a power of attorney registered with the National Social Security Office. According to the Office, the vast majority of employers choose such a mandatary.

Factual information from the public sources listed, on the date stated. AltusConnect is not affiliated with the companies named; brand names belong to their owners. Spotted an error or an outdated figure? Mail hello@altusconnect.be and we will correct it.

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