Protection

Bridging right: which self-employed people are entitled, and how not to lose it?

By the Finances Indépendants editorial teamUpdated on 4 min read

Contents
  1. Which situations give entitlement to the bridging right?
  2. The conditions to meet before stopping
  3. What the bridging right pays
  4. The application deadline and resuming work
  5. Further reading
  6. Frequently asked questions
Bridging right: which self-employed people are entitled, and how not to lose it?
12 months
Maximum benefit per event (basic package)NISSE2026
4 quarters
Healthcare and benefit rights maintained, without contributionsNISSE2026
2nd quarter
End of the last quarter in which to apply, after the one in which you stoppedNISSE2026

Which situations give entitlement to the bridging right?

Four situations give entitlement to the bridging right: bankruptcy, collective debt settlement, forced interruption or cessation due to an external event, and economic difficulties. Stopping voluntarily, to change career or to retire, is not one of them. The scheme was reformed for stoppages occurring since 1 January 2023.

Bankruptcy covers the self-employed person operating as an individual, but also the manager, director or active partner of a company declared bankrupt, provided they have not been convicted of a criminal offence in that context. Being a company director therefore does not close the door.

Forced cessation covers a self-employed person forced, against their will, to interrupt or stop their activity. In every case, the situation must not have been brought about intentionally to obtain the benefit or another advantage: the fund examines the circumstances of the stoppage.

The conditions to meet before stopping

You must have been covered by the social security scheme as a main occupation during the quarter in which you stopped and the 3 preceding quarters, and have your main residence in Belgium. Someone self-employed as a secondary occupation is excluded; an assisting spouse under the full status (maxi-statut) is covered.

Economic difficulties add a payment requirement: provisional contributions actually paid for at least 4 of the 16 reference quarters, and income that stayed below a ceiling set by the NISSE in the year of stopping and the previous year.

This is the most common trap. A self-employed person in difficulty often stops paying their contributions well before stopping work: they can then lose the bridging right at exactly the moment they need it. Rather than letting payments slide, it is better to apply in time for a contribution exemption or reduction.

  • Bankruptcy: no criminal conviction linked to the bankruptcy.
  • Forced cessation: an external event, not brought about by you, that makes the activity impossible.
  • Economic difficulties: 4 quarters of contributions paid out of 16, income below the ceiling.
  • All situations: no professional activity of any kind, apart from limited combining if you resume work (see below).

What the bridging right pays

The basic package includes a monthly benefit for up to 12 months and, for up to 4 quarters, maintained rights to healthcare and to incapacity, invalidity and maternity benefits, without paying contributions. It is this second part that protects the family during the transition.

The benefit is a flat rate and its amount depends on your family situation, with or without dependants. It is indexed: ask your social insurance fund for the current amount. The flat rate does not follow your previous income, exactly like incapacity for work benefits.

The basic package can be topped up with additional months and quarters, depending on the number of quarters validated for your pension between two events. But per event, the duration remains capped at 12 months of benefit and 4 quarters of maintained rights.

The application deadline and resuming work

The application is submitted to your social insurance fund no later than the end of the 2nd quarter following the one in which the interruption or cessation occurred. For a stoppage in October 2026, in the fourth quarter, the deadline therefore falls on 30 June 2027. After that, the right is lost.

Resuming work is possible without losing everything, provided you have first stopped all activity for at least one full calendar month. Each full calendar month of stoppage opens up one month of combining, up to 3 months, with a benefit reduced by 25%, then 50%, then 75%.

The benefit can also be combined with a replacement income, as long as the total does not exceed the bridging right amount; above that, the benefit is reduced. A restart, as an individual or through a company, should therefore be prepared with the fund, choosing your status before you start again.

Further reading

The pages on this site that explore each of the points covered here in more depth.

Frequently asked questions

  • No. The bridging right requires coverage as a main occupation during the quarter in which you stopped and the three preceding quarters. Someone self-employed as a secondary occupation falls under the protection attached to their main activity, most often as an employee.

  • Yes. Bankruptcy gives entitlement to the manager, director or active partner of the company declared bankrupt, not only to the self-employed person operating as an individual. They must not have been convicted of a criminal offence in connection with that bankruptcy and must meet the conditions for coverage as a main occupation.

  • No later than the end of the second quarter following the one in which the interruption or cessation occurred. The application is sent to your social insurance fund, which checks the conditions. Nothing is paid automatically: an application submitted too late is refused, even if all the other conditions are met.

  • Yes, the scheme in force since 2023 allows the basic package to be used several times during a career. Additional months are added depending on the quarters validated for your pension between two events. Per event, the benefit remains limited to 12 months and maintained rights to 4 quarters.

  • In the case of economic difficulties, yes: you must actually have paid provisional contributions for at least 4 of the 16 reference quarters. A self-employed person who is falling behind is therefore better off applying for an exemption in time than stopping payments, so as not to lose this safety net.

  • Yes, after at least one full calendar month without any professional activity. Each full month of stoppage opens up one month of combining, 3 at most, with a benefit reduced by 25%, then 50%, then 75%. Tell your fund before restarting: it is the fund that applies the reduction.

Topics covered

Topics covered: bridging right self-employed conditions · bridging right bankruptcy · bridging right economic difficulties · forced cessation self-employed · bridging right application social insurance fund · bridging right resuming activity · self-employed stopping business benefit.

Official sources

  1. NISSE, Bridging right. View (new tab)(Official source, accessed on 2026-09-29)
  2. NISSE, I have to interrupt or stop my activity because of economic difficulties (after 01/01/23). What now?. View (new tab)(Official source, accessed on 2026-09-29)
  3. NISSE, New measures for the self-employed from 1 January 2023. View (new tab)(Official source, accessed on 2026-09-29)
  4. FPS Social Security, Bridging right for the self-employed. View (new tab)(Official source, accessed on 2026-09-29)

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