🏠 Housing Costs: The Killer Feature in the Federal Mobility Budget

Imagine this:

An employee entitled to a company car worth €800 per month opts instead to use that amount to pay rent or mortgage. No fringe benefits, no complex detours—just direct support for housing.

That’s the power of the Belgian Federal Mobility Budget (FMB). And for many employees and HR leaders alike, this housing option is the true game-changer.

✅ What the Law Allows

The mobility budget can be allocated across three categories:

Eco-Friendly Company Car
Sustainable Mobility & Housing Costs
Cash Payout (tax-advantaged)

Category 2 allows employees to allocate their budget to rent or mortgage payments—if:

They live within a 10 km radius (as-the-crow-flies) from their usual place of work, or
They work 50% or more from home, in which case their home is considered their work location.

💡 HR Tip: While the law permits the homeworking exemption (50%+ remote work), applying it can carry long-term risk. If your office policy evolves and employees lose eligibility, it may lead to friction over the loss of a valued benefit. We recommend allowing only the fixed 10 km rule in your policy — unless your organization has a mature and stable remote working culture with clear, long-term commitments.

📊 Why Employees Love It – And Why You Should Too

At Vaigo, we see this in real-time:

75% of total mobility budget spending goes to housing.

Employees gain financial flexibility. HR teams reduce administrative complexity. And for mobility? It’s a win. Belgium still tops Europe in average commuting distance—39 km per day (Fleet.be, 2024).

The mobility budget flips the script. It rewards those who live closer to their workplace and encourages others to relocate within cycling distance. The result? Less congestion, healthier routines, and smarter resource allocation.

🔧 How Vaigo Supports a Compliant & Scalable Process

We’ve built the Vaigo platform to help HR teams implement this policy confidently and efficiently:

1. Contract Upload

Employees upload their rental or mortgage contract via the platform.

2. Distance Check & Validation

We automatically calculate the bird’s-eye distance between home and office. Compliance checks are applied immediately.

If an employee changes residence, our system detects the address update and automatically pauses the housing reimbursement flow. A new service activation is required before any future reimbursements can resume—ensuring continuous alignment with legal conditions and internal policy.

3. Monthly Reimbursement Flow

Employees upload their bank statements each month, confirming payment.

They also confirm a Declaration of Honour with the following statements:

“I declare that these housing costs are incurred only for myself and/or my legal family members.”
“I declare that these costs are not being reimbursed by another party (e.g., via my partner’s mobility budget).”

All documents and declarations are reviewed and archived as part of an audit-proof workflow.

4. Homeworking Verification (if enabled)

If your company chooses to allow eligibility via homeworking (50%+), Vaigo provides a digital calendar where employees indicate the number of days they worked from home. If the threshold isn’t met, reimbursement is automatically suspended for that month.

5. Seamless Payroll Integration

Once approved, reimbursements are triggered through payroll—compliant, traceable, and simple.

👀 Why HR Should Act Now

From 2026 onwards, the federal government is expected to mandate that companies offering a company car also provide a mobility budget alternative.

🔁 Your Return on this Policy

✅ Supports Sustainable Mobility

✅ Offers Meaningful, Flexible Benefits

✅ Eliminates Car Policy Headaches

✅ Strengthens Retention & Recruitment

🚀 Ready to Rethink Mobility?

Vaigo helps forward-thinking employers turn complex mobility regulation into a frictionless employee experience.