Free Belgium VAT Calculator
Published: 6 November 2026 · Updated: 6 November 2026
A €1,000 net price in Belgium at the 21% standard VAT rate becomes €1,210 gross — €210 of VAT. Belgium runs three VAT rates (21%, 12% and 6%), and the wrong one is the most common invoicing mistake in the country: hotels moved from 6% to 12% on 1 March 2026. Pick a rate below and add or remove VAT instantly.
Belgium's VAT is 21% by default — and 2026 moved the goalposts. Hotels and takeaway meals rose from 6% to 12% on 1 March 2026, food and books stay at 6%, and B2B e-invoicing became mandatory on 1 January 2026. Check the rate before you invoice, not after.
Researched by MixKhazana Team · Last updated 6 November 2026 · Data: FPS Finance Belgium, European Commission VAT rates 2026
How to use
- Enter the amount in euros.
- Choose the VAT rate — 21% standard, 12% for restaurants and hotels, 6% for food, books and medicines.
- Pick Add VAT for a net price or Remove VAT for a gross price.
- Click Calculate Belgian VAT for the net amount, the VAT and the gross total.
How it works
Belgium's VAT — BTW in Dutch, TVA in French — follows the EU VAT Directive, but with a Belgian twist: three rates instead of two. The standard rate is 21%, and it has not changed in decades; it is the default for anything that does not qualify for a reduced rate. The two reduced rates do the social work: 12% for a narrow set of services and 6% for the broad basket of essentials. The average standard VAT rate across the EU's 27 member states is 21.9% in 2026, so Belgium sits almost exactly on the European average. Compare it with our Germany VAT calculator (19% standard) or France (20%).
The 2026 changes are what make this page worth checking before you invoice. From 1 March 2026, hotel stays, other furnished short-term accommodation and camping pitches rose from 6% to 12%, and takeaway meals and non-alcoholic drinks served in restaurants moved to 12% too. On the same date, pesticides moved from 12% to the standard 21%. A hotel night invoiced at the old 6% in 2026 creates a VAT shortfall that you pay, not your customer. And since 1 January 2026, structured e-invoicing via Peppol has been mandatory for nearly all domestic B2B transactions between Belgian VAT-liable businesses, so the invoice itself now has to be machine-readable as well as correctly rated.
The formula is simple in both directions: gross = net × (1 + rate) and net = gross ÷ (1 + rate), with VAT = gross − net. At 21%, €1,000 net becomes €1,210 gross; at 12%, €1,000 net becomes €1,120; at 6%, €1,000 net becomes €1,060. To strip VAT out of a gross price, divide instead: €1,210 gross at 21% is €1,000 net, so €210 of VAT sits inside it. The hard part is never the arithmetic — it is picking the right rate, and that is what the rate table and the FAQs below are for.
Worked example
Marie runs a small guesthouse in Bruges and quotes a room at €100 net per night in 2026:
- Correct rate since 1 March 2026: 12% (hotel stays moved from 6% to 12%)
- VAT: 12% × €100 = €12
- Gross price to the guest: €100 + €12 = €112
- At the old 6% rate the room would have been €106 — invoicing €106 now would leave a €6 shortfall per night that Marie pays herself
- Her restaurant dinner the same evening: €100 net at 12% = €112 gross (food served on the premises, drinks excluded)
- Her bookshop purchase: €100 net at 6% = €106 gross
Try the reverse direction in the widget: enter €1,210 gross at 21% and it returns €1,000 net with €210 of VAT inside.
Figures used here
| Rate | 2026 value |
|---|---|
| Standard rate | 21% |
| Reduced rate — restaurants, hotels (from 1 Mar 2026) | 12% |
| Reduced rate — food, books, medicines, transport | 6% |
| Exceptional supplies | 0% |
| EU average standard rate (2026) | 21.9% |
| Heat pumps (dwellings under 10 years) | 6% until 31 Dec 2030 |
| B2B e-invoicing (Peppol) | Mandatory from 1 Jan 2026 |
Frequently asked questions
What is the standard VAT rate in Belgium in 2026?
The standard VAT rate in Belgium is 21% in 2026, and it has not changed in decades. It applies to most goods and services that do not qualify for a reduced rate — including alcohol, tobacco, drinks served in restaurants, and most business services. Belgium also has two reduced rates, 12% and 6%, plus a 0% rate for a few exceptional supplies.
What is taxed at 6% VAT in Belgium?
The 6% reduced rate in Belgium covers basic foodstuffs, water supplies, pharmaceutical products and medical equipment, books and e-books, domestic passenger transport, admission to cultural and sporting events, and renovation and repair of private dwellings at least 10 years old. Heat pumps supplied with installation in dwellings under 10 years old also enjoy 6% until 31 December 2030. This is the broadest reduced rate and the one most consumers meet daily.
What is taxed at 12% VAT in Belgium?
The 12% rate in Belgium is narrow: restaurant and catering services (food served on the premises, excluding drinks), hotel stays and other furnished short-term accommodation and camping pitches, margarine, certain fuels, and some social housing transactions. Since 1 March 2026, hotel stays moved from 6% to 12%, and takeaway meals and non-alcoholic drinks served in restaurants also moved to 12%.
Did hotel VAT change in Belgium in 2026?
Yes. From 1 March 2026, the VAT rate on hotel stays, other furnished short-term accommodation and camping pitches rose from 6% to 12% in Belgium. A transitional rule kept 6% for stays booked by 28 February 2026 where the VAT became chargeable by 30 June 2026. On the same date, plant protection products (pesticides) moved from 12% to the standard 21% rate.
How do I add or remove Belgian VAT?
To add VAT, multiply the net price by 1 plus the rate: a €1,000 net price at 21% becomes €1,000 × 1.21 = €1,210. To remove VAT from a gross price, divide by 1 plus the rate: a €1,210 gross price at 21% is €1,210 ÷ 1.21 = €1,000 net, so the VAT inside it is €210. The calculator above does both directions for the 21%, 12% and 6% rates — pick the rate and the direction and it shows the split.
Is e-invoicing mandatory in Belgium in 2026?
Yes. Since 1 January 2026, structured electronic invoicing has been mandatory for nearly all domestic B2B transactions between Belgian VAT-liable businesses, using the Peppol network. Paper and PDF invoices no longer count as compliant e-invoices for those transactions. The rule is enforced by FPS Finance, Belgium's federal tax administration.
What do BTW and TVA mean in Belgium?
BTW (belasting over de toegevoegde waarde) is the Dutch name for VAT, used in Flanders and Brussels, and TVA (taxe sur la valeur ajoutée) is the French name, used in Wallonia and Brussels. They are the same tax — Belgium's value added tax — just in the country's two main languages. Invoices in either language show the same 21%, 12% and 6% rates.