Belgium’s Programme Law (Loi-programme / Programmawet), published in the Belgian Official Gazette on 1 June 2026, includes, among other measures, an increase in the standard Insurance Premium Tax (IPT) rate from 9.25% to 9.60%, effective 1 July 2026.
The rate change was first announced in the federal government’s budgetary agreement of November 2025 and was originally intended to apply from 1 April 2026. However, the bill followed an unusually turbulent parliamentary journey before finally being adopted by the Chamber of Representatives in the night of 28 to 29 May 2026. The new rate applies to non-life insurance contracts subject to the standard rate under the Code of Miscellaneous Duties and Taxes (CDTD), including fire, motor, liability, and accident policies. Life insurance and second-pillar pension contracts are not affected. To protect the integrity of the rate increase, the anti-abuse clause of CDTD applies: contracts cancelled and rewritten solely to benefit from the lower rate before the effective date may be challenged by the Belgian tax authorities.
Insurers writing business in Belgium should update their premium calculation to apply the 9.60% rate to all premiums falling due on or after 1 July 2026, including instalments on existing policies. The first IPT return to which the new rate will apply is the monthly return for July 2026, due in August 2026.
