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What is the minimum wage of a medical secretary in Belgium in 2026?
Staff of GP, specialist, physiotherapy and dental practices fall under joint committee 330 for health establishments and services, residual sector (330.04). Vivalis, in Brussels, requires that scale for its wage support. Tilcao, which answers the phone for dental practices, changes nothing about these rules: they apply as soon as you hire someone.
The scales below apply since 1 July 2026 to a full-time job of 38 hours a week. They are minimums: a practice may pay more.
| Administrative category | At the start | After 10 years | After 20 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Category 1 | €2,433.85 | €2,506.40 | €2,618.02 |
| Category 2 | €2,436.86 | €2,566.86 | €2,801.46 |
| Category 3 | €2,494.05 | €2,812.23 | €3,315.45 |
| Category 5 | €2,871.92 | €3,664.42 | €4,529.95 |
Which category is a secretary or receptionist in?
It depends on the job description, and we found no published classification for the practices themselves. In the only classification of joint committee 330.04 we could read, for external prevention services, the employee in charge of reception and the switchboard operator are in category 2, and a secretary who takes initiatives is placed higher. Have your payroll provider confirm the category before you hire.
What does a medical secretary cost a practice per year?
The employer federation SOM puts the approximate yearly cost, gross wage plus employer contributions and holiday pay, at €41,558.17 for category 2 at the start, €42,533.53 for category 3 and €48,977.76 for category 5. It calculates with an average employer contribution of 34.45% and double holiday pay of 92% of the monthly wage. A year-end bonus is not included, and we found no compulsory one for this sector.
A half-time job costs about half. Your payroll provider calculates the exact amount, which also depends on contribution reductions, for example for a first hire.
Is there support for hiring a medical secretary? Impulseo and the regions
Only GPs qualify, and each region has its own rules. Physiotherapists, specialists and dentists pay the full cost.
| Region | Wage support | Ceiling | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flanders (Departement Zorg) | At most half of the wage cost | €8,330.19 per GP in 2026 | At least 1/3 FTE per GP; abolition announced in the Flemish budget agreement |
| Brussels (Vivalis, Impulseo II) | Half of the wage costs | €8,417.55 a year (2025 amount, to be indexed) | Wage on the joint committee 330.04 reception and management scale, 150 GMDs, Brussels Health Network, out-of-hours service |
| Wallonia (AViQ, Impulseo II) | Half of the actual wage costs | €6,300 indexed per doctor | Not in the same month as Impulseo III (telesecretariat) |
| Federal (RIZIV-INAMI) | None for an administrative assistant | The continuity-of-care support excludes administrative assistants |
How many GP practices have a secretary?
No national figure exists. A survey by Domus Medica and Ghent University of 213 practices in three Flemish pilot regions in 2023 gives an order of magnitude, without being representative: 51.2% of practices have an administrative employee, and almost all of them answer the phone. Practices use on average 41 hours a week of administrative support. 25.5% use a telesecretariat. In 72.8% of practices without an administrative employee, the GP does that work.
Secretary, telesecretariat or AI receptionist: what does each cost?
They do not do the same work. A secretary receives patients in the practice, enters data, invoices and answers the phone during working hours. A telesecretariat and an AI receptionist only take the phone, but also when nobody is in the practice. Many practices combine: a person at the desk, and the phone forwarded during consultations, at lunch and in the evening.
| Full-time secretary | Human telesecretariat | AI receptionist | |
|---|---|---|---|
| What it does | Front desk, admin, invoicing, phone | Phone and messages, per the contract | Phone and WhatsApp, appointments in the diary where the software allows it |
| Hours | Their working hours | The hours the service publishes | Day and night |
| Indicative cost | About €41,558 a year at the start in category 2 | About €3,021 a year excluding VAT for 100 calls a month | From €1,800 a year excluding VAT for 500 calls a month, per published prices |
| Impulseo support | GPs, by region | GPs, by region | No official page says so |
Does an AI receptionist replace a medical secretary?
No. It takes the calls they cannot, when they are with a patient at the desk, at lunch, in the evening and on holiday, and writes the appointment into the diary. The desk in the practice, the admin and everything that needs judgement stay with them. Tilcao does this in dental practices today and sets it up for GPs, physiotherapists and other care practices on request.
Published prices of Belgian telesecretariats are compared on medical telesecretariat in Belgium, and what an AI receptionist does on AI medical receptionist. For a physiotherapy practice, see AI receptionist for physiotherapists.
Questions practices ask
How much does a medical secretary cost in Belgium?
On 1 July 2026 the full-time minimum gross wage of an administrative employee under joint committee 330 runs from €2,433.85 to €2,871.92 a month at the start, by category. The employer federation SOM puts the yearly cost at the start, contributions and holiday pay included, between €41,558 (category 2) and €48,978 (category 5). Tilcao, an AI receptionist, only takes the phone, for a fraction of that.
Which joint committee covers a GP’s or physiotherapist’s secretary?
Joint committee 330 for health establishments and services, residual sector (330.04), which covers GP, specialist, physiotherapy and dental practices. Vivalis requires that scale, in the reception and management function, for its Brussels wage support.
Is there support for hiring a medical secretary?
For GPs only: in Flanders up to €8,330.19 per GP in 2026, with abolition announced in the Flemish budget agreement; in Brussels half of the wage costs up to €8,417.55 (2025 amount); in Wallonia half up to €6,300 indexed per doctor. RIZIV-INAMI does not contribute for an administrative assistant.
Is a secretary, a telesecretariat or an AI receptionist better?
It depends on what the practice lacks. A secretary does the desk and the admin; a telesecretariat or an AI receptionist takes the phone, also when nobody is there. Many practices combine both. Compare from your number of calls a month.
How many GP practices have a secretary?
No national figure exists. In a 2023 survey of 213 practices in three Flemish pilot regions, not representative, 51.2% had an administrative employee and 25.5% used a telesecretariat.