Federal Learning Account: what, how and for whom?
by Kimberly Van Bockstal
We would like to inform you that since April 1, 2024, the Federal Learning Account (FLA) is available to all employers. This is in accordance with the European principle of the individual training account. This follows the labor deal of late 2022 where the individual training right and the mandatory training plan were introduced. The federal government aims to encourage companies to continue investing in training for their employees.
What is the FLA?
The FLA or Federal Learning Account is a new online tool from the federal government that allows employers to register training rights and training for their employees. This gives employees an overview of their individual training rights. The FLA contains a lot of data including: company number, employee identity, employment status, number of training days, number of days attended, etc.
How many training days must you grant as an employer?
This depends on various factors:
The employee's employment regime
The size of the company
Less than 10 employees: no obligation
10 – 19 employees: individual training right of 1 day
From 20 employees: 5 days training right from 2024 & mandatory training plan
Sectoral agreements
There may be deviations per sector regarding the number of days. It is important to check this.
What do you need to register as an employer?
As an employer, you must register the following each quarter, no later than 1 month after the end of the quarter:
Attended training
Characteristics of the training
Number of training days
Additionally, some data will be automatically supplemented via Sigedis or the training institution. You must check and, if necessary, modify or complete this data as an employer.
If you have fewer than 10 employees but training was attended, this must also be entered into the FLA.
What options are available for carrying out registrations?
For many smaller companies, the online service of the FLA will be the most logical choice.
A batch submission is ideal for larger companies. Send large amounts of data in structured messages via the Social Security’s File Transfer System (SFTP). Your software provider integrates this into your IT system.
REST web service/API integration: Integrate FLA with your own systems via a REST web service/API. Your software provider can set this up for you, allowing you to enter training data directly into your existing or new IT system.
To reduce administration, the FLA will provide pre-filled training right registrations for all employees starting in 2025. Employers will only need to check the automatically calculated data and correct it if necessary. This service is currently in preparation. Employers who do not manage to register the data for 2024 themselves will also be able to use the automated service later this year.
All the information you need to get started smoothly with the FLA, such as videos, manuals, and FAQs, can be found at www.federallearningaccount.be.
Postponement of registration obligations
Employers initially had until 30 November 2024 to register rights and training for 2024. If not completed on time, Sigedis would automatically fill in the data on 1 December 2024, based on DmfA and Dimona submissions. However, on 23 October 2024, the Parliamentary Committee on Employment approved a postponement of these obligations until 1 April 2025. For now, no action is required, and further instructions will be provided later.
How can Vandelanotte help you?
We have the necessary experts to assist you in creating your training plan, searching for suitable training courses, etc. These services are not included as standard in our payroll price, but we can provide you with an estimate of the cost in advance if desired.
If you also wish for us to assist with the registrations on the FLA, a new power of attorney must be signed to authorize us to do so.
In both cases, feel free to contact your personal file manager for more information.
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Kimberly Van Bockstal
Advisor Payroll kimberly.vanbockstal@vdl.be
Disclaimer
In our opinions, we rely on current legislation, interpretations and legal doctrine. This does not prevent the administration from disputing them or from changing existing interpretations.
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