Attractive salary package: how to win the IT talent war at equal budget

In the Belgian IT market, two companies can offer the exact same total cost per consultant and still land very different candidates. The difference is rarely the budget. It is the way the package is built.

Same budget, different perceived value

Belgian taxation on salary is progressive and heavy at the top of the scale. Each additional 100 EUR of gross salary reaches the consultant as roughly 45 EUR net. The same 100 EUR spent on a well structured benefit often reaches the consultant almost entirely. A candidate compares net income and quality of life, not your cost line.

The levers that change the net

• Company car and fuel or charging card: a low emission or electric vehicle carries a limited taxable benefit and remains largely deductible for the employer.
• Meal vouchers: up to 8 EUR per worked day, of which the employer part is the main share, with very low tax friction.
• Eco vouchers and gift vouchers within legal ceilings.
• Own expense allowances covering home office, internet and mobile, justified by the reality of the role.
• Group insurance and hospitalisation cover: strong perceived value, favourable treatment compared with gross salary.
• Mobility budget or bicycle allowance for consultants working close to the client site.
• Training and certification budget, which is also a retention lever in an IT market where skills age fast.

A concrete example

Two offers with an identical employer cost of around 9 000 EUR per month. The first one puts everything in gross salary. The second one keeps a solid gross, adds an electric company car, meal vouchers, hospitalisation cover, a group insurance and expense allowances. The second candidate ends up with a clearly higher net income plus a car and cover for the family. In an interview process, that gap decides.

How BSH structures the package

Consultants placed through BSH are employed under CP200 by BSH. You agree on one daily rate or one monthly budget. We build the package inside that budget, manage payroll, benefits, insurance and the legal follow up, and send you one invoice. You keep a predictable cost and the consultant receives an optimised package.

Before you make an offer, ask for a simulation. You will see the net income, the taxable benefits and the total cost of several package structures side by side, so the decision is based on figures and not on impressions.