Bailiff costs under the 2026 tariff
The estimated cost of a bailiff's act, item by item, under the tariff in force on the date of the act, VAT included.
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A summons for a €1,500 claim: €295.80, VAT and registration duty included.
Sources
Rules verified on 05/10/2026
- National Chamber of Bailiffs: 2026 tariff
- National Chamber of Bailiffs: 2025 tariff
- National Chamber of Bailiffs: Tarif checker
- Royal decree of 18 May 2024 (bailiffs' tariff)
- Programme law of 28 June 2013, arts. 11 and 13 (€50 registration duty)
A tool to assist lawyers. The lawyer remains responsible for the calculation and for checking the applicable rule.
How it works
How the calculation works
The date of the act. The tool applies the tariff in force that day, for acts from 1 October 2024 to 31 December 2026: the base amounts of the royal decree of 18 May 2024 until 31 December 2024, then the 2025 table and the 2026 table.
The class. The base fee depends on the class, set by the amount of the claim or, after an enforceable title, by the total to recover (art. 6). 2026 amounts, excluding VAT:
- class A, claim up to €2,105.03: €131.56;
- class B, €2,105.04 to €5,262.57: €184.19;
- class C, above €5,262.57 or for an undetermined value: €263.13.
Energy, water and telecoms debts of a consumer and, since 1 October 2024, care and school bills (art. 591, 25° Judicial Code) are always class A; claims before the family court (art. 572bis) are always class B.
Added items. Depending on the act chosen, the tool adds:
- half the fee for each extra service address (art. 6 § 3);
- the travel indemnity of €18.95 per act served on site, not for electronic service (art. 15, 2°);
- the administrative file fee of €52.63, once per file for the recovery of a sum of money (art. 8/1);
- for a movable seizure: the order to pay and the seizure report, the time indemnity of €52.63 per half-hour started (art. 12) and enforcement follow-up at €26.31 a year (art. 13);
- the formal notice at €26.31 and copies of annexes at €3.00 a page (art. 13).
The recovery fee. On an amount recovered, it is degressive by band: 8 % up to €2,631.28, then 5 %, 2 %, 1 %, 0.5 %, 0.25 % and 0.10 %, with a minimum of €15.79 (art. 8). For art. 591, 25° debts, it is capped at €105.25 (€100 in 2024, €103.08 in 2025).
Taxes. VAT at 21 % is added to the fees and charges. The registration duty of €50 per exploit or report can be added, outside VAT. It is the general fixed duty of the Registration Code (art. 11, al. 3, €50 since 1 July 2013), due on every bailiff's exploit and report (art. 19, al. 1, 1°), advanced by the creditor and recovered as costs (art. 1019 Judicial Code). It is not due on a formal notice letter, and acts of the procedure for undisputed money debts are exempt (art. 162, 52°).
Legal basis
- Royal decree of 30 November 1976 (tariff of bailiffs' acts in civil and commercial matters), amended by the royal decree of 18 May 2024, in force on 1 October 2024: arts. 1, 6, 8, 8/1, 12, 13 and 15.
- Indexation every 1 January from 2025 (art. 5). 2025 and 2026 amounts: tables of the National Chamber of Bailiffs.
- Judicial Code, arts. 572bis, 591, 25°, 1017 to 1019.
- Registration, Mortgage and Court Fees Code, arts. 11, 19 and 162.
- Tarif checker of the National Chamber of Bailiffs.
Points of attention
- Doubled fees. Saturday, Sunday, public holiday, outside legal hours or absolute urgency: the fee and the time indemnity are doubled; the urgency surcharge is borne by the client (art. 1 § 1).
- Indexed bands. The decree sets the class bands at €2,000 and €5,000. The 2025 and 2026 tables index them, as they do the recovery fee bands; the tool follows those tables.
- Energy and telecoms debts. Part of the cost of the summons (€100) is not charged to the addressee: the Solidarity Fund covers it.
- Registration duty. It stays an option in the tool. Before the justice of the peace, art. 162, 13° of the Registration Code may exempt the acts of a claim up to €2,000; only one source states it, so the tool warns and does not deduct it.
- Who pays. The losing party bears the cost of judicial acts (arts. 1017 and 1018). Amicable debt recovery from consumers follows Book XIX of the Code of Economic Law.
What the tool does not do
- It does not apply the doubling of fees.
- It does not compute the half fee for an act not served, translation or other fixed charges.
- It does not add disbursements (registered post, register searches), the €26 contribution for second-line legal aid or the court roll fee.
- It does not deduct the part covered by the Solidarity Fund.
- It only covers acts performed from 1 October 2024 to 31 December 2026.
Verification
The rules and amounts were checked on 5 October 2026. The tool assists the lawyer, who remains responsible for the calculation and for checking the applicable rule.
Updated on 5 October 2026
Frequently asked questions
How much does a bailiff's summons cost in Belgium in 2026?
For an unpaid invoice of €1,500, one address, served on site: class A fee €131.56, travel indemnity €18.95 and file fee €52.63, for €203.14 excluding VAT. With 21 % VAT (€42.66), the total is €245.80. With the €50 registration duty (the general fixed duty on every exploit, recovered as costs), the total becomes €295.80. This is an estimate: disbursements, copies of annexes, the €26 contribution and the court roll fee are not included.
How is class A, B or C determined?
The class depends on the amount of the claim, or on the total to recover after an enforceable title (art. 6). In 2026: class A up to €2,105.03, class B up to €5,262.57, class C above that or for an undetermined value. A claim of €4,000 falls in class B (€184.19). When one act combines related claims, one fee is due, the highest. Energy, water and telecoms debts of a consumer and, since 1 October 2024, care and school bills (art. 591, 25°) are always class A, and claims before the family court always class B.
How is the bailiff's recovery fee calculated?
It is due when the debtor pays after the bailiff has stepped in, even if the debtor pays the creditor directly (art. 8). It is calculated by band, in 2026: 8 % up to €2,631.28, 5 % up to €5,262.57, 2 % up to €10,525.13, 1 % up to €26,312.83, 0.5 % up to €52,625.65, 0.25 % up to €105,251.30 and 0.10 % above, with a minimum of €15.79. On €3,000 it comes to €228.94 excluding VAT, or €277.02 with VAT. For art. 591, 25° claims (energy, water and telecoms debts of a consumer and, since 1 October 2024, care and school bills), it is capped at €105.25 in 2026 (€103.08 in 2025, €100 in 2024).
What does the €52.63 file fee cover?
The administrative file fee (art. 8/1) is due once per file for the judicial or extrajudicial recovery of a sum of money. It covers identifying the debtor, checking solvency and opening the file. The tool adds it to a summons, a service or a seizure when a sum of money is being recovered.
When are bailiff fees doubled?
The fee and the time indemnity are doubled for an act performed on a Saturday, a Sunday or a public holiday, outside legal hours or in absolute urgency (art. 1 § 1). The doubling is not cumulative. The urgency surcharge is borne by the client. The tool does not apply it: add it if the act is concerned.
Who bears the bailiff's costs?
The losing party bears the costs, including the cost of judicial acts (arts. 1017 and 1018, 2° Judicial Code). VAT is not charged to the losing party when the winning party deducts it (Constitutional Court, judgment 88/2018). Amicable debt recovery from consumers follows Book XIX of the Code of Economic Law.
Where can the official bailiff tariff be checked?
The National Chamber of Bailiffs publishes the tables of 2025 and 2026 amounts and the Tarif checker, which lists every item. Each act must also show every tariff item under its full title (art. 1 § 2). The tool covers acts performed from 1 October 2024 to 31 December 2026, at the amounts in force on the date of the act.