Dimona and Check-in at Work in supermarkets

What is a Dimona declaration

Dimona (Déclaration Immédiate / Onmiddellijke Aangifte — Belgian immediate online employee registration) is the NSSO's electronic declaration system that records the start and end of every employment relationship in Belgium. For supermarkets, Dimona is most critical for three categories of worker: flexi-job workers, student workers and casual staff.

The obligation is clear: every entry into employment must be declared before the work actually begins. Not the same day, not "within 24 hours". Before. For a shift starting at 7 a.m., the Dimona must be registered before 7 a.m.

For a supermarket that regularly employs 10 to 20 flexi-job and student workers per week, managing Dimona declarations manually represents a considerable administrative burden. Every missed declaration is a potential offence. Every late submission is a financial risk. That is why automating this process is not a luxury but an operational necessity.

When is Dimona mandatory in a supermarket

Not all supermarket workers require the same type of Dimona. Here is what applies by worker profile.

Permanent workers (open-ended and fixed-term contracts)

A single Dimona "IN" at the start of the contract and a Dimona "OUT" at the end. No declaration per shift. This is the simplest case.

Flexi-job workers

Each flexi-job work period requires a Dimona of type "FLX". It specifies the start and end date of the period covered. If the flexi-job worker works every Saturday for a month, you can send a single FLX Dimona covering the whole month, provided the framework agreement allows for it.

Student workers

Students under a student employment contract require a Dimona of type "STU". This declaration is linked to the 475-hour annual quota at reduced social security contributions. Each STU Dimona triggers a deduction of the hours available in the Student@Work system.

Casual and occasional workers

Occasional workers (casuals) in the food trade require a specific Dimona with the exact dates of service. The type depends on the worker's exact status.

Special cases

Certain situations require special attention. A student who has used up their 475-hour quota and continues working must be covered by a standard Dimona (not STU). A flexi-job worker whose framework agreement has expired requires a new Dimona for the next period. A worker who moves from student status to flexi-job status (for example after graduating) must have their STU Dimona closed and a FLX Dimona opened.

Deadlines and penalties for late declarations

The social inspectorate takes Dimona delays seriously. Checks are frequent in food retail, particularly during periods of high activity (public holidays, sales, extended bank holiday weekends).

Legal deadlines

The general rule is strict: the Dimona IN must be submitted no later than the moment the worker begins their shift. For flexi-jobs, the FLX Dimona must be transmitted before the first day of the period covered. For students, the STU Dimona must be sent before the start of each employment contract.

Administrative penalties

A missing or late Dimona declaration exposes the employer to administrative fines of 2,500 to 12,500 euros per worker concerned. In the event of a repeat offence, the amounts are doubled. For a supermarket that employs 15 flexi-job workers on a Saturday without any declaration, the bill could reach 187,500 euros.

Indirect consequences

Beyond the fines, a missing Dimona results in the loss of the favourable social security regime. An undeclared flexi-job is reclassified as a standard contract, with full social contributions called back. An undeclared student loses the benefit of the 475 reduced-contribution hours for the hours in question.

High-risk periods

Social inspectorate checks are more frequent during peak periods in food retail: holiday weekends, sales, school holidays. These are also the moments when you employ the most temporary workers and when the risk of missing a Dimona is highest. An automated system eliminates this risk precisely when it is most critical.

The Check-in at Work system

Check-in at Work is a system complementary to Dimona. It records the actual presence of temporary and occasional workers at the workplace in real time.

How it works

Each worker concerned must register at the workplace at the start of their shift. This registration can be done via an electronic badge, a mobile app, a QR code or an on-site terminal. The system transmits the data to the Belgian Crossroads Bank for Social Security.

Who is affected

Check-in at Work primarily concerns agency workers and posted workers. For supermarkets, this includes agency workers sent by staffing agencies for temporary reinforcements. Flexi-job and student workers are not always subject to Check-in at Work, but verifying their presence remains good practice.

Relationship with time tracking

Check-in at Work is not a standard time-tracking system. It records presence, not hours worked. Your Shyfter time-tracking system complements the arrangement by recording actual start and end times, breaks and overtime.

Benefit of an integrated system

Using separate systems for Dimona, check-in and time tracking creates data silos and multiplies the risk of error. With an integrated tool like Shyfter, the chain is complete: shift confirmation triggers the Dimona, clocking in on arrival serves as the check-in, and actual hours feed directly into payroll calculation. One platform, one data flow, zero double entry.

How Shyfter automates Dimona declarations

The manual Dimona declaration process is a constant source of errors and stress. Opening the NSSO portal, entering the data, checking the confirmation — all before 7 a.m. for an early shift. With Shyfter, this process is fully automated.

Automated workflow: from schedule to declaration

The flow is simple and reliable:

• You create or confirm a shift for a flexi-job worker, student or casual in the Shyfter schedule
• Shyfter automatically identifies the type of Dimona required (FLX, STU or standard)
• The declaration is sent to the NSSO via the integrated Dimona module
• The NSSO confirmation is recorded in the worker's profile
• On the day of the shift, the worker clocks in via the badge reader or mobile app

Tracking and traceability

Each Dimona declaration is timestamped and archived in Shyfter. In the event of a social inspectorate check, you can access the complete history of all declarations in a few clicks. No more rummaging through emails or screenshots of the NSSO portal.

Managing changes

A shift is cancelled? A flexi-job worker is replaced by another? Shyfter automatically sends an amendment or cancellation of the corresponding Dimona. No risk of an active Dimona for a worker who ultimately did not work.

Dimona dashboard

The Shyfter Dimona dashboard centralises all current, sent and confirmed declarations. At a glance you can see which declarations are active for the current week, which are approaching expiry and which require action. In the event of a check, you can display the complete history within seconds.

Practical workflow for supermarkets

Here is how a supermarket manager handles their daily declarations with Shyfter.

Weekly scheduling

The manager creates the schedule for the following week, including flexi-job and student shifts. They validate the schedule. All Dimona declarations are sent automatically.

Managing replacements

An employee falls ill on Thursday evening. The manager opens Shyfter, checks which flexi-job workers are available for Friday and assigns a replacement. The Dimona is sent immediately. The flexi-job worker receives a push notification on their phone with the shift details.

Day of the shift

The flexi-job worker arrives at the supermarket and clocks in via the badge reader or app. The arrival time is recorded and linked to the Dimona declaration. At the end of the shift, the clock-out is recorded. Actual hours are calculated automatically.

Export and payroll

At the end of the month, the hours worked by all flexi-job and student workers are exported to the payroll provider via Shyfter integrations. The specific contributions (28% for flexi-jobs, reduced contributions for students) are identified in the export. All data is consistent: the hours declared via Dimona match the clocked hours, which match the hours exported for payroll.

Multi-site management

For chains with several outlets, Shyfter centralises Dimona declarations from all stores in a single dashboard. Each store manages its own shifts, but declarations are consolidated at group level. The HR manager has a complete view of all current declarations across all stores.

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Preparing for the 2027 mandatory time-tracking obligation

The Belgian law on mandatory time tracking will come into force in 2027. This obligation will further reinforce the importance of an integrated system combining scheduling, Dimona, time tracking and check-in. Supermarkets already using Shyfter for their Dimona declarations will have a head start: the time-tracking system is already in place and the data is already centralised.

FAQ

What happens if I forget a Dimona declaration for a flexi-job worker?

A missing FLX Dimona exposes the employer to an administrative fine of 2,500 to 12,500 euros per offence. In addition, the flexi-job is reclassified as a standard contract, triggering full social security contributions in arrears. With Shyfter, Dimona declarations are sent automatically as soon as the shift is confirmed, eliminating the risk of omission.

Can I send a single FLX Dimona for a flexi-job worker who works every Saturday of the month?

Yes, the FLX Dimona can cover a continuous period. If your flexi-job worker has a framework agreement providing for regular shifts, you can send a Dimona covering the full period (for example, the 1st to the 31st of the month). Shyfter manages this configuration and sends declarations according to the defined period.

Does Check-in at Work replace the Dimona declaration?

No. Check-in at Work and Dimona are two complementary systems. Dimona declares the employment relationship to the NSSO. Check-in at Work records actual presence at the workplace. Both obligations can coexist for the same worker, in particular for agency workers. Shyfter manages both via a single platform, with time tracking and Dimona declarations integrated.