Meal vouchers and temporary work: the conditions
19 March 2026 · 4 min reading time
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See job offersMeal vouchers for temporary workers are one of the topics that often come up when starting an assignment. Many temporary employees wonder whether they are entitled to them, who decides whether they are granted, and why the answer can seem to change from one company to another. In reality, the way meal vouchers work in temporary employment follows fairly simple rules, but you still need to know them to understand what you can actually claim.
Is a temporary worker entitled to meal vouchers?
A temporary worker can receive meal vouchers, but this entitlement does not depend solely on the contract signed with the temp agency. To know whether they should be granted, it is first necessary to look at what is in place in the company where the assignment is carried out. If employees in a similar role are entitled to them, the temporary worker may in principle benefit from them as well.
This is precisely why the situation can change from one assignment to another. The same worker may receive meal vouchers in one company, then not receive them in another, even while staying with the same agency. In temporary work, the rules are therefore not the same everywhere: everything depends on the benefits provided by the host company and the conditions applied to employees performing comparable duties.
Temporary worker meal vouchers: under what conditions?
A temporary worker can receive meal vouchers when two conditions are met. First, this benefit must exist in the host company for employees in a comparable situation. Second, the working day must include a meal break within the daily work schedule. In other words, the general framework for meal vouchers is based on the idea of one voucher per meal included in the working day.
Put simply, an assignment with standard working hours and a real lunch break is more likely to entitle the worker to a meal voucher than a very short shift, a half-day, or a schedule with no clearly identified meal break. This is often where confusion arises: the worker only looks at the temp contract, whereas eligibility also depends very concretely on how work is organised on site.
Who pays for meal vouchers in temporary work?
In temporary work, this question can be confusing. The worker signs a contract with an agency, but performs the assignment within another company. It is therefore perfectly reasonable to wonder who actually decides on the allocation of meal vouchers.
In practice, the main point of reference is the policy applied by the host company. If employees there receive meal vouchers under comparable conditions, the temporary worker may also benefit from them. Simply being registered with a temp agency is not enough in itself to create entitlement to this benefit; what matters is the organisation in place within the company where the assignment is carried out.
What is the value of a meal voucher?
There is no single fixed amount for meal vouchers. Their value can vary from one company to another, since the employer sets the amount. One rule does remain constant, however: the employer must cover between 50% and 60% of the voucher’s value. In 2026, the employer contribution may be exempt from social charges up to €7.32 per voucher. For the maximum exemption, this generally corresponds to a face value of between €12.20 and €14.64.
For a temporary worker, this means there is no special “temporary work” amount. The value of the meal voucher simply depends on the policy applied by the host company. Depending on the assignment, the amount may therefore be higher or lower.
How many meal vouchers can a temporary worker receive?
Here again, the rule is simpler than it may seem. In principle, an employee is entitled to one meal voucher per meal included in the daily working schedule. This means the calculation is not based solely on the number of days worked, but also on whether a real meal break is included in the day.
In most cases, this means receiving one voucher for a full working day that includes a lunch break. On the other hand, a very short assignment or specific working hours may not give entitlement to the same number of vouchers. This is why two temporary workers will not always receive exactly the same number of vouchers, even if both are working over a short period.
Can meal vouchers be refused?
Meal vouchers are not mandatory for the employee. Even when they are offered by the employer, each person remains free to accept or decline the scheme. This is because of the way they work: part of their value is paid for by the employer, while the remaining part is paid by the employee.
In practice, meal vouchers are often beneficial because the employer’s contribution reduces the cost of meals or certain food purchases. That said, an employee can still choose not to receive them if they do not want to pay their share of the cost.
How do temporary workers use their meal vouchers?
The system works in the same way as it does for any other employee. Meal vouchers can be used to pay for all or part of a meal at restaurants and retailers that accept them. They can also be used to buy certain food products. In addition, on an exceptional basis, they remain valid until 31 December 2026 for the purchase of any food product, whether directly consumable or not. This extension was prolonged by law and is reflected in the current official information.
It should nevertheless be kept in mind that not all retailers necessarily accept meal vouchers, and each business may apply its own rules regarding the products that can be paid for with this payment method. In practice, there may therefore be small differences from one store to another.
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