What happened to the support
Searching for a website grant in Belgium today mostly turns up outdated posts. In Flanders, the SME growth subsidy (kmo-groeisubsidie), which helped pay for a growth step, digital ones included, has no new calls: the third call of 2025 was cancelled, and applications already filed are still handled. The SME wallet (kmo-portefeuille) never paid for building a site, only advice and training. Since 1 February 2026 it covers advice on cybersecurity only, the 2026 training budget ran out on 15 October, and from 1 January 2027 there is no support for training. Brussels and Wallonia run their own schemes, which change often; check with hub.brussels or the Walloon business cheques before you sign a quote. The full picture for Flanders is in the guide to Flanders digitalisation grants.
Whoever promises you a website paid by a grant today promises what does not exist. We do not, and VBS claims no accreditation for any support scheme. If an agency builds a grant into its price, ask which scheme, which call and which decision, and see compare website quotes.
What stopped, and what still runs
- 1 January 2025Digital investment deduction 20%Through your tax return.
- 2025Growth subsidy: no new callsThe third call did not happen.
- 1 February 2026SME wallet adviceCybersecurity only.
- 15 October 20262026 training budget used upRunning files completed.
- 1 January 2027No more training supportCosts stay deductible.
A 6,000 euro site, booked as a digital asset
- Extra deduction, 20 percent
- 1,200 euro
- At 20 percent corporate tax
- 240 euro
- At 25 percent corporate tax
- 300 euro
- Value of the extra deductionOnly if your accountant books it that way
- 240 to 300 euro
Growth subsidy and training
Will the Flemish growth subsidy come back?
No new calls have been announced. Applications already filed are still being handled.
Is AI training for my team still subsidised in Flanders?
Not through the SME wallet for new applications in 2026, and not from 2027. Training costs remain deductible, and the EU AI Act has asked employers since February 2025 to support their team's AI literacy.
What remains per plan
| What you want to do | Flemish support | What does work |
|---|---|---|
| A new website or online store | none | a tax benefit, if your accountant capitalizes the site |
| Custom software or a platform | no grant | the 20 percent digital investment deduction |
| Training on SEO or AI | 2026 budget used up, none from 2027 | training costs stay deductible |
| Advice on digitalisation | cybersecurity only | advice as an ordinary expense |
| A real innovation project, such as your own AI application | VLAIO project support of 25 to 60 percent | with a project plan and an application |
| Invoicing over Peppol | no grant | subscriptions deductible at 120 percent until 2027 |
The tax benefit exists but does not decide whether a site pays off: on a 6,000 euro site the extra deduction saves a small company 240 to 300 euro in tax. Whether your site, software or platform qualifies depends on what you buy and how it is booked; ask your accountant before you sign and read when should you capitalize website costs. For invoicing see do small businesses in Belgium need Peppol.
For a company abroad weighing a Belgian entity, grants are rarely the deciding factor. A Belgian VAT number does bring Belgium's e-invoicing rules with it, covered in e-invoicing in Belgium, and the EU AI Act asks every employer to support its team's AI literacy, which you can check with the EU AI Act checker.
Budgeting without a grant
A site pays for itself through what it brings in, not through support. Size the investment against what one customer is worth to you, as in do I need a website: for a contractor or an accountant a single client found through the site often covers the bill. Software that removes manual work is worth the hours it saves; the sum is in custom software development cost, and what a site costs to build in website cost.