The employer, or their representative (e.g. a fiduciary), must submit the application to benefit from the short-time working scheme electronically through their business eSpace on the MyGuichet.lu platform.

The person submitting the application must have a LuxTrust product (e.g. Token, Smartcard or Signing stick) or an electronic identity card (eID). All applications made through any other communication channel (mail, fax, email) are not accepted and will not be processed.

Applications for short-time working must be sent at the latest on the 12th day of the month preceding the period of short-time working requested (for example, at the latest on 12 September for the application for short-time working in October).

Applications cannot be made outside these dates and under no circumstances can short-time working be granted retroactively.

Businesses must renew their application each month by logging back into the MyGuichet.lu assistant. 

The short-time working scheme only applies to employees who are obliged to reduce their work partially or to stop it completely when the company can no longer ensure the normal operation of its activity.

The company can therefore decide to put only part of the staff of a department or service on short-time work. 

No. An employee can also be on short-time work for part of the month only.

Yes. As long as the company has not completely stopped its activity but is facing a decrease in its activities due to the coronavirus, it is possible to have an employee working full or half-time or for certain hours only, whether on site or teleworking.

However, only the days, half days or hours that are not worked will be covered by the short-time working scheme. On the other hand, periods of actual work (on site or teleworking) are not covered by short-time working.

Yes. The benefit will nevertheless be limited to the duration of the current contract in force and will not apply to a possible renewal of a fixed-term contract, nor to new contracts concluded during the period of short-time working.

On the other hand, a fixed-term contract that is immediately followed by a permanent contract makes the employee eligible for short-time working.

Yes, they can benefit from short-time working as soon as the employment contract takes effect.

Yes, if the company and the employee meet the other conditions for short-time working.

Yes, if the company and the employee meet the other conditions for short-time working.

With the end of the state of crisis, apprentices can no longer be placed on short-time work.

The rate of the legal compensatory benefit is set at 80 % of the employee's normal gross hourly wage, without, however, exceeding the amount of 250 % of the hourly social minimum wage for unskilled workers over the age of 18 (currently EUR 5,354.98 on a monthly basis at the index 834.76).

By normal hourly wage, the following is meant and to be counted separately:

1. the highest base salary which was used as an assessment base during one of the 3 calendar months preceding the beginning of the period of short-time working;
2. the average amount of the complementary and accessory benefits included in the assessment base during the 12 calendar months preceding the month prior to the period of short-time working.

If this reference period is not fully covered by an activity subject to insurance, the average is calculated on the basis of the calendar months with full coverage.

In the absence of a single fully covered month, the basic salary as well as the complementary and accessory benefits are taken into account according to their value agreed in the employment contract.

If the above calculation shows that the compensatory benefit is actually lower than the social minimum wage for unskilled workers, then the latter shall be taken into account (since 18 March 2020 - date of the beginning of the state of crisis) and must continue to be until 31 December 2020; it will be reimbursed by the Employment Fund.

The amount of the compensatory benefit for short-time work is calculated on the basis of a statement. After the end of the month in which short-time working occurs, businesses must complete an online procedure on MyGuichet.lu so that ADEM can draw up a statement.

The declarant also has the possibility of downloading an XML list before starting the procedure on MyGuichet.lu.

In practice, for each month of short-time working, the employer or their representative receives an email/mail from ADEM inviting them to fill in the online form.

On this form, only the names and national identification numbers of the employees concerned will need to be filled in. ADEM will receive the other necessary data from the Joint Social Security Centre (CCSS).

The legal compensatory benefit advanced by the employer is reimbursed by the Employment Fund. Unlike the schemes for involuntary layoff due to bad weather or involuntary and temporary layoff, the first 16 hours are also reimbursed by the Employment Fund.

Reimbursement is limited to the legal benefit to which the employee affected by short-time working is entitled, which is limited to 250 % of the hourly social minimum wage payable to an unskilled worker over the age of 18 (currently EUR 5,354.98 on a monthly basis at the index 834.76).

If the rate of the social minimum wage for unskilled workers replaces the compensatory benefit, any difference between the amount of the compensatory benefit and the social minimum wage for unskilled workers is reimbursed to the employer by the Employment Fund during the period from 18 March 2020 (the beginning of the state of crisis) until 31 December 2020.

The compensatory benefit is subject to social and tax contributions generally provided for in respect of salaries, with the exception, however, of accident insurance contributions and contributions due in respect of family benefits.

The employers' share of social security contributions remain at the expense of the employer. This also applies to the difference between the amount of the compensatory benefit and the social minimum wage for unskilled workers. The employer's contributions will not be reimbursed.

No, short-time working takes precedence over leave for family reasons.

Since the salaried worker who is affected by short-time working is in principle released from work, they are available to care for a dependent child without having to resort to leave for family reasons.

For this reason it goes without saying that the salaried worker on short-time work is not entitled to leave for family reasons.

No, but where applicable, the employees in their employ are eligible.

In the context of the end of the Covid-19 crisis, the Ministry of Economy has set up a certain number of financial aids in favour of small companies and self-employed people.

Yes, if the employee participates in continuing vocational training programmes during the hours off work, the compensatory benefit corresponds to at least 90 % of the salary normally received in the case of short-time working due to structural or cyclical economic problems as well as in the case of short-time working due to economic dependence.

Yes, the reduction in working hours covered by the short-time working scheme can currently not exceed 1,022 hours per calendar year per full-time employee. For employees working part-time, the 1,022 hours are prorated.

However, the hours of short-time work used during the period from 1 January 2020 to 31 July 2020 are not counted against the maximum working time reduction of 1,022 hours.

Yes, employees who are affiliated to the Luxembourg social security system can benefit from short-time working if they are employed by a company legally established in Luxembourg and if their normal place of work is in Luxembourg.

No. As this person is not insured as an employee with the Luxembourg social security bodies, they do not meet the conditions for benefiting from the short-time working scheme.

CIEs, CAEs and CREs do not fall under the short-time working scheme.

Only companies that are legally established in the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg can benefit from short-time working. These companies therefore require a physical address in Luxembourg. The compensatory benefit for short-time working is only reimbursed for employees who:

•  are legally employed with a company legally established in the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg;
   and
•  are normally employed at a place of work located in the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg;
  and
• are insured as employees with Luxembourg social security bodies.

The Law of 2 September 2011 (Art. 5) regulating access to the professions of craftsman, trader, industrialist and certain liberal professions, defines the criteria for establishment in Luxembourg.

Many companies think that employees on parental leave cannot benefit from short-time working.

However, this only applies to those who are on full-time parental leave; those on part-time or split parental leave can benefit from the short-time working scheme during the working hours that should have been worked.