Belgium credit card limit calculator
Enter one applicant’s or cardholder’s details. The credit limit is the lowest of the behaviour limit, what income can carry after other debt payments and the figure from Belgium’s rules, and the calculator names the one that binds.
Credit limit
The limit is €12,000, set by behaviour limit. Behaviour gives €12,000, income carries €20,000, and the market’s rules allow €24,611, which reflects an income cap in some markets and a repayment test in others.
High utilisation with enough statements paid in full earns the large increase.
Candidate limits
The lowest candidate is the limit, and a candidate with no cap has no bar.
Market rules for this person
| Rule | Cap for person | Applies |
|---|---|---|
| There is no cap on the limit. The credit line has to be brought back to zero within 96 months, the zeroing period for this limit at 12% a year, and the full limit repaid in equal monthly instalments over that period has to fit in what income leaves after other debt payments. | €24,611 | Yes |
These summaries cover each regulator’s rule for this tool and do not reproduce the full text. The issuer checks the current text. The lowest applicable cap is the market’s cap.
Behaviour decision table
| Months on book | Missed payments | Utilisation | Paid in full | Limit action |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| <6 | ANY | ANY | ANY | Hold limit |
| >=6 | >=2 | ANY | ANY | Cut by 50% |
| >=6 | 1 | ANY | ANY | Hold limit |
| >=6 | 0 | >=70% | >=50% | Raise by 50% |
| >=6 | 0 | >=70% | <50% | Hold limit |
| >=6 | 0 | >=30% | ANY | Raise by 25% |
| >=6 | 0 | <30% | ANY | Hold limit |
Rows paste as decision table cells, and the first matching row wins.
Get the result by email
Run these limit rules inside the credit decision for every application and cardholder, read limits held elsewhere from the bureau at that moment, and test threshold changes on past decisions before they go live. Start free
Show formulas
Behaviour limit, New applicant = Starting income multiple × Monthly net income Behaviour limit, Cardholder = Today’s limit × (1 + Large increase | Small increase) or × (1 − Cut after missed payments) Affordability limit = (Income share for all debt payments × Monthly net income − Other debt payments) ÷ Card payment share of limit Own income cap = Own income cap × Monthly net income Market = Lowest applicable market cap Credit limit = min(Behaviour limit, Affordability limit, Own income cap, Market), Rounded down Rounding step
The affordability limit assumes the card is fully drawn, and the behaviour rules are an example policy to edit, not a standard. Regulatory caps are summaries for this tool and are not legal advice.
How Belgium sets credit card limits
Belgian rules require a credit line to be brought back to zero within a period based on its amount and rate. The calculator models this as equal monthly instalments and checks whether they fit income after other debt payments.
The calculator takes the lowest of the behaviour limit, affordability limit, the lender’s own income cap and the figure from Belgium’s rules. Which one sets the result depends on the person, so use it to review an applicant or cardholder and edit the example behaviour policy.
Belgium credit limit rules
How is a credit card limit set in Belgium?
The calculator compares the behaviour limit and what income can carry after other debt payments with the lender’s own income cap and the figure from Belgium’s rules. The Belgian rule is modelled as a repayment test for bringing the credit line back to zero.
Is there a legal cap on credit card limits in Belgium?
Belgium sets no cap on the credit limit. The calculator models the repayment rule by checking whether equal monthly instalments over the zeroing period fit income after other debt payments.
What is the zeroing period for a credit line in Belgium?
It is the period in which the credit line must be brought back to zero. The calculator models monthly repayment as 1/12 of the balance, or 1/18 above €5,000, with a maximum of 60 months up to €5,000 and 96 months above that.
Which Belgian law sets the credit line zeroing period?
The rules summarized here are article VII.95 of the Code of Economic Law and article 14 of the royal decree of 14 September 2016. They require the credit line to be brought back to zero within its zeroing period.
How does income affect a credit limit in Belgium?
The calculator checks what income leaves after other debt payments. It compares that amount with the equal monthly instalments for the limit over its zeroing period.