Advantages of receiving meal allowance by card
11 de May, 2022
The meal allowance is a social benefit that can be granted by public and private companies to their employees. The aim is to help the employee cover the cost of food during the working day.
Although companies are not obliged to provide a meal allowance, most of them choose to make this benefit available to employees as a form of compensation. And they can do this in two ways: in cash or by card.
The payment of meal allowances by card has been increasingly adopted by companies. This is because there are many associated advantages for the company itself, but also for the employee.
Do you receive your meal allowance by card? Come and discover with us the main advantages of paying by card over cash.
Tax benefits
When the meal allowance is paid in cash, the worker is exempt from IRS and Social Security up to a maximum of €6.00/day. However, if it is paid by card, this exemption from IRS and Social Security extends to a maximum of €10.20/day.
This means that, on a card, the margin of exemption is greater, which allows you to accumulate a higher amount of meal allowance.
Higher disposable income
The tax savings associated with paying meal allowance by card result in more disposable income for you. As your company can allocate a higher amount completely tax-free (for you and for it), this translates into greater purchasing power for spending on meals and food.
At the end of the month, this greater liquidity can make all the difference to your salary. You can use the meal card in a variety of establishments such as restaurants, cafés, bakeries and pastry shops, supermarkets, hypermarkets, grocery stores, butchers, among others.
Better nutrition and quality of life
Since the purpose of the meal allowance is to ensure that you pay for meals in your day-to-day work, the meal card can only be used in establishments in the food sector. In this way, companies ensure that a portion of their employees’ monthly income is earmarked for food.
This helps to promote a more dignified, balanced and nutritious diet during working hours. Ultimately, your quality of life improves.
Did you already know about the advantages of receiving your meal allowance by card? Tell us all about it!
Article updated in December 2024.