CIAO: what every cleaning company needs to know (and how to comply easily)
Since 1 September 2024, a new legal obligation applies to Belgian cleaning companies: CIAO (Check In and Out at Work). This real-time attendance registration system, enforced by the ONSS (National Social Security Office), aims to combat undeclared work and unfair competition in the sector.
The good news: with CleanPerform, you stay compliant without any extra effort.
What is CIAO?
CIAO is an official ONSS online service for registering workers’ presence on cleaning sites. Every worker — whether employed, temporary, subcontracted, or an intern — must register themselves, in real time, directly on site.
Two actions are required for each assignment:
- Check In: when work begins
- Check Out: at the end of the assignment
Breaks must also be logged. Importantly, employers cannot register on behalf of their workers.
Who does this obligation apply to?
CIAO is mandatory for companies performing cleaning of immovable property on behalf of third parties, above certain contract thresholds. This covers:
- Regular cleaning (offices, retail, industrial premises…)
- Specialist cleaning (windows, facades, post-disaster…)
- Emergency cleaning
The following are excluded from the obligation:
- Cleaning for personal use
- Services provided via service vouchers (titres-services)
- Emergency services
Site declarations: when are they required?
Alongside CIAO, cleaning contractors also have site declaration obligations before work begins, whenever subcontractors are involved.
Declarations are not required if:
- You have no subcontractors and the total amount is below €30,000 excl. VAT
- You have exactly one subcontractor and the amount is below €5,000 excl. VAT
Once these thresholds are exceeded, or if circumstances change during the job, a declaration becomes mandatory and must be submitted electronically to the ONSS.
The risks of non-compliance
Failing to meet CIAO obligations exposes your company to social inspection audits and administrative penalties. In a sector already subject to heightened scrutiny, compliance is not just a legal requirement — it is also a signal of professionalism to your clients.
CleanPerform: the field solution for staying compliant
The official ONSS application works, but it was not designed for cleaning workers who move between multiple sites every day. CleanPerform was.
Site declarations built in
With CleanPerform, site declarations are generated directly from the tool, using data already entered in your schedule. No need to re-enter information on an external portal.
A mobile app built for the field
Your workers have access to a simple, intuitive mobile app to register in seconds. No complex account management, no laborious navigation — one tap and it is done.
A full overview for the office
From the CleanPerform portal, you monitor your teams’ attendance across every site in real time. In the event of an inspection, all data is centralised and exportable.
In summary
| Obligation | Without CleanPerform | With CleanPerform |
|---|---|---|
| Attendance registration | Complex ONSS app | Simple, fast mobile app |
| Site declarations | Separate ONSS portal | Built into the tool |
| Attendance monitoring | Manual | Real-time dashboard |
| Inspection readiness | Data scattered | Everything centralised, exportable |
CIAO is a constraint — CleanPerform turns it into an operational advantage.
Want to see how it works in practice? Request a free demo and discover how CleanPerform simplifies CIAO compliance for your business.