The inboard buckle for a four-way seat is attached to the seat through a variable buckle guide. Attaching the inboard buckle to the seat allows the buckle to move with the seat and obviates the need for a long buckle which introduces undesirable slack into the seat belt system during a crash event. Since the buckle moves with the seat, it remains in a location that is convenient for the occupant and provides the maximum occupant protection. The variable buckle guide is attached to the upper rail supporting the seat, and in a crash event, the variable buckle guide transfers the occupant load on the belt to the upper rail, avoiding distortion of the seat or the height adjusting levers supporting the seat, and thus precludes slack in the belt caused by such distortion.