Last updated on August 28, 2025.

Paid Time Off (PTO) in Belgium

Vacation Leave Quota

20 days

Employees in Belgium working a 38-hour working week (a 5-day working week) are entitled to a statutory minimum of 20 working days of paid annual leave. This is 24 days for employees working 6 days a week.

Calculation of vacation days for part-time employees is prorated.

Carry Over

All vacation days must be taken within the 12 months in which they were allocated to an employee. It’s not permitted to carry over unused days into the period after these 12 months. Exceptions may apply when employees cannot use their vacation leave days due to reasons such as illness, work-related injury, or family-related leave (maternity, paternity, adoption, prophylactic, or foster care). In such cases, unused vacation days may be carried over for up to 24 months after the initial year.

PTO Payout at the Termination

An employer is legally required to pay out all accrued, untaken holiday pay upon termination. An employer can lay off an employee in one of two ways: either by giving advance notice for the employee to work until a future date, or by terminating them immediately and providing a lump-sum payment equal to the salary they would have earned during that notice period.

Sick Leave in Belgium

Up to 1 year.

Employees are entitled to sick leave from the start of their employment.

Employees receive their full salary from the employer during the first 30 days of sick leave. After this period, sickness benefits are generally paid by the government insurance. The Health Insurance Fund covers extended sick leave at 60% of the employee’s salary, capped at a daily maximum of EUR 164.07.

During the first period, the employer pays sick leave. White-collar workers receive 100% of their salary for one month, while manual workers receive 100% for the first 7 days, 85.88% from the 8th to the 14th day, and varying compensation from the 15th to the 30th day based on the statutory ceiling set by health insurance.

A medical certificate by a medical professional is required for employees to have a valid absence. Employees in companies with more than 50 workers are exempt from submitting medical certificates for the first three sick leave absences each year.

Sickness insurance benefits are provided for up to one year; if the employee remains unable to work after this period, they may become eligible for invalidity benefits.

Maternity and Paternity Leave

Maternity Leave in Belgium

15 weeks

Expectant mothers in Belgium are entitled to 15 weeks of maternity leave. In the case of multiple pregnancies (for example, twins), the leave lasts for 17 weeks. It can also be extended due to a complicated birth.

Maternity leave is divided into two periods:

• Prenatal leave (or prepartum) – before birth: can start 6 weeks before birth. Female employees are prohibited from working during the seven days preceding the expected date of childbirth and for nine weeks following delivery. They must take at least one week of leave before the due date.

• Postnatal leave (or postpartum) – following childbirth: 9 weeks.

Employees are required to notify their employer at least seven weeks before the expected due date by submitting a medical certificate.

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In case of a stillbirth, maternity leave is granted as long as the pregnancy has lasted a minimum of 180 days from the date of conception.

Parental Leave in Belgium

All employees are entitled to take parental leave. Employees can choose one of the following forms of parental leave:

• each employee (employed full-time or part-time) may for a period of four months completely suspend the execution of his employment contract. 
• each employee employed full-time may continue his benefits part-time for a period of eight months (part-time parental leave). The eight-month period may, at the choice of the worker, be taken in several installments. Each request must, however, relate to a period of two months or a multiple of this figure.
• each full-time employee has the right to reduce their work performance by one fifth for a period of 20 months (parental leave 1 / 5th). This 20-month period may, at the worker’s choice, be taken in several installments.
• each full-time worker has the right to reduce work performance of one tenth for a period of 40 months, subject to the employer’s agreement. This 40- month period can be taken in several installments.

Foster Parental Leave in Belgium

An employee who takes in a minor child in his family as part of a long-term foster care is entitled to an individual credit for parental leave of up to six weeks. This credit for six weeks of foster parental leave is not transferable to the other foster parent.

Adoption Leave in Belgium

An employee who adopts a minor child is entitled to an individual adoption leave credit of up to six weeks. This six-week adoption leave credit is not transferable to the other adoptive parent.

Bereavement Leave in Belgium

Employees are entitled to paid leave due to a death of a family member.

Jury Duty Leave in Belgium

Employees are entitled to paid time off to perform their legal duties.

Military Leave in Belgium

Military leave is not specified by law.

Voting Leave in Belgium

Voting leave is not specified by law.

Public Holidays in Belgium

10 public holidays

Employees must have 10 paid public holidays per calendar year. Should a public holiday be a Sunday or other non-working day, the employer is obligated to provide time off in lieu (a replacement day).

Sources

1. Local Laws & Regulations, https://www.atlashxm.com/en/countries/belgium

2. Payroll and Benefits Guide Belgium, https://www.papayaglobal.com/countrypedia/country/belgium/

3. Definitive Guide to Hiring in Belgium, https://www.globalexpansion.com/countrypedia/belgium

To learn more about laws in various countries, check out our Leave Laws page.