Key facts
- 20 days of annual leave at most on a 5-day week (24 on a 6-day week), based on the work done in the previous year.
- 92% of a month's gross salary: white-collar double holiday pay, paid by the employer; blue-collar workers receive 15.38% of their pay, grossed up to 108%, from their holiday fund.
- 24 months after the end of the holiday year to take days missed because of sickness, accident or maternity protection; sickness during holidays does not use up leave days.
- 10 public holidays: in 2027, 1 May, 15 August and 25 December must be replaced on a Monday-to-Friday schedule, with a notice posted before 15 December 2026.
- 20 days of birth leave within 4 months, 3 of them paid by the employer; leave for family carers extended to 6 months full time since 1 July 2026.
How many days of statutory annual leave does a full-time employee get in Belgium?
A full-time employee is entitled to at most 4 weeks of annual leave a year: 20 days on a 5-day week, 24 days on a 6-day week. The entitlement is based on days actually worked and days treated as worked (jours assimilés) in the previous calendar year, called the holiday reference year (exercice de vacances): leave in 2026 depends on work done in 2025.
Public holidays, days of incapacity due to sickness or accident and statutory rest days are not deducted from annual leave.
Who sets the dates?
Dates are set by the joint committee (decision sent to the minister by 31 December of the previous year), failing that by the works council, failing that by agreement with the union delegation or the employees, failing that by individual agreement. The employer must ensure at least one continuous week of leave and, unless the employee requests otherwise, 2 continuous weeks between 1 May and 31 October (3 weeks for under-18s); half-days are only possible in the cases provided for. The work rules (règlement de travail) state the length and arrangements of annual leave, the dates of collective holidays, the formalities in case of sickness during holidays and the employer's holiday fund.
Supplementary, youth and senior holidays
- Supplementary holidays, known as “European” holidays: for those who start or resume work or increase their working time, after an initial period of 3 months (90 calendar days) and once ordinary days are used up; to be taken by 31 December at the latest. Their holiday pay is an advance on the following year's, and the employee is not obliged to take them.
- Youth holidays: under 25 on 31 December of the reference year, studies completed during that year and at least 1 month of employment (13 working days) afterwards; top-up to 4 weeks once ordinary days are used up, with an allowance from the National Employment Office (ONEM) of 65% of the capped salary.
- Senior holidays: at least 50 on 31 December of the reference year, after a period of full unemployment or invalidity during that year.
For these last two schemes, the employer completes form C103.
How is holiday pay calculated for white-collar and blue-collar staff?
Who pays depends on status: the employer pays holiday pay to its white-collar employees, while the National Annual Holidays Office (ONVA) or a special holiday fund pays blue-collar workers.
| Item | White-collar | Blue-collar |
|---|---|---|
| Who pays | The employer | ONVA or a special holiday fund, depending on the sector |
| Single holiday pay | Normal pay for each day of leave | 8% of gross pay for the reference year, grossed up to 108% |
| Double holiday pay | 92% of gross pay for the month of the holiday, at 1/12 per month worked or treated as worked | 7.38% of gross pay for the reference year, grossed up to 108% |
| Payment | Single holiday pay with the salary; leaving holiday pay at the end of the contract | Between the first working day of May and the last working day of June |
| Employer's cost | The holiday pay itself | Contribution of 15.84% of pay grossed up to 108% (5.57% each quarter and 10.27% by annual debit notice) |
Examples, for a full year of work in 2025: a white-collar employee earning €4,000 gross a month receives double holiday pay of €4,000 × 92% = €3,680 gross in 2026; a blue-collar worker who earned €36,000 gross in 2025 receives gross holiday pay from their fund of €36,000 × 108% × 15.38% = €5,979.74, before the 13.07% deduction on part of the double holiday pay and the 1% solidarity deduction.
When a white-collar employee's contract ends, the employer pays the remaining holiday pay for the year and the advance holiday pay for the following year: this is the “leaving holiday pay” (pécule de sortie).
Good to know: do not pay a blue-collar worker's double holiday pay through payroll. Their holiday fund pays it; your role is to report their pay and days treated as worked correctly in the quarterly return to the National Social Security Office (ONSS) and to pay the contributions.
Leave not taken because of sickness: the 24-month carry-over
In principle, annual leave is granted within the 12 months following the reference year and is not carried over. Exception: days that could not be taken because of sickness, accident, maternity protection or certain other suspensions must be taken within 24 months after the end of the holiday year. For a white-collar employee, the employer pays the holiday pay for those days by 31 December of the holiday year at the latest.
Example: a white-collar employee off sick from September to December 2026 could not take 8 days of their 2026 leave. They can take them until 31 December 2028, but their holiday pay for those 8 days is paid by 31 December 2026 at the latest.
Sickness during holidays
Since 1 January 2024, an employee who falls ill during their holidays keeps those holiday days. They inform the employer immediately, give their address if they are away from home and hand in a medical certificate in all cases, even for days on which they would be exempt; they receive guaranteed salary for the days of sickness. If they want to take the recovered days straight afterwards, they ask no later than when handing in the certificate. The work rules set out these formalities; see also our page Sick leave in Belgium.
Public holidays in Belgium in 2027: which replacement days must you set?
Belgium has 10 paid public holidays. In 2027, for employees working Monday to Friday, 1 May and 25 December fall on a Saturday and 15 August on a Sunday: these three days must be replaced, and the notice must be posted before 15 December 2026.
The 10 statutory public holidays are 1 January, Easter Monday, 1 May, Ascension Day, Whit Monday, 21 July, 15 August, 1 November, 11 November and 25 December.
| Year | Public holidays falling on a Saturday or Sunday | Notice posted |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 15 August (Saturday), 1 November (Sunday) | Before 15 December 2025 |
| 2027 | 1 May (Saturday), 15 August (Sunday), 25 December (Saturday) | Before 15 December 2026 |
The replacement day is a usual working day, set by the joint committee, failing that by the works council, the union delegation, the employees or an individual agreement. Without a decision, the public holiday is automatically replaced by the next usual working day. A Saturday public holiday must be replaced for employees working Monday to Friday, even if other staff work on Saturdays.
Working on a public holiday or being absent
Where Sunday work is allowed, an employee who works on a public holiday is entitled to compensatory rest within 6 weeks (a full day beyond 4 hours of work); the law provides no premium unless a collective labour agreement (CCT) does, but a 100% premium is due if the hours are overtime. A public holiday falling during a suspension of the contract is still paid if it falls within 30 days of the start of sickness, an accident or maternity rest, within 14 days for other suspensions, and always during annual leave. It is not paid in case of unjustified absence on the day before or after.
Short leave, birth leave, family carers: which special leave applies?
Short leave (petits chômages) consists of paid absences for certain family or civic events, for example 2 days for the employee's wedding and 10 days for the death of a spouse or a child. The employee informs the employer in advance or as soon as possible.
| Event | Length of paid absence |
|---|---|
| Employee's wedding | 2 days |
| Death of a spouse, cohabiting partner or child | 10 days: 3 between the death and the funeral, 7 within the year |
| Death of a parent or parent-in-law | 3 days |
| Death of a brother, sister or grandparent, among others | 2 days if they lived with the employee, otherwise the day of the funeral |
| Jury service or summons as a witness | Up to 5 days |
Compelling reasons. At most 10 days per calendar year, unpaid unless agreed or provided by a CCT; carer's leave of up to 5 days a year to care for a seriously ill relative counts towards these 10 days.
Birth leave. The father or co-parent is entitled to 20 days for births since 1 January 2023, to be taken within 4 months of the birth, possibly in parts. The employer pays the first 3 days, then the health insurance fund (mutualité) pays 82% of the gross pay lost. The employee informs the employer in advance and is protected against dismissal from that notice until 5 months after the birth, on pain of compensation of 6 months' pay.
Maternity leave. The employee may not work during the 7 days before the expected date of birth or during the 9 weeks after it; prenatal leave may start 6 weeks before (8 for a multiple birth).
Parental leave. Per child under 12 (21 if disabled): 4 months full time, 8 months half time, 20 months at 1/5, or 40 months at 1/10 with the employer's agreement. It requires 12 months' service in the last 15 months and written notice 2 to 3 months in advance; the employer may postpone it by up to 6 months, with written reasons within one month. The ONEM pays an allowance.
Family carers and time credit. For requests made since 1 July 2026, leave for a recognised family carer increases to 6 months of full suspension, 12 months half time or 30 months at 1/5 per person cared for, with an unchanged career cap equivalent to 6 months full time. Time credit for care reasons can reach 51 months over a career (36 months for training), with 24 months' service and 3 months' notice (more than 20 employees) or 6 months (20 or fewer); it is not a right in companies with 10 employees or fewer.
Common mistakes
- Counting days of sickness that occur during holidays as leave, or refusing to let the employee take them later.
- Treating days not taken because of sickness as lost on 31 December: they remain due for 24 months.
- Forgetting that a public holiday falling on a Saturday must be replaced for employees working Monday to Friday, even if others work on Saturdays.
- Paying blue-collar double holiday pay through payroll: the holiday fund pays it, the employer only pays the contributions.
- Confusing birth leave (3 days paid by the employer), parental leave (ONEM allowance) and annual leave: different absence codes and different payers.
- Applying the old lengths of family carer leave to requests made since 1 July 2026.
Your checklist
- Set and post before 15 December 2026 the replacement days for 1 May, 15 August and 25 December 2027, unless the joint committee has decided them.
- Set next year's collective holidays following the procedure (joint committee, works council, union delegation, agreement) and include them in the work rules.
- Calculate each year's leave entitlement from the work and days treated as worked in the reference year.
- Pay single and double holiday pay to white-collar employees, and report blue-collar pay and days treated as worked correctly to the ONSS.
- Keep separate balances: statutory leave, carried-over days with their 24-month deadline, supplementary holidays, replacement days, compensatory rest to be taken within 6 weeks.
- Re-credit holiday days covered by a medical certificate.
- Reply within one month to parental leave requests, in writing with reasons if postponing, and respect the protection against dismissal.
- Issue form C103 for youth or senior holidays.
How Luxapps helps
FXP, for fiduciaries, and MySafeBox, for companies that run their own payroll, keep leave balances and feed every absence into payroll. In Belgium, they are configured to the country's rules and connected by API to your social secretariat (secrétariat social).
Balances, requests and online approval, with a team calendar to organise time off.
FXP and MySafeBoxApproved absences (leave, remote work, sickness) feed the month's payroll variables without re-keying, then go by API to your social secretariat.
FXP and MySafeBoxThe employee uploads the certificate from the web or mobile portal, even while on holiday: you have the document needed to re-credit their days.
FXP and MySafeBoxDocument templates and targeted distribution with acknowledgement of receipt, in addition to the mandatory posting.
FXP and MySafeBoxOn the web and mobile, each employee sees their balances, makes requests and finds their documents.
FXP and MySafeBoxFrequently asked questions
20 days a year on a 5-day week, or 24 on a 6-day week, for a full year of work in the previous year. The entitlement is calculated on days actually worked and days treated as worked in that year, called the holiday reference year. An employee who is just starting can top up with supplementary holidays or, if just out of education, with youth holidays.
Double holiday pay is 92% of gross pay for the month of the holiday, at one twelfth per month worked or treated as worked in the previous year. For a full year and a gross salary of €4,000, it comes to €3,680 gross. The employer pays it directly, in addition to normal pay for the days of leave, which forms the single holiday pay.
Between the first working day of May and the last working day of June, by the National Annual Holidays Office (ONVA) or a special holiday fund depending on the sector. Gross holiday pay is 15.38% of the previous year's pay grossed up to 108%. The employer does not pay it directly but funds it through a contribution of 15.84% of pay grossed up to 108%.
On a Monday-to-Friday schedule, 1 May and 25 December 2027 fall on a Saturday and 15 August 2027 on a Sunday: these three days must be replaced by a usual working day. The replacement is set by the joint committee or, failing that, within the company, and the notice must be posted before 15 December 2026. Without a decision, it is the next usual working day.
No. Holiday days that could not be taken because of sickness, accident or maternity protection must be taken within 24 months after the end of the holiday year. For a white-collar employee, the holiday pay for those days is paid by 31 December of the holiday year at the latest.
20 days for births since 1 January 2023, to be taken within 4 months of the birth. The employer pays the first 3 days, then the health insurance fund pays an allowance of 82% of the gross pay lost. The employee is protected against dismissal from their notice until 5 months after the birth.
Official sources
- Social security portal, annual holidays
- Royal Decree of 30 March 1967 on annual holidays for employees (Justel)
- National Annual Holidays Office (ONVA), calculating blue-collar holiday pay
- ONSS, contributions (instructions 2026/3)
- FPS Employment (SPF Emploi), public holidays
- FPS Employment, list of short leave (petits chômages)
- FPS Employment, birth leave
- FPS Employment, parental leave
- FPS Employment, longer and more flexible leave for family carers from 1 July 2026
- FPS Employment, sickness and accidents (sickness during holidays)
This guide sets out the general rules in force on 5 October 2026. It is not legal advice for your situation (collective agreement, sector, employee status).