The Ultimate Guide to Hiring Employees in Belgium

Employees working a 38-hour week are entitled to 20 working days annually, adjusted accordingly for part-time schedules.

Pregnant employees are entitled to 15 weeks of maternity leave, starting 6 weeks before birth and lasting 9 weeks after. This leave is paid as follows:

• 82% of their average salary for the first 30 days
• 75% afterward until the leave ends

Eligible employees get 10 days of paternity leave within 4 months of their child's birth. The leave is paid as follows:

• The employer pays the first 3 days in full.
• The government covers the next 7 days at 82% of their average salary (up to a daily maximum cap).

Employees are entitled to sick leave in Belgium. This leave is subject to the following details:

• Employees receive full salary from the employer for the initial 30 days of sick leave.
• Afterward, they typically receive sickness benefits from the government.
• All sick leave requires certification from a medical professional.

Employees are entitled to six weeks' leave per adoptive parent, increased by two weeks per parent if more than one child is adopted simultaneously.

Employees can take up to 10 days of paid bereavement leave in the event of the loss of a child or partner.

Parents with at least 12 months of service in the past 15 months with the same employer are entitled to 4 months of individual parental leave, subject to the following details:

• They can take this leave together or separately.
• The leave must be utilised before the child reaches 12 years old or 21 if the child has a disability.