Leave rules · 2026
Annual leave and sick leave rules in Belgium (2026)
Employees in Belgium get at least 20 days of paid annual leave a year on a 5-day week (4 weeks). Sick leave: paid.
Rules as of September 2026 · page built Monday, September 28, 2026Statutory minimums
Medium confidenceMedium confidence. Verify before relying on it. Check the official sources below.
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20 days a year (160 hours)
Statutory minimum 20 days on a 5-day week at 0 years of service.
This is the legal floor for Belgium; the contract can give more.
| Service | Minimum (5-day week) | In weeks |
|---|---|---|
| Starting entitlement | 20 days | 4 weeks |
20 days for a full-time 5-day week, earned on the previous calendar year of work. New starters may qualify for supplementary (European or youth) holidays.
Worked exampleA full-time employee on a 5-day week gets at least 20 days a year.
What the rules mean in practice
In Belgium, a full-time employee on a 5-day week is entitled to at least 20 days of paid annual leave a year, which is 4 weeks.
In Belgium, a full-time employee on a 5-day week is entitled to at least 20 days of paid annual leave a year, which is 4 weeks. The legal wording: 20 days for a full-time 5-day week, earned on the previous calendar year of work. New starters may qualify for supplementary (European or youth) holidays.
Compared with the other 37 jurisdictions LeaveCalc covers, that starting minimum is higher than 20, the same as 8 and lower than 9. Across all of them the range runs from 5 days (the Philippines) to 30 days (the United Arab Emirates). 20 days is about 7.7% of a 260-day working year.
No service-based step is recorded here, so the 20-day minimum applies at every length of service; the official source has the full rule.
Public holidays are in addition to the annual leave minimum. For 2026, the public holiday calendar for Belgium lists 12 holidays, 8 of them on working days. An employee who has all 8 weekday holidays off on top of the 20-day minimum is away from work on at least 28 weekdays in 2026.
Sick leave: Guaranteed salary from the employer for the first weeks, then health insurance; not an accrued balance. LeaveCalc rates this entry Medium confidence, based on the official sources listed below as of September 2026.
Public holidays
Public holidays are in addition to the annual leave minimum. See the 2026 and 2027 public holiday dates for Belgium, with .ics downloads.
Sources
As of September 2026. Statutory minimums only: contracts, collective agreements and local rules can give more.
Questions about leave in Belgium
The statutory minimum is 20 days a year for a full-time employee on a 5-day week (4 weeks).
How many days of annual leave do employees get in Belgium?
The statutory minimum is 20 days a year for a full-time employee on a 5-day week (4 weeks). 20 days for a full-time 5-day week, earned on the previous calendar year of work. New starters may qualify for supplementary (European or youth) holidays.
Does annual leave increase with length of service in Belgium?
No service-based step is recorded here for Belgium: the statutory minimum stays at 20 days a year. Check the official source for the full rule.
Is sick leave paid in Belgium?
Yes. Guaranteed salary from the employer for the first weeks, then health insurance; not an accrued balance.
Are public holidays part of annual leave in Belgium?
Public holidays are in addition to the annual leave minimum. In 2026 the calendar for Belgium has 12 public holidays, 8 of them on working days.