Annual leave in Belgium: how many days, double holiday pay and the first-year rule

A full-time employee in Belgium is entitled to 4 weeks of annual leave a year: 20 days on a 5-day week or 24 days on a 6-day week. The catch for newcomers is that those days are earned by working the previous calendar year, so a first job or a move to Belgium can leave you short, which is what youth, senior and "European" holidays fill in.

This guide covers the rules as of 2026 for private-sector employees, using the federal social security portal, the SPF Employment (FOD WASO), the national holiday office ONVA/RJV and the unemployment office ONEM/RVA.

How many days of annual leave do you get in Belgium?

The official portal puts it plainly: up to 24 days or 4 weeks a year on a 6-day week, or 20 days or 4 weeks on a 5-day week.

Work pattern	Statutory annual leave
5-day week, full time	20 days (4 weeks)
6-day week, full time	24 days (4 weeks)
Part time	4 weeks in your own work pattern, pro rata

These are statutory minimums. Some sector agreements and contracts add days on top, so check your joint committee and your contract. For the general maths on part-time and mid-year starters, see how to calculate pro rata holiday entitlement.

Why does Belgium base leave on the previous year?

Belgian leave works on two years:

• The holiday year (exercice de vacances / vakantiedienstjaar) is the calendar year before the one in which you take the leave. Work done then, plus certain absences treated as work (for example statutory leave days and paid absences), earns your days.
• The holiday-taking year is the following calendar year, when you actually use them.

So to take your full 20 days in 2026, you need to have worked a full year in 2025. If you worked only part of 2025, your 2026 entitlement is smaller. That is the reason for the three top-up schemes below.

What is single and double holiday pay?

Belgium pays holiday pay in two parts, and who pays depends on whether you are an office employee (employé / bediende) or a manual worker (ouvrier / arbeider).

	Office employees (employés / bedienden)	Manual workers (ouvriers / arbeiders)
Who pays	Your employer	ONVA/RJV or a special holiday fund for your sector
Single pay	Your normal salary for each day of leave	8% of the base wages of the previous year
Double pay	1/12 of 92% of the gross monthly salary per month worked in the previous year	7.38% of the base wages
When	Single pay as you take each day of leave	Paid between 2 May and 30 June

Employees. The single pay is simply the salary your employer keeps paying for each day off. The double pay is 1/12 of 92% of the gross pay for the month in which you take your holidays, for each month worked or treated as worked in the previous year. Worked all of last year on €3,000 gross a month? Your double holiday pay is about €2,760 gross (92% × €3,000), before deductions.

Workers. Gross annual wages are first uplifted to 108%, and the gross holiday pay is 15.38% of that base: 8% single plus 7.38% double. Deductions include 13.07% on the double part and a 1% solidarity deduction, which leaves a net amount of roughly 12% of the base wages, according to ONVA. The holiday fund pays it directly, so you only need to give it your bank account number.

For a full worked calculation in French, read our guide to the pécule de vacances in Belgium.

What are "European holidays" for a first job?

European holidays (vacances supplémentaires / aanvullende vakantie) exist because EU law guarantees every worker at least 4 weeks of paid leave a year, while Belgium earns leave on the previous year. They apply when you start or restart work after a long break.

The official rules:

• You must have completed a start-up period of at least 3 months (90 calendar days) of work.
• You must first use up your ordinary leave days.
• Days are earned pro rata to the work done in the current year, and you take them by 31 December at the latest.

The catch is money. For office employees and manual workers alike, the pay for European holiday days is an advance on next year's double holiday pay, so it is deducted from it. You are not getting extra money, just getting part of it earlier.

Who qualifies for youth holidays?

Youth holidays (vacances jeunes / jeugdvakantie) top up the leave of young people who start working straight after school. The SPF Employment conditions are:

• you were under 25 on 31 December of the holiday year;
• you finished your studies during that year (including the final thesis);
• after school, you were under one or more employment contracts for at least one month, with at least 13 working days.

You can then take up to 4 weeks, minus any ordinary leave you earned, in the following year while you are employed. You first use your ordinary days. ONEM/RVA pays an allowance of 65% of your capped salary for these days, so your employer does not pay them. Part-time workers qualify too.

Who qualifies for senior holidays?

Senior holidays (vacances seniors / seniorvakantie) work the same way for older workers returning to a job:

• you were at least 50 on 31 December of the holiday year;
• you were fully unemployed or on invalidity during that year, so you lack 4 weeks of paid leave;
• you have returned to work as an employee.

The days top your leave up to 4 weeks in total, after your ordinary days run out, and ONEM/RVA pays 65% of the theoretical gross pay for the first month in which you take them.

Which scheme applies to me?

Your situation	What fills the gap
Worked a full previous year	Full 20 or 24 days, no top-up needed
Under 25, left school last year and worked at least a month	Youth holidays (paid by ONEM)
50+, unemployed or on invalidity last year, now back at work	Senior holidays (paid by ONEM)
New in Belgium, or back after a long break, with a 3-month start-up period of work	European holidays (an advance on next year's holiday pay)

Comparing Belgium with its neighbours? See annual leave in the Netherlands, paid leave in France or our paid leave by country overview.

Keeping track of Belgian leave balances

Because entitlement swings with last year's work, balances in a Belgian team rarely look the same from person to person. Absenca lets each office set its own leave year, work week and public holidays, track leave in days, half-days or hours, and show everyone their remaining balance when they request time off. The Free plan covers up to 10 people, with no credit card. Absenca tracks days; it does not calculate holiday pay.

FAQ

How many days of annual leave do I get in Belgium in my first job?

If you did not work the previous year, you have no ordinary days at first. If you finished school last year, are under 25 and worked at least a month, youth holidays can top you up to 4 weeks. Otherwise, after a 3-month start-up period of work you can take European holidays pro rata.

Is double holiday pay in Belgium really double my salary?

No. For office employees who worked the full previous year it is 92% of a gross monthly salary, paid on top of the normal salary you keep during leave, before deductions.

Who pays holiday pay for manual workers in Belgium?

ONVA/RJV or a special holiday fund for your employer's sector, not the employer directly. It is paid between 2 May and 30 June.

Do European holidays cost me money?

Yes, in a way. The pay for those days is an advance that is deducted from the next year's double holiday pay. Youth and senior holidays are paid by ONEM instead.

Can part-time workers take youth holidays?

Yes. The official portal says part-time workers qualify as well.

Rules can change and sector agreements may add days, so check the current position on socialsecurity.be, SPF Employment or ONVA.