How many paid holidays do I get in Belgium?

The statutory minimum is 4 weeks a year: 20 days if you work a 5-day week, or 24 days if you work a 6-day week. That is the full-year entitlement, but it is earned by working the previous calendar year — so in your first Belgian year you usually have fewer statutory days and rely on 'European' (supplementary) leave to fill the gap. Many contracts and sector agreements add extra days on top of the legal minimum.

What is the difference between single and double holiday pay?

Single holiday pay is simply your normal salary continuing while you are off — you are paid as usual on your holiday days. Double holiday pay (pécule de vacances / vakantiegeld) is an extra lump sum on top, paid once a year, usually in May or June. For white-collar staff it is roughly 92% of a month's gross salary for a full qualifying year, prorated if you worked less.

I just moved to Belgium and worked nowhere here last year. Can I take any holiday?

Yes, through 'European leave' (congé européen / Europese vakantie). Once you have worked at least 3 months in a calendar year for a Belgian employer and used up any ordinary days, you can take supplementary days up to the 4-week total. The catch: the extra pay is an advance on next year's double holiday pay, which is deducted then — so you are effectively pre-financing it.

Is the 13th month guaranteed in Belgium?

No. There is no general law forcing employers to pay a 13th month or end-of-year bonus. Whether you get one depends on your sector's joint committee (commission paritaire / paritair comité) or your individual contract. Under the large white-collar committee CP/PC 200 it is compulsory once you have six months' seniority — but always check which joint committee applies to you.

Holiday Pay, Annual Leave & the 13th Month in Belgium

How Belgium's annual leave works: 20 statutory days earned the prior year, single vs double holiday pay, the 13th month, and how new arrivals are covered.

Belgium's holiday system confuses almost every new arrival, because the days you take this year were actually earned by working last year — and your first year here can feel worryingly empty. This guide explains the statutory 20 days, the single-versus-double holiday pay split, the 13th month, and exactly how you are covered if you only just landed.

The core rule: you earn leave in the PRIOR year

Belgium's statutory minimum is four weeks of paid leave a year — 20 days on a 5-day working week, or 24 days on a 6-day week (be.brussels).

The twist is timing. Your entitlement is built up during the qualifying year (French: exercice de vacances, Dutch: vakantiedienstjaar) — the previous calendar year — and taken during the holiday year (année de vacances / vakantiejaar), the current year. So the leave you enjoy in 2026 was earned by the work you did in 2025. If you worked a full 2025 in Belgium, you have the full 20 days in 2026. If you worked only part of 2025 here, your 2026 statutory days are prorated down.

Two employee types, two pay routes:

White-collar staff (employés / bedienden) get their holiday pay directly from the employer.
Blue-collar / manual workers (ouvriers / arbeiders) are paid by the ONVA/RJV (National Office for Annual Holidays) or a sector holiday fund — not by the employer directly, usually in May or June (EURES Grande Région).

Single vs double holiday pay (pécule de vacances)

This is the part that surprises most expats: you get paid twice around your holiday.

Single holiday pay

This is just your normal salary continuing while you are off. Nothing extra — you take a day of leave, you get paid your usual daily rate. No surprise here.

Double holiday pay

This is the bonus on top — the true pécule de vacances / vakantiegeld — paid as a lump sum once a year, typically in May or June.

White-collar: roughly 92% of one month's gross salary for a full qualifying year, prorated if you worked less. (The 92% formula is the standard market practice; the exact statutory calculation isn't published as a single percentage on the federal pages, so confirm your figure against your own payslip — see employment.belgium.be.)
Blue-collar: holiday pay is commonly around 15.38% of the prior year's gross earnings, paid via ONVA/the sector fund; this bundles both the single and double elements.

Worked example (white-collar): you earn €2,500 gross/month and worked full-time 9 of the 12 months of last year. Your double holiday pay this year is roughly:

€2,500 × 92% × 9/12 ≈ €1,725 gross.

If you had worked the full 12 months, it would be about €2,500 × 92% ≈ €2,300 gross. Tax and social security are deducted from this, so the net you receive is lower.

The new-arrival gap: European (supplementary) leave

Here is the trap. If you moved to Belgium and did not work here in the previous calendar year, you have built up no statutory holiday for this year. A graduate starting in October, or an expat arriving mid-year, can find they have almost no legal days.

Belgium plugs this gap with European leave (congé européen / Europese vakantie), also called supplementary or additional holidays, introduced in 2012 to guarantee every worker the EU-minimum four weeks (commissioner.brussels).

How to qualify:

Start (or restart) working for a Belgian employer.
Work at least 3 months in the same calendar year (January–December).
Use up your ordinary/statutory days first.

You can then take supplementary days — up to 5 days on a 5-day week to reach the four-week total.

The catch — you pre-finance it. The pay you receive during European leave is treated as an advance on next year's double holiday pay. When your double holiday pay is calculated the following year, that advance is deducted. So European leave lets you take time off now, but you are effectively borrowing from your own future bonus.

The 13th month / end-of-year bonus

A 13th month (prime de fin d'année / eindejaarspremie) is a separate payment — usually equal to about one month's gross salary, paid in December — and it is a common source of confusion.

There is no general Belgian law requiring it. Whether you get one depends entirely on:

Your sector's joint committee (commission paritaire / paritair comité, the "PC/CP" number on your contract), or
Your individual employment contract or company policy.

Under CP/PC 200 — the huge auxiliary committee covering most white-collar office staff not tied to a specific sector — the end-of-year bonus is compulsory once you have at least six months' seniority in the company (Securex). Ordinary absences like holidays, public holidays, sick leave, maternity leave or a work accident generally don't cost you the bonus. If you work only part of the year, it is prorated.

Do this: find your PC/CP number on your contract or payslip and check that committee's rules — that single number decides whether a 13th month is yours by right.

Quick comparison

Payment	What it is	When	Guaranteed?
Single holiday pay	Normal salary while on leave	On your leave days	Yes (statutory)
Double holiday pay	Extra lump sum (~92% of a month, white-collar)	Usually May/June	Yes (statutory)
European leave pay	Advance so new arrivals get 4 weeks	When taken (year 1)	Yes if you qualify (advance on next year)
13th month	~1 month's gross bonus	Usually December	No — depends on joint committee / contract

Common problems and fixes

"I have almost no holiday in my first year." Correct — you earned nothing here last year. Use European leave after 3 months of work; just remember it is deducted from next year's double pay.
"My double holiday pay looks small." It is prorated by how many months you worked in the qualifying year. A part-year 2025 means a smaller 2026 lump sum — that is normal, not an error.
"No 13th month arrived in December." Check your PC/CP joint committee. If it isn't CP 200 or a sector that mandates it, and your contract is silent, there may simply be no entitlement.
"I'm changing jobs mid-year." Your old employer pays out pécule de vacances de départ (departure holiday pay) when you leave; your new employer then deducts that when you take leave, so you aren't paid twice. Expect it to show as a line adjustment on a payslip.
"I didn't use all my days." Statutory leave must generally be taken within the holiday year (before 31 December) and usually cannot be carried over — plan ahead so you don't forfeit days.

Your next step

Find the PC/CP joint committee number on your employment contract or payslip today. It determines your exact holiday-day count, your double-holiday-pay rules, and — crucially — whether a 13th month is a legal right. If you can't find it, ask HR directly, then verify the rules on the official employment.belgium.be posting-conditions page.