Hello everyone, today I want to talk about various paid leave options and income situations for parents giving birth in Belgium.

1. Maternity Leave (15 weeks)

In Belgium, mothers are entitled to a total of 15 weeks of maternity leave (self-employed workers have 13 weeks), including pre-birth and post-birth leave. Pre-birth leave must be taken for at least one week and can be extended up to 6 weeks. This leaves a minimum of 9 weeks and a maximum of 14 weeks for post-birth leave.

Maternity leave for multiple births

For multiple births, maternity leave is extended to 17 weeks and can be further extended to 19 weeks.

Allowances for maternity leave

During the 15 weeks of maternity leave, the employer does not provide any payment. Basic health insurance (mutuality) pays 82% of the gross salary for the first 30 days and 75% from the 31st day onwards, with a limit of 128.02 euros per day.

If the employer has a group insurance policy, additional benefits such as retirement savings, death insurance, critical illness coverage, and compensation during periods of incapacity (such as maternity leave) may be provided. My company has a great group insurance policy, on top of the compensation from the mutuality, the incapacity policy also gave me a lump sum per month (after a month waiting period), so in the end my income during the maternity leave was higher than my normal salary 😀

2. Paternity Leave (20 days)

Starting from January 2023, fathers are entitled to 20 days of paternity leave, which can be taken within the first four months after the child’s birth. The first 3 days are fully paid by the employer, and the remaining 17 days are paid by the health insurance company at 82% of the gross salary without any limit.

The father will receive the allowance from the mutuality after the baby is 4 months old.

3. Breastfeeding Leave

Mothers can take breastfeeding leave if their work affects their health and breastfeeding quality. During this period, the company does not pay a salary, but the health insurance pays 60% of the gross salary without any limit. You can take breastfeeding leave up to 5 months after the baby is born.

Breastfeeding breaks

For office jobs (where no risk of impacting the breast milk), mothers have the right to spend 30 (non-full-time) to 60 minutes (full-time) per day breastfeeding or pumping milk, with 82% of the gross salary paid by health insurance.

The employee needs to provide a medical certificate stating that the mother is breastfeeding every month. Breastfeeding breaks can be applied up until the baby is 9 months old.

4. Parental Leave

Parents in Belgium are entitled to 4 months of parental leave for each child, which can be used until the child turns 12 (or 21 if the child has severe disabilities). The leave can be taken in full, half-time, one-fifth, or any combination thereof.

Allowances for parental leave

Parental leave is a sort of career break, it will impact the holiday eligibility of next year, but it does not have an impact on pension. During this period, the company does not pay a salary, but the National Employment Office provides unemployment benefits.

If the parent takes one full month of parental leave, he or she gets an 879.15 euro bruto allowance (data from 2023). For other forms of breaks, you can find the allowance below.

You need to have worked for at least one year to be eligible for applying for parental leave.

Flemish incentive bonus (parental leave)

If you live in the Flemish area and work in a company, the Flemish government will also give you a Flemish subsidy. If you take a full month of parental leave, the subsidy amount will be about 210 euros.

5. Time Credit leave

As mentioned above, Belgium’s maternity leave is 15 weeks, but many mothers cannot accept sending their babies to daycare after three months and go back to work.

Therefore, many mothers will stay at home with their children until they are 6 months old.

For extra leave, in addition to parental leave, if the company has more than 10 employees, you can also apply for time credit. During this period, the company will not pay you wages, and the National Employment Office will give you some unemployment benefits. Time credit can also be taken as a full break, 1/2 or 1/5.

Time credit can be used for the following purposes:

To take care of children, the child must be under 8 years old. If taking full leave, the child must be under 5 years old.
Caring for a sick family member
Go to school or take training

How long can I apply for a time credit holiday?

You can receive up to 48 months of time credit throughout your career (51 months before February 1, 2023) for childcare purposes.
Entitlement to training for a maximum of 36 months in order to receive approved training.
For the other reasons mentioned above, you can apply for up to 51 months throughout your career