In Belgium, every employee is entitled to annual holidays. For a full year of employment in the previous year, the statutory entitlement is four weeks, that is, at most 24 days in a six-day working week or 20 days in a five-day week.
An entitlement based on the previous year
The number of holiday days depends on the work performed during the previous calendar year, known as the « holiday service year ». Days of inactivity that a Royal Decree treats as equivalent to actual work are taken into account. According to the FPS Employment, entitlement « must be at least 24 days for 12 months' work ».
Manual workers and salaried employees: two systems
The rules for paying holiday pay differ by status. For manual workers (ouvriers), the holiday pay (single and double) is paid by the National Annual Holidays Office (ONVA/RJV) or a holiday fund, each year between 2 May and 30 June, based on the previous year's earnings; it is therefore not paid by the employer.
For salaried employees (employés), the employer calculates the days and pays directly. Single holiday pay is the normal salary maintained for each day of leave. Double holiday pay is a supplement per month worked or treated as worked, corresponding, according to the FPS Social Security, to 1/12 of 92 % of the gross monthly salary.
Insufficient prior work: additional schemes
Someone who did not work enough in the previous year (starting a career, returning to work…) may, under conditions, be entitled to additional holidays (« European holidays »), youth holidays or senior holidays. Additional holidays require, for instance, a minimum activity period of three months; they are financed as an advance on the following year's double holiday pay or as an allowance.
Arrangements that vary
The exact calculation varies by status (manual worker, employee, apprentice, artist, civil servant), and many sector-level collective agreements may grant extra contractual holiday days on top of the legal minimum. When in doubt, it is prudent to check with your holiday fund, payroll office or the relevant FPS, as amounts and deadlines may change from year to year.