Belgium has several types of leave for new parents, with different entitlements and conditions. The rules below concern people covered by Belgian social security, with eligibility depending on employment status and sector.
Some leave is linked directly to the birth, while other schemes allow parents to reduce their working time or take time off years later.
The rules have also changed recently: birth leave for fathers and other co-parents has doubled since 2021, while maternity leave for self-employed women was extended in July 2026.
How long is maternity leave?
Women working under an employment contract are entitled to 15 weeks of maternity leave (repos de maternité in French/moederschapsrust in Dutch), with additional leave for twins or more children.
Ten weeks are compulsory: one before the expected birth and nine afterwards. The other five are optional and can be taken before the birth or added to the leave afterwards.
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Benefits are paid by the worker's health insurance fund (mutualité/ziekenfonds): 82% of gross salary for the first 30 days, without a salary ceiling, followed by 75%, subject to a ceiling. Unemployed women can also qualify for maternity benefits, although these are calculated differently.
For self-employed women, maternity leave is also 15 weeks. Three weeks are compulsory – one before and two after the birth – while nine additional weeks are optional.
Since July 2026, mothers can take up to three extra weeks, but doing so reduces the number of free service vouchers they receive for household help; taking the full 15 weeks means receiving no vouchers.
What leave can the other parent take?
Fathers and other co-parents can take up to 20 days of birth leave (congé de naissance/geboorteverlof) within four months of the birth.
Salaried workers receive their normal salary for the first three days and 82% of gross salary, subject to a ceiling, for the remaining 17, while self-employed workers receive a fixed allowance.
How does parental leave work?
Parental leave (congé parental/ouderschapsverlof) is available to workers in both the private and public sectors, but not to the self-employed. It allows parents to stop working or reduce their working time to care for a child while receiving an allowance from the National Employment Office (ONEM/RVA).
Each parent can take a maximum of four months if they stop working completely, eight months if they reduce their working time by half, 20 months if they reduce it by one-fifth, or 40 months if they reduce it by one-tenth. This last option requires the employer’s agreement.
In practice, most parents taking parental leave continue working.
In 2025, almost half (47%) reduced their working time by one-fifth, while 24% opted for a one-tenth reduction. Only 14% stopped working completely.
The leave can be spread over different periods and must generally begin before the child turns 12. The allowance is fixed, with the amount depending on the form of leave taken. Workers are also protected from being dismissed for taking parental leave.
Women continue to make greater use of parental leave than men: in 2025, 61% of recipients were women and 39% were men. The gender gap has nevertheless narrowed considerably: in 2002, only around 8% of recipients were men.
How is crédit-temps different?
Tim credit (crédit-temps/tijdskrediet) is specifically for salaried workers in the private sector. Public-sector workers have separate career-break arrangements.
It allows workers to stop working or reduce their working time for reasons including childcare, care for others and certain types of training, with an ONEM/RVA allowance available under certain conditions.
For childcare, workers generally need 24 months' seniority to take crédit-temps and 36 months to receive an allowance. The leave must begin before the child turns eight, although for a full interruption the ONEM allowance is only available if it begins before the child turns five.
Unlike parental leave, the maximum entitlement applies across a person's career rather than per child.
Does taking leave affect your pension?
Under the current rules, maternity, birth and parental leave, as well as crédit-temps for childcare, generally count towards a worker’s pension, provided the corresponding benefit or allowance is received.
Depending on the scheme, however, the pension rights built up may be lower than during periods of work.
Can parents combine them?
Yes. Maternity and birth leave do not use up either parent's separate parental leave entitlement. An eligible private-sector salaried worker can also subsequently use crédit-temps.
What could change next?
In July 2026, Belgium's federal government approved a preliminary draft law introducing a five-day “family credit” for salaried workers, civil servants and self-employed workers.
The five days could be taken together or separately during the child's first year, with an allowance, in addition to existing maternity and birth leave. The entitlement would normally go to the father or other co-parent, who could transfer it to the mother.
The measure still needs to be approved by parliament and is intended as the first step towards a broader family-credit system. The Federal Government agreement calls for childcare leave to be simplified and harmonised across salaried workers, the self-employed and civil servants.
