Under Belgian law, pregnant employees receive 15 weeks of paid maternity leave. Leave may begin six weeks before the expected delivery date, with a mandatory minimum of nine weeks following childbirth.

Maternity Leave Compensation:

• First 30 days: 82% of average salary
• From day 31 until leave conclusion: 75% of average salary

Importantly, maternity leave cannot be extended. However, employees who have completed at least one year of service with their current employer may transition to parental leave.

In Belgium, employees are entitled to 10 days of paid paternity leave, which must be utilized within four months of the child's birth.

Paternity Leave Compensation:

• First 3 days: Fully paid by the employer at 100% salary
• Remaining 7 days: Paid by the government at 82% of average salary (subject to a capped daily maximum)

Specifically, working parents who have completed at least 12 months of service with the same employer over the previous 15 months are entitled to four months of parental leave. This entitlement applies to each individual parent.

Parental Leave Conditions

Furthermore, parents may take leave simultaneously or at different times.

Notably, leave must be utilized before the child reaches 12 years of age, or 21 years for children with disabilities.

In Belgium, employees receive full salary paid by the employer for the initial 30 days of sick leave. Following this period, employees generally become eligible for government-provided sickness benefits.

Additionally, a qualified medical professional must certify all sick leave. Consequently, employees must submit a medical certificate to the employer within the timeframe specified in their employment contract or CBA.

In Belgium, employment terminations must adhere to comprehensive regulations. Specifically, as your Employer of Record in Belgium, MBRemote coordinates all separation processes with key stakeholders, managing procedural requirements and potential administrative fees.

In particular, employers may terminate employment agreements through two primary methods:

• Providing proper legal notice according to statutory requirements
• Paying termination indemnity in lieu of notice, resulting in immediate contract termination

Furthermore, employees maintain the right to appeal to a court if they consider the dismissal unjustified. As a result, courts may award additional compensation if they determine the dismissal was unfair.

Specifically, the minimum notice duration is two weeks for employment lasting three months. Importantly, required notice periods increase proportionally with employment length.

Notice Period Calculation:

• Up to 3 months of service: 2 weeks notice
• 3 to 6 months: 4 weeks notice
• 6 months to 5 years: increases incrementally per CBA rules
• Over 5 years: determined by seniority formula under Belgian Labour Law

In particular, severance obligations generally apply only when proper notice has not been provided according to statutory requirements. Therefore, paying the employee in lieu of notice triggers a severance payment equivalent to the full notice period salary.

Under Belgian law, employees working a standard 38-hour weekly schedule receive 20 working days of paid annual leave per year.

Additionally, part-time employees receive proportionally calculated leave entitlement based on their contracted working hours. Notably, Belgium also mandates a double vacation pay (pécule de vacances) equivalent to approximately 92% of one month's gross salary, paid before the main summer leave period.

Notably, Belgium observes 10 national holidays annually. Furthermore, additional regional holidays may apply depending on the employee's work location.

National Public Holidays:

• New Year's Day (January 1)
• Easter Monday
• Labour Day (May 1)
• Ascension Day
• Whit Monday
• Belgium National Holiday (July 21)
• Assumption Day (August 15)
• All Saints' Day (November 1)
• Armistice Day 1918 (November 11)
• Christmas Day (December 25)

Specifically, the employee onboarding process for your Employer of Record Belgium arrangement can be completed within three business days following Statement of Work signature, pending submission of all required employee information and documentation.

MBRemote collects and verifies all required documentation before contract issuance. For instance, standard documentation requirements for Belgian employment include:

In Belgium, employment contracts must always be in writing and must clearly specify the type of employment arrangement, trial period provisions (if applicable), restrictive covenants, and notice requirements.

Language Requirements by Region

Furthermore, specific regulations govern the language of employment contracts due to Belgium's linguistic diversity.

In particular, contracts must be drafted in the official language of the region where the employee works — Dutch in Flanders, French in Wallonia, and German in the German-speaking community.

Importantly, contracts drafted in the wrong language are legally void and may be challenged by the employee at any time.

Notably, Belgium does not permit probationary periods in employment contracts. Consequently, our Employer of Record Belgium service does not allow the implementation of probationary periods for Belgian employment arrangements.

Specifically, Belgian employment is governed by a system of Joint Committees (Commissions Paritaires / Paritaire Comités), each covering a specific industry sector. The applicable Joint Committee determines minimum wages, supplementary benefits, and working conditions above the statutory floor.

In particular, for EOR arrangements, MBRemote applies Joint Committee 200 (JC 200), which covers white-collar workers not covered by a sector-specific committee. Importantly, if your employee's role falls under a specific sector committee, additional CBA obligations may apply.