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Employees · Changes in your situation

Leave and career breaks: how much do you get while on leave in 2026?

Updated on

Calculate what you would receive during your leave

During leave, your salary is replaced by an allowance from the National Employment Office (NEO) or a benefit from the health insurance fund (mutualité / ziekenfonds). For a white-collar worker on €3,000 gross (€2,261.33 net), full-time parental leave brings in about €970.63 net a month, illness €1,600.00 after the first month, and maternity leave about €7,139 net for 15 weeks.

Part-time, you keep part of your salary: on parental leave with a one-fifth reduction, you receive €2,101.39, 92.9% of your usual net pay. Choose your leave below.

Calculate what you would receive during your leave

Choose the leave or absence and enter your salary: Indexo compares what you would receive with your usual net pay. Nothing is sent: everything is calculated in your browser.

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Each type of leave at a glance

LeaveWho paysHow muchUseful lifeExample
Parental leaveNEO€1,080.04 gross full-time (estimate)4 months full-time, or 8, 20 or 40 months part-time€2,101.39 on a one-fifth reduction
End-of-career time creditNEO€305.46 to €368.62 gross on a one-fifth reduction (estimate)Until retirement€2,262.77 on a one-fifth reduction (€3,500 gross)
Birth leaveEmployer, then health insurance fund3 days’ salary, then 82% of capped salary20 days within 4 months€58 lost in total
Maternity leaveHealth insurance fund82% of salary for the first 30 days, then 75% capped15 weeks€689 lost in total
IllnessEmployer, then health insurance fundGuaranteed wage, then 60% of capped salaryOne year, then invalidity€1,600.00 a month
Who pays, how much and for how long, in October 2026. Last column: for a single white-collar worker on €3,000 gross (€2,261.33 net), unless stated otherwise, Indexo estimate.

NEO amounts as of 1 March 2026, then indexed by 2% in September 2026: the exact September amounts are to be confirmed on the NEO website.

Which leave for which situation?

  • Parental leaveTo care for a child under 12: 4 months per parent and per child, full-time or part-time.
  • Time creditReduce your working time at the end of your career, or for care or training, with an allowance from the NEO.
  • Birth leave20 days for the father or co-parent, within 4 months of the birth.
  • Maternity leave15 weeks for the mother, paid by the health insurance fund.
  • IllnessThe guaranteed wage, then health insurance fund benefits, month by month.
  • Switch to four-fifthsThe real loss in net pay from working one day less a week, with or without an allowance.

Unable to work and want to take up an activity again? See back to work during incapacity.

Frequently asked questions

Who pays during parental leave or time credit?

The NEO, through a flat-rate allowance that does not depend on your salary. Your employer pays only for the hours you still work.

Who pays during illness or birth leave?

First the employer: the guaranteed wage in case of illness (one month for a white-collar worker), or the first 3 days of birth leave. Then the health insurance fund, which pays a percentage of your salary, subject to a ceiling.

Are these benefits taxable?

Yes. The NEO and the health insurance fund deduct withholding tax: for example 11.11% on sickness, maternity and birth benefits. Withholding tax is only an advance on the final tax.

Does leave count towards your pension?

Parental leave and time credit paid by the NEO are in principle assimilated periods (treated as worked), calculated on a notional salary. The pension reform under discussion in 2026 could limit some of them: check your career on MyPension.

What next?

Sources

Parameters in force on 1 October 2026. Each parameter links to its source, the official one where it exists; a secondary source is flagged as such.