If you are pregnant and request leave before the birth of your child, you are entitled to up to 15 consecutive weeks of unpaid maternity leave.

You are entitled to 6 weeks of prenatal leave; however, you must take 1 week of prenatal leave. If you don’t take the full 6 weeks (and only take the mandatory week), you may transfer your other weeks to your postnatal leave, as long as your transfer follows Belgian law.

You are entitled to 9 weeks of mandatory postnatal leave.

You may request a shorter leave period, if you are fit to return to work and have taken your minimum 1 week of prenatal and 9 weeks of postnatal leave.

Note: The modalities, conditions, and exceptions of Belgian legislation fully apply.

Multiple births

If you are expecting multiples and request leave prior to the birth of your children, you are entitled to take up to 19 consecutive weeks of unpaid leave.

You are entitled to 8 weeks of prenatal leave; however, you must take 1 week of prenatal leave. Your untaken prenatal leave can be transferred to your postnatal leave, as long as it follows Belgian law.

You are entitled to 11 weeks of mandatory postnatal leave.

Premature birth

If your baby is born early and you haven’t taken your 1 week of prenatal maternity leave, you will lose this week of leave. Since the 1 week of prenatal leave is mandatory, your total maternity leave is calculated with that week included.

Illness during pregnancy

If you take sick days during the 6 weeks (8 weeks for multiples) before your due date, those days are considered as part of your maternity leave, even if the reason for the absence is unrelated to the pregnancy.

If there is an office closure or bank holiday during this period (i.e., if you are off work through no fault of your own), it is not considered as part of your maternity leave.

Converting your maternity leave

Maternity leave can be converted into paternity leave if you’ve been hospitalised or die during labour and delivery. This rule is subject to certain conditions.

Pay during maternity leave

You will receive:

• 82% of your normal salary during the first 30 days.
• 75% of your capped salary from the 31st day until the end of your maternity leave.

Visit the Bridge (only accessible within the PayPal firewall) for additional information about pay during maternity leave.

Parental leave may be requested by both parents, according to Belgian laws.

If you have been with PayPal for at least 1 year, you may request parental leave after the birth or adoption of your child up to age 12 (for disabled children, up to age 21).

Parental leave options include:

• A complete suspension of your employment contract for 4 months.
• A 50% reduction of hours worked for an 8-month period (full-time employees only). Part-time employees can split the 8 months into blocks of 2 months.
• A 20% reduction of hours worked for a 15-month period. For one-fifth leave, the 20 months can also be split into blocks, with a minimum of 5 months.

Similar leaves apply if you are adopting a child. Additional leave may be available, such as in the case of multiple births or a child with a disability. Visit the Bridge (only accessible within the PayPal firewall) for additional information.

Pay during parental leave

Subject to certain conditions, employees are entitled to social security benefits during parental leave, since it is a career interruption allowance.

You must file a request with the National Employment Office (NEO) using a C61-SV form completed by the employee and by the company.

During leave, your pay will be funded as maternity leave, and you will be paid €707,08 per month, net of taxes (€786,78 before taxes).

You may take up to 15 days following the birth of your child. You must take this leave within 4 months after your child’s birth. You may take all 15 days at once or split them up. Paternity leave is 15 days regardless of whether you have multiple births.

Male employees can take 10 days of birth leave, although they are not required to take this leave. Birth leave is often referred to as paternity leave, but it is different in the event:

• Maternity leave has been converted into paternity leave
• The mother has been hospitalised 

You are not obligated to take this leave; however, it is extended to your same-sex partner. This applies even if your partner is not the legal parent of the child but is married to or lives with you.

All full-time and part-time employees may take parental bonding leave if you have:

• A baby and need to care for your newborn child
• A child placed with you for adoption or long-term (generally a year or more) foster care

Parental bonding leave gives you a minimum of 6 weeks of time off with 100% base pay.

This benefit is coordinated with all discretionary and/or statutory leave benefits that exist locally, such that the total period of paid leave available is no less than 6 weeks. Where local leave benefits exceed 6 weeks, but statutory pay is less than full pay, the employee is entitled to receive the difference between full pay and statutory pay. Where local leave benefits exceed six weeks at full pay, there will be no additional benefit.

Refer to the Bonding Leave Policy on HR Hub for more details (only accessible within the PayPal firewall).

In the event your illness extends past 5 days, you will be eligible for a leave of absence if you’ve been with PayPal for at least 3 months. During sick leave, PayPal pays you 100% of your salary for up to 30 days. After that, you are entitled to social security benefits. If you haven’t been with PayPal for 3 months, you will be partially paid for up to 30 days. State benefits are paid to you after this period by DKV or Delta Lloyd.

If you have been with PayPal less than 3 months and have less than 1 month seniority, you will not receive pay for sick days.

Short-term medical leave (sickness)

You may take up to 30 consecutive days of sick leave. Each sick leave request is treated on a case-by-case basis.

Long-term medical leave (disability)

After 30 days of sick leave, the state begins to pay you. Contact HR Hub (only accessible within the PayPal firewall) for more information and to initiate the process.

Receive up to 20 consecutive business days of paid time off at full pay if your spouse, domestic partner, civil partner (where applicable), child, stepchild, domestic partner’s child, or civil partner’s child (where applicable) passes away.

Receive up to 3 consecutive business days of paid time off at full pay if your parent, stepparent, grandparent, legal guardian, parent-in-law, sibling, or stepsibling passes away. 

Receive 1 day of paid time off at full pay if your aunt, uncle, brother- or sister-in-law, daughter- or son-in-law, cousin, niece, or nephew passes away.

Your manager may approve an additional 2 days of paid time off if out-of-town travel is required to attend or plan services for your loved one.

Death or funeral of relatives 1st grade: You receive up to 3 days of paid leave.

Death or funeral of relatives 2nd grade: You receive 1–2 days of paid leave.

Wedding: You receive up to 3 days of paid leave.

Relative’s wedding: You receive 1 day of paid leave.

Child’s first communion: You receive 1 day of paid leave.