Public Holidays in 2024
As 2023 is gradually coming to an end, we want to provide you with an overview of the Belgian public holidays for 2024, and a reminder of the rules applicable to replacement days.
Public holidays in 2024
New Year's Day Monday, 1 January 2024
Easter Monday Monday, 1 April 2024
Labour Day Wednesday, 1 May 2024
Ascension Day Thursday, 9 May 2024
Whit Monday Monday, 20 May 2024
Belgian National Holiday Sunday, 21 July 2024
Assumption Day Thursday, 15 August 2024
All Saints’ Day Friday, 1 November 2024
Armistice Day Monday, 11 November 2024
Christmas Wednesday, 25 December 2024
Applicable rules
As a rule, employees cannot work on public holidays in Belgium.
If a public holiday falls on a Sunday or another day which is normally a non-working day (usually a Saturday), it must be replaced by a replacement day on a normal working day. The employer, however, is obliged to pay the employee a normal salary for that holiday. In the list above, the public holidays that fall on a non-working day in the course of 2024, have been marked in bold. Employees are entitled to one replacement day in 2024, for the Belgian National Holiday (21 July).
The law of 4 January 1974 provides for the manner in which replacement days should be determined. In theory, the Joint Industrial Committee competent for each sector may decide when replacement days shall fall, but we do not see this very often in practice. If the Joint Industrial Committee has not taken its decision before 1 October 2023, each company may decide for itself when the replacement days for its employees will fall in 2024. The company may take that decision in one of the following ways:
- By the Works Council;
- If the company has no Works Council, by agreement between the union representatives and the employer;
- If the company has a Works Council nor union representatives, by agreement between all the employees and the employer;
- If no agreement can be reached for the whole company, individual agreements may be drawn up between the employer and each employee.
If replacement days cannot be decided upon using one of the solutions above, they automatically fall on the next normal working day following the public holiday (usually a Monday).
Employers must inform their employees of the replacement days for 2024 by displaying a signed and dated document on the company premises before 15 December 2023. You can obtain a template of such a document from your payroll business partner.
