Make the most of your holidays in 2023
Those who plan their holidays smartly can be home for much longer periods this year by taking only a limited number of holidays. Take out your diary in advance!
In Belgium, you are entitled to 20 days' leave as an employee.
Provided you have accrued your holiday entitlement in the previous year.
The moment when you take your holidays is always done in mutual agreement with the employer, as the service must be guaranteed.
Thus, a deliberate choice of your holiday days can lead to longer interrupted periods of holiday, with limited use of holiday days, Acerta calculated.
How many leave days you can take varies from person to person and depends on your employment regime and number of years of service.
These are the official holidays of 2023.
- Sunday Jan 1, 2023 (New Year)
- Sunday 9 April (Easter)
- Monday 10 April (Easter Monday)
- Monday May 1, 2023 (Labour Day)
- Thursday 18 May 2023 (Assumption Day)
- Monday 29 May 2023 (Whit Monday)
- Friday, July 21, 2023 (National holiday)
- Tuesday, August 15, 2023 (Assumption Day)
- Wednesday 1 November 2023 (All Saints' Day)
- Saturday, November 11, 2023 (Armistice Day)
- Monday, December 25, 2023 (Christmas)
An overview
The first public holiday of the year is New Year, which fell on a Sunday in 2023.
Since the replacement day is taken immediately on 2 January in many companies, by taking four holidays in the first week, you could immediately stay home for a period of nine days.
We see the same thing in the month of April. Easter Monday falls on 10 April 2023.
Anyone who then takes another consecutive four days' holiday is doing a good thing and is home for nine days uninterrupted.
You can do the same exercise for public holidays Labour Day (May 1, 2023) and Whit Monday (May 29, 2023), both of which fall on a Monday.
In the autumn on Armistice Day (11 November 2023), you can invoke the substitute day to schedule four holiday days afterwards, just like with New Year.
Since Armistice Day falls on a Saturday. This way, you will be home again for nine days in a row.
Make 'the bridge
By making the bridge, you can sometimes have four or five days of holiday in a row.
Thursday, May 18, 2023, is Ascension Day. Taking leave on Friday, May 19, leads to four days off.
For Friday, July 21, 2023, the National Holiday, the same rules apply.
By taking an extra day's holiday on Thursday, July 20, you will again be home for four days.
Ascension Day falls on Tuesday, August 15. If you make the bridge on Monday, August 14, you will again be home for four days in a row.
In late 2023, another possibility presents itself. All Saints' Day (November 1, 2023) falls on a Wednesday.
If you take Monday 30 and Tuesday 31 October or Thursday 2 and Friday 3 November as a leave day, you will be home for five consecutive days.
So you see, planning your holidays strategically can get you longer periods at home.
Grab your diary and plan accordingly!
