Breastfeeding breaks and leave in Belgium

The World Health Organisation recommends exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months of your baby’s life. But how do you do this if you have to go back to work? In Belgium, there are a few measures in place to help mothers breastfeed for as long as possible and to help those who go back to work while still breastfeeding.

On this page, you can find out everything you need to know about:

DID YOU KNOW: One mutuelle – the Mutualité Liberale – currently offers a bonus of €125 per two months of breastfeeding with a maximum duration of six months. That means a possible €375! To apply for this bonus, you need to provide a declaration from your family doctor, pediatrician or midwife confirming that your baby was breastfed for more than two, four or six months.

Breastfeeding leave

In Belgium, while there is no paid breastfeeding leave (unless your work environment poses a risk to your breastfed baby – see below), you can ask to take unpaid breastfeeding leave, during which time your work contract remains valid.

This leave has to be agreed with your employer – note that employers are not obliged to allow this.

You can agree on the length of leave with your employer, but note that to ensure that you retain continuous basic health insurance coverage, breastfeeding leave needs to be taken within the first five months after the birth of your baby. 

When you are taking unpaid breastfeeding leave, you do not receive any particular protection against being made redundant (unlike when you are back at work and taking official breastfeeding breaks – see below).

What if my workplace is hazardous for a breastfeeding mother?

If you are still breastfeeding and your work environment would pose a health risk to your baby, via your breastmilk, e.g.

  • if you are exposed to dangerous substances
  • if you are in contact with people suffering from viral infections 

paid breastfeeding leave may be possible and necessary.

In this case, once you inform your employer that you are breastfeeding, your employer quickly contacts the (occupational health doctor) (‘medecin du travail’ / ‘arbeidsgeneesheerdoctor’), who will assess the situation and make a recommendation.

If it is not possible to adapt your work environment to remove the risk, or to assign you to different tasks where there is no risk to your breastfed baby, you will be put on paid leave, receiving 60% of your net salary.

Note that this is only possible until your baby reaches five months.

Who pays me if I need to take paid breastfeeding leave?

It’s the INAMI-RIZIV (National Institute for Health and Disability Insurance) who, via your health insurance fund, indemnifies a mother who needs to take breastfeeding leave due to hazardous work conditions.

Remember that fiscally speaking, these indemnities are considered as taxable ‘replacement salary’, and need to be declared on your annual tax return.  

Breastfeeding breaks

If you are an employee on a Belgian contract, and are still breastfeeding when you return to work after your maternity leave, you have the right to take ‘breastfeeding breaks’ to express milk until your baby is nine months old, subject to fulfilling some requirements (see below).

In some cases, you may be able to discuss this with your employer and reach an agreement without having to follow the official procedure and involve your health insruance fund. However, if this is not possible, know that you are fully entitled to these breaks.

What conditions should my employer provide for breastfeeding breaks?

Your employer is obliged to provide you with a space that is “private, well ventilated, well lit, clean and sufficiently heated” where you can “express milk and store it in hygienic conditions” and where you should also “have access to running water” – see section 6.7 of this document from the Belgian Ministry of Employment (French) and section 7 of the official code for wellbeing at work (French / Dutch).

How long can the breaks be?

  • If you work between 4 and 7.5 hours per day, you have the right to one breastfeeding break of 30 minutes.
  • If you work more than 7.5 hours per day, you have the right to one hour of breastfeeding breaks, either taken in one go, or broken into two 30-minute breaks.

The timing of your breaks will hopefully be up to you. However, if you and your employer cannot come to an agreement, the break(s) will be on either side of your usual lunch break.

Do I get paid for breastfeeding breaks?

Breastfeeding breaks are not paid by your employer, but you receive a payment from your health insurance fund of 82% of your salary.

Remember that fiscally speaking, these indemnities are considered as taxable ‘replacement salary’, and need to be declared on your annual tax return.  

What do I need to do to have paid breastfeeding breaks? 

  • Inform your employer: Two months before you go back to work, tell your employer that you want to take breastfeeding breaks – it’s best to do this via a recommended letter, or to ask written confirmation that they have received your request.

    Your employer may ask that you provide ‘proof’ each month that you are still breastfeeding – your doctor, midwife, or ONE consulation can provide this to you.
  • Inform your mutuelle: Your health insurance fund will provide you with a document ‘attestation mensuelle portant sur l’indemnité pour les pauses d’allaitement’, or the equivalent in Dutch.

    You need to return this form each month to your health insurance fund, filled in by yourself and by your employer. The form will state the number of breastfeeding breaks you took, and your net salary.

    You also sign that your request for payment for the breastfeeding breaks is truthful.

Protection against being made redundant

From the time you inform your employer that you will take breastfeeding breaks, until one month after your last ‘proof of breastfeeding/expressing’ expires, you are protected against being made redundant (unless for reasons unrelated to your situation).

Breastfeeding support when you’re going back to work

With a little planning and effort and the right support, it’s perfectly possible to continue breastfeeding once you start back at work – and it’s a great way to keep that close bond with your baby.

Check out our page on postnatal support for more about where to turn for advice when transitioning back to work.