Notice period when you resign in Belgium
When you resign, your notice period is much shorter than when your employer gives notice. It grows with your seniority and stops at a fixed maximum. Blue-collar and white-collar workers share the same table.
How many weeks do you have to work?
With less than three months of service it is 1 week, after one year 4 weeks, after five years 9 weeks. From 8 years of seniority it stays at 13 weeks, however long you have been employed.
If your contract started on or after 1 August 2026, your term in the first 6 months is always 1 week. After that you follow the same table as everyone else.
Sources: FOD Werkgelegenheid, opzeggingstermijnen bij ontslag door de werknemer (checked on 23 October 2026); Securex Lex4You, kortere opzegtermijnen in de eerste 6 maanden (29 juli 2026, wet van 3 juni 2026) (checked on 23 October 2026)
How to give notice correctly
Your notice is in writing and states the start and the length of the term. You may hand it to your employer, send it by registered post or have a bailiff serve it. A registered letter only takes effect on the third working day after sending.
The term starts on the Monday after the week in which your notice was served. Hand it in on a Wednesday and your term begins the following Monday.
Source: FOD Werkgelegenheid, ontslag door opzegging: algemene regels (checked on 23 October 2026)
Sick or on holiday during your own notice
A term you give yourself is never suspended. If you fall ill or take holiday, it simply keeps running and your contract ends on the planned date.
Source: FOD Werkgelegenheid, ontslag door opzegging: algemene regels (checked on 23 October 2026)
Job-search leave
Even when you resign, you may be absent on full pay to look for a new job. In the last 26 weeks of the term that is one day or two half days per week; because your own term is shorter, that usually covers the whole period.
Source: FOD Werkgelegenheid, ontslag door opzegging: algemene regels (checked on 23 October 2026)
What is your term?
Choose who gives notice and since when you have been employed, and see your number of weeks and last day straight away.
Frequently asked questions
Can I leave without working my notice period?
There are two ways. You agree an earlier end date with your employer by mutual consent, preferably in writing, or you stop unilaterally and pay compensation yourself equal to the pay for the weeks you do not work.
Sources: FOD Werkgelegenheid, andere wijzen van beëindiging (onderling akkoord, overmacht) (checked on 23 October 2026); FOD Werkgelegenheid, ontslag met betaling van een opzeggingsvergoeding (checked on 23 October 2026)
Is the notice period counted in working days or in weeks?
The table is in weeks, and the FPS counts both the term and any suspensions in calendar days. Weekends and public holidays therefore count.
Sources: FOD Werkgelegenheid, opzeggingstermijnen bij ontslag door de werknemer (checked on 23 October 2026); FOD Werkgelegenheid, ontslag door opzegging: algemene regels (checked on 23 October 2026)
When is my last working day if I give notice this week?
Count the weeks of your term from the Monday after the week of your notice. The calculator on our tool page does this for you and shows the actual dates.
Source: FOD Werkgelegenheid, ontslag door opzegging: algemene regels (checked on 23 October 2026)
General information based on the law and the sources listed. Your collective agreement, your contract and your payroll provider or union remain decisive for your own situation.
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