Working hours in Belgium

Offices in Belgium typically run 09:00–17:00 local time, Monday to Friday. That is about 40 hours a week across 5 working days.

The week in Belgium

Mon 09:00–17:00
Tue 09:00–17:00
Wed 09:00–17:00
Thu 09:00–17:00
Fri 09:00–17:00
Sat off
Sun off

When can you reach Belgium?

We use the time zone your browser reports. Change it if that is not where you work — the hours below are yours, not UTC.

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Working with Belgium: what the hours do not tell you

A 38-hour week, not 40

Belgian law limits work to eight hours a day and 38 hours a week, the weekly figure averaged over a reference period that is in principle a quarter (Labour Act of 16 March 1971). Overtime beyond that carries a 50% supplement on weekdays and 100% on Sundays and public holidays.

Source: SPF Emploi, Travail et Concertation sociale — Durée du travail et temps de repos

Some colleagues work four long days

Since November 2022 a full-time employee can ask to work the same hours over four days instead of five, for a renewable six months (the 2022 labour deal, law of 3 October 2022). The employer may refuse, but must give reasons in writing. For you it means a Belgian contact may be unreachable one weekday every week, and on the other four at work until later than the country's usual day suggests.

Source: SPF Emploi — Deal pour l'emploi : publication des mesures

A right to switch off

The same law requires every employer with 20 or more staff to set out, by collective agreement or in the work rules, how employees can disconnect outside working hours; the deadline was 1 January 2023. An evening email to a Belgian office is legal to send and, in many firms, explicitly fine to leave until morning.

Source: SPF Emploi — Deal pour l'emploi : publication des mesures

Working with Belgium

Hours you share with Belgium, computed from each country's own working day rather than a blanket nine-to-five.

8hGermany09:00–17:00 there · 09:00–17:00 here
7hthe United Kingdom09:00–16:00 there · 10:00–17:00 here
6.5hIndia12:30–19:00 there · 09:00–15:30 hereThe difference moves -1 h on 25 October.
3hChina15:00–18:00 there · 09:00–12:00 hereThe difference moves -1 h on 25 October.
2hthe United States09:00–11:00 there · 15:00–17:00 hereThe difference moves -1 h on 25 October.
2hJapan16:00–18:00 there · 09:00–11:00 hereThe difference moves -1 h on 25 October.
0hAustraliano shared working hoursThe difference moves -1 h on 25 October.

What this changes when you schedule

Belgium keeps the Saturday and Sunday weekend, so the days line up with most of Europe and the Americas.

A national convention for offices. Individual employers, shift work and retail vary.

Sources and last check

Times, offsets and sun positions on this page are computed live from the IANA timezone database and the NOAA solar algorithm, so they do not depend on the review dates below.

Working hours and weekend days for 55 countries: Source: Published national labour conventions and government working-hours guidance. Last checked24 July 2026, reviewed every 12 months.
Not covered:A national convention, not any given employer. Countries not listed fall back to a nine-to-five, Monday to Friday default, and pages say so rather than implying we checked.

FAQ

What are normal working hours in Belgium?

09:00–17:00 local time is the usual office day, about 8 hours.

What days is the working week in Belgium?

Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday. The rest days are Saturday and Sunday.

Is Saturday a working day in Belgium?

No. Saturday is a rest day in Belgium.

Is Sunday a working day in Belgium?

No. Sunday is a rest day in Belgium.

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