Career break vs time credit: the difference explained

One of your employees walks into your office with a question you never saw coming: "I'd like to work less for a while." Fine. But then the puzzle begins. Is that person entitled to a career break? Or to time credit? And what's the actual difference?

The confusion is understandable. Even seasoned HR professionals mix up the two schemes now and then. They look alike, both involve working less and receiving a benefit from the NEO (National Employment Office), yet the conditions and entitlements are completely different. And whether your employee works in the public or the private sector changes everything.

In this article, we lay it all out side by side. No legal jargon, just concrete conditions, amounts and the new rules for 2026.

The basic rule: public vs private sector

Here's the key point: the sector your employee works in determines which system applies.

Career break is for employees in the public sector. Think of federal civil servants, staff of municipalities and provinces, education, and autonomous public enterprises. The system has existed since the 1980s and gives civil servants the right to temporarily interrupt their career or reduce their working hours.

Time credit is the private-sector counterpart. In 2002, this system replaced the earlier career break that used to exist in the private sector too. It is governed by collective labour agreement (CLA) No. 103 of the National Labour Council.

In a nutshell: work for the government? Then you fall under the career break scheme. Work in the private sector? Then time credit is your system. That's the essence of it, even if the details (as always in Belgian legislation) are a bit more complicated.

Career break in the public sector: how it works

Let's take a step back. The career break gives public-sector employees three options:

• Full break: you stop working entirely for a while
• Half-time reduction: you still work half of your hours
• 1/5 reduction: you work four days instead of five

Conditions

The exact conditions depend on your sub-sector. There are separate rules for the federal administration, education, municipalities and provinces, and autonomous public enterprises. That makes it, frankly, a maze.

But the broad outline:

• You need no minimum seniority with most public services (although specific employers may require it)
• Both statutory and contractual staff members qualify, but under different rules
• Your employer can, in certain cases, postpone the request for organisational reasons

Duration

Under the general scheme, a maximum of 60 months applies to partial career breaks over your entire career. Periods of thematic leave (parental leave, palliative leave, medical assistance) do not count towards this.

For a full career break, the maximum varies by sub-sector. In some cases it is 60 months, in others more or less.

Important: anyone who opts for the end-of-career scheme can take the partial break without limit, so right up to retirement.

NEO benefits

During your career break, you receive a monthly benefit from the NEO. The amounts are indexed each year (most recently on 01/02/2025). A sample of the indicative amounts:

• Full break: around 400 to 500 euros net per month (depending on seniority and situation)
• Half-time reduction: around 200 to 250 euros net per month
• 1/5 reduction: around 100 to 150 euros net per month

After 12 months, the amounts drop by 5%. That's a detail many people overlook.

You'll find the exact amounts on the NEO website. We always recommend checking the current figures there, as they are indexed regularly.

Time credit in the private sector: how it works

Time credit for the private sector has two main pillars: time credit with a reason and end-of-career time credit (landingsbaan).

On top of that, there is thematic leave, which applies in both the public and private sectors. But let's focus on time credit itself first.

Time credit with a reason

Since 2017, only time credit with a reason exists. So you must have a reason. The recognised reasons are:

• Caring for a child under 8
• Providing palliative care
• Assisting a seriously ill member of your household or family
• Caring for a disabled child under 21
• Following a recognised training programme

Duration by reason

This is where it gets a bit legal. Not boring-legal, but important.

The maximum duration depends on your reason:

• Training: up to 36 months over your entire career
• Caring for a child, a sick relative, palliative care or a disabled child: up to 51 months over your entire career

And watch out: earlier periods of time credit, and even periods of the old private-sector career break, are deducted from this maximum. So anyone who has already taken time credit has less entitlement left.

Forms of time credit

Just as with a career break, you can choose from:

• A full suspension of your employment contract
• A half-time reduction (only if you work full-time)
• A 1/5 reduction (only if you work full-time)

New since 2026: employees who spread their full-time hours over fewer than five days a week are now also entitled to the 1/5 reduction. The condition: at least 12 months of full-time employment with the same employer.

Seniority requirement

Unlike the public sector, time credit comes with a seniority requirement. You must have been employed by your employer for at least 24 months. That condition can differ by sector or company through a CLA, but 24 months is the standard.

NEO benefits for time credit

The amounts are in the same range as for a career break, but the calculation is different. They depend on your family situation (living alone, cohabiting, with dependants) and the form of the break.

Indicative monthly amounts for time credit with a reason (2025-2026):

• Full break: between 500 and 900 euros net, depending on your family situation
• Half-time reduction: between 200 and 450 euros net
• 1/5 reduction: between 100 and 250 euros net

It's best to check the current amounts on the NEO website for private-sector time credit. These amounts are indexed and therefore change regularly.

End-of-career time credit: the big 2026 changes

As your employee approaches retirement age, end-of-career time credit comes into play. And quite a lot changed here in 2026.

The end-of-career scheme allows older employees to reduce their working hours right up to retirement, with a NEO benefit as compensation. It only involves a partial reduction (half-time or 1/5), not a full stop.

What changed on 1 January 2026?

The conditions became stricter. The main changes:

Age: The general age threshold rises to 60 (it was lower).

Career requirement: You must be able to demonstrate a longer professional career. The required career length is raised gradually up to 2030:

• Men: 31 years in 2026, rising to 35 years in 2030
• Women: 26 years in 2026, rising to 30 years in 2030

Seniority: At least 24 months with the current employer (can be shortened by mutual agreement).

Exceptions from age 55

Not everyone has to wait until 60. There are exception schemes that let you enter an end-of-career arrangement as early as 55:

• Employees in an arduous occupation (rotating shifts, night work, split shifts)
• Employees with a long career of at least 35 years
• Employees in a company in difficulty or undergoing restructuring
• Employees with a certificate of incapacity for work from Joint Committee (JC) 124
• Target-group employees from JC 327 with 25 years of professional experience

You can read more about the specific rules for end-of-career time credit in 2026 in our article on end-of-career time credit in 2026.

At Recruit, we have guided thousands of employers over the years through the administrative processing of requests like these. What we see time and again: employers who aren't aware of the new career requirements risk incorrect calculations and needless delays.

Thematic leave: for everyone

Alongside career breaks and time credit, there is also thematic leave. It applies in both the public and the private sector. There are four specific forms of leave:

• Parental leave: for caring for a child under 12 (or 21 in the case of a disability)
• Leave for medical assistance: in the event of serious illness of a member of your household or family
• Palliative leave: for providing palliative care
• Carer's leave: for recognised informal carers

The big advantage of thematic leave? It forms a separate entitlement. Periods you take as thematic leave are not deducted from your right to time credit or a career break. Many employees (and employers) don't know that.

The benefits for thematic leave are generally slightly higher than for ordinary time credit. The current amounts are on the NEO page for thematic leave.

The key differences at a glance

To keep things clear, here are the core differences:

Scope Career break applies to the public sector. Time credit applies to the private sector. Thematic leave applies to both.

Legal basis The career break is based on the Recovery Act of 22 January 1985. Time credit is governed by CLA No. 103 of the National Labour Council.

Seniority A career break generally has no minimum seniority requirement (although individual employers may require it). Time credit comes with a standard seniority requirement of 24 months.

Reason required? A career break under the general scheme requires no specific reason. Since 2017, time credit compulsorily requires a reason.

Maximum duration Career break: up to 60 months partial (general scheme), unlimited in the end-of-career scheme. Time credit: 36 to 51 months depending on the reason.

Benefits The amounts are comparable but calculated differently. With time credit, the family situation plays a bigger role.

Protection against dismissal Both systems offer a form of protection against dismissal. Your employer may not dismiss you because of the request or the taking of the break.

What if your employee changes sector?

Here it gets extra complex. Suppose someone worked ten years in the public sector, took a three-year career break, and then moves to the private sector. Does that earlier career break count towards their time credit?

Yes. In certain cases, earlier periods of a public-sector career break are deducted from the entitlement to private-sector time credit. That's a pitfall few people think about when switching sectors.

Our HR experts regularly handle questions about transition situations like these. The advice is always the same: check with the NEO how much entitlement your employee has left before you submit a request. That prevents surprises down the line.

The application procedure: your role as employer

Whether it concerns a career break or time credit, as an employer you have obligations. The procedure differs by system, but the main steps are comparable:

For a career break (public sector): The employee submits a written request to the employer. After approval (or once the decision period has expired), the employee submits a request to the NEO for the benefit. The employer must provide a certificate.

For time credit (private sector): The employee notifies the employer in writing, at least three months in advance (six months in companies with more than 20 employees for certain forms). The employer can postpone the start date by up to six months. After that, the employee submits a request to the NEO.

In both systems, as an employer you must ensure the documents and certificates are correct. This is exactly the kind of administration where mistakes can prove costly. You can keep track of it yourself, or you can have it handled by a payroll partner who knows these processes. At Recruit, we make sure the flow of documents runs smoothly, so your employee faces no delay with the NEO.

Common misconceptions

After more than 15 years in Belgian payroll, we keep seeing the same misconceptions come up. The five most common:

"A career break and time credit are the same thing" No. They are two separate systems for two separate sectors. The conditions, duration and benefit calculations differ.

"I can take unlimited time credit" No. There is a legal maximum of 36 or 51 months, depending on your reason. And earlier periods count.

"Thematic leave is deducted from my time credit" No. Thematic leave forms a separate entitlement. It is not deducted from your time credit or career break.

"My employer can refuse a career break" In the public sector, a career break is in principle a right, but the employer can postpone it. For private-sector time credit, a comparable system applies, although there are situations in which the employer has the right to refuse or postpone the request.

"The benefits are tax-free" No. NEO benefits for career breaks and time credit are taxable. Professional withholding tax is deducted, and you must declare them in your tax return.

The impact on the notice period

A point employers often forget: a career break and time credit can affect the calculation of the notice period. In principle, these periods count towards the calculation of seniority, which matters if you ever proceed to dismissal.

Want to know more about exactly how notice periods are calculated? We previously wrote a comprehensive guide to calculating notice periods that walks you through the process step by step. And for the full dismissal procedure as an employer, our article on the dismissal procedure for employers can help you further.

In short

The difference between a career break and time credit comes down to the sector: public versus private. Both systems let employees temporarily work less with a NEO benefit, but the conditions, the duration and the calculation diverge.

With the stricter rules for end-of-career time credit from 2026, having the right information matters more than ever. Always check the current conditions on the NEO website and take your sector's specific situation into account.

The honest truth? This is one of those topics where you're better off bringing in an expert than puzzling it out yourself. The basic rules are clear, but as soon as you deal with specific sub-sectors, earlier periods and sector switches, it quickly gets a good deal more complex.

Frequently asked questions

As an employer, can I refuse a career break? In the public sector, a career break is in principle a right of the employee. In certain cases you can postpone the start date for organisational reasons, but you cannot simply refuse it. For private-sector time credit, the rules are slightly different and there are more options to postpone.

How much is the NEO benefit for time credit? That depends on the form (full, half-time, 1/5), your family situation and your age. The amounts are indexed regularly. Check the current amounts on the NEO website. As a guide, expect 500 to 900 euros net for a full break, considerably less for a partial reduction.

Does my career break count towards my pension? Partly. Certain periods of career break and time credit are treated as equivalent for the pension calculation, but not all of them and not without limit. The rules are complex and depend on the specific form and the timing of the leave. Check mypension.be for your personal situation.

What if I want to take on a secondary occupation during my time credit? That's possible, but under strict conditions. The NEO has specific rules on combining activities. In certain cases you may take on an additional activity, but this can affect your benefit. Always report it to the NEO in advance to avoid surprises.

Can I end my career break early? Yes, but not just from one day to the next. You must notify your employer in good time. The notice period for returning differs by system and by employer. In the public sector, specific procedures often apply per public service.

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The information in this article is purely informative and does not replace professional legal or accounting advice. Employment legislation changes regularly. Always consult the current legislation or contact an HR expert for advice tailored to your situation. Please note: the rules can differ per Joint Committee and sector.