Student jobs 2026 in Belgium: overtime, breaks and the longest working day
In short
In Belgium in 2026, an hour becomes overtime beyond 9 hours a day or 40 hours a week with the same employer, or earlier if a collective agreement says so: it is paid +50%, and +100% on Sundays and public holidays, on a student contract as on any other contract. If you work more than 6 hours, you are entitled to a break (15 minutes unless your sector or company has another rule) and to 11 hours of rest between two working days. Under 18: at most 8 hours a day and 40 hours a week, all employers together, a 30-minute break beyond 4 h 30, 12 hours of rest, and no overtime except in cases of force majeure.
When does an hour become overtime?
The law limits normal working time to 8 hours a day and 40 hours a week, with 38 hours a week on average; some schedules set out in the work rules go up to 9 hours a day. Overtime pay is due for every hour beyond 9 hours in a day or 40 hours in a week, or beyond a lower limit set by a collective labour agreement (CLA). These rules also apply on a student contract. From age 18, they are assessed separately for each employer: two jobs on the same day do not add up.
| Example | Overtime | Overtime pay |
|---|---|---|
| 10 hours of work on a Tuesday | 1 h (beyond 9 h) | +50% |
| 6 days of 7 hours, Monday to Saturday: 42 h | 2 h (beyond 40 h) | +50%, Saturday included |
| 10 hours of work on a Sunday or public holiday | 1 h | +100% |
| CLA with 38 actual hours: 10, 10, 8, 8 and 6 h from Monday to Friday (42 h) | 2 h daily (Monday and Tuesday), then 2 h weekly | +50% |
Overtime pay is calculated on your ordinary pay, including premiums paid with each wage payment (a night premium, for example). At €13.56 gross an hour (the full statutory minimum wage), an overtime hour earns you €6.78 extra on a weekday and €13.56 extra on a Sunday or public holiday. No overtime pay is due when you work within the limits of a flexible schedule set out in the work rules.
Lower thresholds in some sectors
A collective agreement can bring the weekly threshold forward. For white-collar staff in food retail (joint committee 202), overtime pay is due beyond 36 hours a week, so from the 37th hour. Other sectors also have a threshold below 40 hours: check the collective agreement of your joint committee.
Voluntary overtime: when there is no extra pay
With your written agreement, given in advance, your employer can ask you to work voluntary overtime: at most 360 hours per calendar year, 240 of them without overtime pay. In hospitality, an employer using a registered cash register system declared to the tax authorities can go up to 450 hours, with more hours without overtime pay. The working day is still capped at 11 hours. Extra rules apply if you work part-time.
Breaks and rest: the minimums
| Rule | Age 18 and over | Under 18 |
|---|---|---|
| Working time | 8 h a day and 40 h a week in principle; at most 11 h a day, overtime included, except under special arrangements | At most 8 h a day and 40 h a week, all employers together |
| Overtime | Allowed in the cases provided by law, with overtime pay | Forbidden, except in cases of force majeure (accident, urgent repairs, unforeseen necessity): then +50% or +100% and compensatory rest of the same length |
| Break | By the time your shift reaches 6 h at the latest: 15 minutes unless another rule applies | 30 minutes beyond 4 h 30; one hour beyond 6 h, including 30 minutes in one go |
| Rest between two working days | 11 consecutive hours, with exceptions (split shifts, in restaurants for example) | 12 consecutive hours, no exceptions |
| Weekly rest | 35 consecutive hours | 48 h: Sunday plus Saturday or Monday |
Under 18, you may not work between 8 pm and 6 am, except under a derogation (in hospitality, until 11 pm at 16 and 17), and never between midnight and 4 am. Sundays and public holidays are in principle forbidden; with a derogation (hospitality, retail, cultural or sports events…), never more than one Sunday in two, unless the labour inspectorate allows it. At 15, if you still have to attend school full time, only light work is allowed: 2 hours per school day and 12 hours a week during term time, 8 hours a day and 40 hours a week during a school holiday of at least one week, 14 hours of rest between two working days, no night work, no Sundays or public holidays and no overtime.
A break is not working time when it is set out in the work rules: it is then unpaid. Time spent waiting for customers at your workplace does count as working time.
Related questions
Is overtime in a student job paid?
Yes, as for any worker: beyond 9 hours a day or 40 hours a week with the same employer (or beyond the limit in your collective agreement), an hour is paid +50%, and +100% on Sundays and public holidays. Exceptions: a flexible schedule that is respected, and voluntary overtime without overtime pay (240 of the 360 hours a year).
Can a student work more than 8 hours a day?
From age 18, yes: up to 9 hours if your schedule provides for it, then as overtime paid +50%, 11 hours at most except under special arrangements. Under 18, no: 8 hours a day at most, even with two employers, except in cases of force majeure.
Under 18: how many hours, and how late in the evening?
At most 8 hours a day and 40 hours a week, a 30-minute break beyond 4 h 30, 12 hours of rest between two working days. No work between 8 pm and 6 am, except under a derogation: in hospitality, until 11 pm at 16 and 17. Never between midnight and 4 am.
Can a student work overtime?
From age 18, yes, in the same cases as other workers (authorised exceptional workload, voluntary overtime with your written agreement…), with overtime pay. Under 18, no, except in cases of force majeure (accident, urgent repairs, unforeseen necessity): the employer must then inform the labour inspectorate in writing and give you compensatory rest of the same length.
Two jobs on the same day: do the hours add up?
For an adult’s limits and overtime pay, no: they are calculated separately for each employer. Under 18, yes: your hours with all your employers count together towards the 8 hours a day and the 40 hours a week.
Official sources
- FPS Employment, working time and overtime (in French)
- FPS Employment, rest periods: breaks, daily and weekly rest (in French)
- FPS Employment, young workers under 18 (in French)
- FPS Employment, child labour rules: light work at 15 (in French)
- FPS Employment, collective agreement of joint committee 202 of 23 November 2021 on working time (PDF in Dutch and French)
- FPS Employment, joint committee 302 information sheet, hospitality (updated 21 January 2026, PDF)
Trakko is not an official source: this guide sums up the rules as published by the authorities on the date shown. For an answer you can rely on, check Student@work, mycareer.be or the body quoted.