A full-time employee working in Flanders can take up to 125 hours of Flemish training leave per school year on full pay. As the employer, you keep paying wages and claim a refund from the Flemish government: € 24.50 per approved hour for 2026-2027. You cannot refuse leave requested on time, but you do have a say in the scheduling.
Which conditions apply to Flemish training leave?
Flemish training leave (Vlaams opleidingsverlof, VOV) applies to private-sector employees working at a site in the Flemish Region. At the start of the course, five things must be true:
- the employee works at least 50%;
- they work in the private sector or fall under a joint committee (JC);
- their site is in Flanders, according to your DmfA return;
- the course is listed in the database of Flemish training incentives when it starts (a course can lose its recognition later, so check again every school year);
- the course is at least 32 hours or 3 credits.
Students, apprentices on a work-study contract, interns and people on individual vocational training (IBO) are not entitled. Agency workers are, but then the temp agency claims the refund. A course already followed with training leave does not qualify a second time, except in case of force majeure.
How to calculate Flemish training leave hours
The personal maximum depends on the employment rate in March of the previous school year: that percentage times 125 hours. If the employee worked less than 50% in March, the month their first course starts counts instead. The maximum stays the same for the whole school year, even if their schedule changes.
Within that maximum, the type of course sets the actual number of hours:
| Type of course | Hours of leave |
|---|---|
| Higher education (bachelor, master, associate degree) | 4 hours per credit for which the employee sat the final assessment |
| Adult education (CVO) and Syntra | Hours actually attended, provided they sit the final assessment |
| Other courses in hours | Hours attended |
| Secondary education examination board | 16 hours per exam taken |
If the employee follows two different courses, one on their own initiative and one proposed by you, their maximum doubles. This is the joint initiative right. For the course you propose, they must know you are claiming training leave for it, and they can say no.
Worked example: what it costs you and what you get back
A full-time accountant (38 hours a week) earns € 4,300 gross a month. He follows a bachelor's programme and sits exams for 30 credits.
- Hours of leave. 30 x 4 = 120 hours, under his maximum of 125 hours.
- His hourly pay. (4,300 x 12 / 52) / 38 = € 26.11.
- The hourly ceiling. Above € 3,864 gross a month, you may cap the hourly pay for training leave hours: (3,864 x 12 / 52) / 38 = € 23.47.
- What you pay. 120 x € 23.47 = € 2,816.40 gross, plus employer NSSO contributions.
- What Flanders refunds. 120 x € 24.50 = € 2,940.
This school year, the refund covers most of the wage cost. The year before, the flat rate was still € 14.91 per hour. If you budget with the old amount, you underestimate what you get back.
Can an employer refuse Flemish training leave?
No, not if the employee asks in time. It is a right. There are three exceptions and margins:
- A late request. You must claim the refund within 3 months of the course start. If the employee asks for the leave less than 2 weeks before that deadline, you may refuse. If you use collective planning, vlaanderen.be adds that you may also refuse when the employee asks for leave for a course that runs the whole school year after 31 October 2026.
- Too many people away at once. You can object to simultaneous absences. Under 20 employees, if more than 10% of staff would be away at the same time. From 20 to 50 employees, that 10% applies per role. Above 50, the works council defines in advance what a role is. At least one employee, or one per role, always gets permission.
- Planning. You set the hours together with the employee, taking into account how work is organised and the continuity of the service. So you have a say in when the hours are taken, but you do not refuse the right itself.
Scheduling is done by agreement. The employee can take their hours from 1 day before the start to 2 days after the end of the course, also to study or complete assignments. If they work half-time or less on a fixed schedule, only during hours that overlap with a class, exam or internship. If you cannot agree, the union delegation can mediate, then the Social Law Inspectorate.
Getting Flemish training leave refunded: what the employer files
You claim the refund yourself, or your payroll provider does it as your service provider. For courses in the 2026-2027 school year, claims open on 15 October 2026.
- Get the enrolment certificate from the employee. Copy the start date, end date, number of hours or credits and the ODB number exactly.
- File the claim through the WSE portal, for the company and not as a private person, within 3 months of the start date. For a new hire, the date of joining counts; for a late enrolment, the enrolment date. For a course that runs the whole school year, vlaanderen.be gives 31 December 2026 as the deadline, but the Flemish Government decree says 3 months after the start. Stick to the shorter period.
- Record the hours taken in the DmfA with the right code and information field. Without it, the file is not paid.
- Track the file in the WSE portal. The training provider submits the attendance.
Expect payment a few months after the course ends: the department waits for the DmfA and for the attendance data from the training provider. After the school-year settlement, a final settlement can still follow to process later corrections.
Mistakes employers make
- Missing the 3-month deadline. A late claim loses the refund, even if you paid the wages.
- Forgetting the DmfA. Reporting training leave hours as ordinary working hours blocks payment.
- Paying an employee above the ceiling in full without realising it. That is allowed, but not required.
- Not tracking attendance. If the employee attended less than the hours taken, your refund drops and you can reclaim overpaid wages.
For a longer course, the employee can combine Flemish training leave with time credit for training. Each scheme then has its own application.
What Business Centrum does for you
We calculate your employee's personal maximum, apply the pay ceiling if you want to and record the training leave hours with the right code in the DmfA. As your service provider we file the refund claim in the WSE portal on time and follow the file until payment. It runs with your payroll and your leave and absence service, together with Acerta.