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Leave in Denmark
Maternity, paternity, and parental leave in Denmark
Adoption leave in Denmark
Other leave in Denmark
Public holidays in Denmark
Protect your employees and your business
Paid time off in Denmark
Every country has its own rules and standards when it comes to leaves and time off from work — and employers need to know about them. For example, employees in Denmark are entitled to paid time off for holidays, sick leave, and when they have a baby. They are also entitled to time off work for military or civil service. Employees also get paid time off in Denmark if they need to care for a child or relative who is sick.
In Denmark, paid time off is mandated by either the Salaried Employees Act or individual collective bargaining agreements. Employers can also set their own policies for paid leave. However, they can’t give employees less generous leave than what’s provided for in the relevant CBA or the Salaried Employees Act.
In this section, we’ll cover several different types of paid leave in Denmark, to help you understand what your Danish employees are entitled to. We’ll discuss annual leave, including how much employees get and how it’s calculated. And we’ll also go into the various particularities of maternity and paternity leave for Danish employees. Read on to learn everything you need to know about paid time off in Denmark.
Leave in Denmark
Both part-time and full-time employees in Denmark are entitled to five full weeks of paid holiday each year. For full-time employees, this amounts to 25 days of leave. For part-time employees, the number of days is worked out on a pro-rata basis.
Employees in Denmark can choose whether they want a paid vacation or a holiday allowance. If they choose the first option, they are paid their normal salary, plus a holiday supplement of 1%. Alternatively, they can receive a holiday allowance of 12.5% of their annual salary.
Calculating annual leave in Denmark
Annual leave in Denmark is accrued at the rate of 2.08 days per month for full-time employees. That means that for every month an employee works, they can take 2.08 days of holiday. This adds up to 25 days over the year. Holiday is accrued during the accrual period, which runs from 1 September to 31 August. However, employees can choose to take their accrued holiday from the month after it is accrued.
Carrying over and paying out annual leave in Denmark
In theory, employees in Denmark accrue holiday during the accrual period (1 September to 31 August) and use it during the same period. However, they can carry over unused leave until 31 December of the same year. For example, holiday accrued between September 2024 and August 2025 can be taken any time before 31 December 2025.
Employers generally don’t have to pay out unused annual leave in Denmark, and employees lose access to any leave they haven’t used by 31 December in a given year. However, employers do have to pay out any unused leave days when an employee leaves the company.
Paid sick leave in Denmark
Under the Salaried Employees Act and most collective bargaining agreements, employees are entitled to paid sick leave in Denmark as long as they meet certain conditions. During the first 30 days of leave, the employer is responsible for paying the employee at their normal rate. After this time, the employee can get sickness benefits from the local municipality authorities.
Usually, the employer continues to pay the employee and claims a refund for an amount corresponding to the local authority’s sickness benefit rate.
Employees are entitled to paid sick leave in Denmark if they:
- Have been continuously working for the same company for at least 2 months
- Have worked a minimum of 74 hours during this period
Employees are entitled to the sickness benefit for up to 22 weeks in a nine-month period. The local municipality will evaluate the employee’s situation before the end of this period to determine whether they should continue to get sickness benefits.
Maternity, paternity, and parental leave in Denmark
Employees in Denmark can get various types of parental leave when they or their partner gives birth. As long as they meet certain conditions, both mothers and fathers are also entitled to the parental benefit, which is a weekly payment during their leave.
Maternity leave in Denmark
Mothers in Denmark can take four weeks of paid leave before the birth of their child. They are then entitled to a further 24 weeks of maternity leave, some of which can be shared with their partner. This breaks down into:
- A mandatory two weeks immediately after the birth
- A further eight weeks to be taken within 10 weeks of the birth
- A further 14 weeks to be taken before the child’s first birthday
In some circumstances, parents can extend or postpone some of their leave beyond the first year, as long as they take it before their child’s ninth birthday. However, nine weeks of this leave have to be taken within the first year.
Paternity leave in Denmark
Fathers or co-parents are also entitled to leave when their partner gives birth in Denmark. Like birth mothers, they have to take a mandatory two weeks of leave immediately after the birth. They can then take an additional 22 weeks of leave at any time before the child turns one year old. In some circumstances, they can postpone 13 weeks of this leave as long as they take it before the child’s ninth birthday.
Transferring parental leave in Denmark
Essentially, both parents get 24 weeks of parental leave in Denmark. Some of this leave can be transferred to the other parent, while some can’t. Specifically, employees must take at least nine weeks of parental leave themselves, including a mandatory two weeks immediately following the birth for both parents. They can then choose to transfer some or all of their remaining leave to their partner.
Pay for parental leave in Denmark
Whether or not employers have to pay employees for maternity, paternity, and parental leave in Denmark depends on the collective bargaining agreement that applies. Employees who don’t get paid during their leave can claim the parental benefit. And, when employers do pay the employee’s full or partial salary, they can claim the parental benefit on their behalf.
To be eligible for the parental benefit, employees must:
- Be in work the day before the leave starts
- Have worked at least 160 hours within the last four whole months
- Have worked at least 40 hours per month in at least three of those months
They also have to be physically present with their child every day during their leave. Full-time employees in Denmark with a monthly salary of at least DKK 19,728 receive the highest unemployment benefit during their parental leave. This amounts to DKK 4,550 (around EUR 600) per month.
Adoption leave in Denmark
Parents who adopt children in Denmark are entitled to adoption leave. This is calculated in a similar way to maternity and paternity leave, and similar conditions apply. Essentially, each parent is entitled to 24 weeks of adoption leave. Some of this leave can be transferred to the other parent.
Adoption leave in Denmark breaks down into:
- Six weeks of leave with parental benefit after receiving the child. Only two weeks of this leave can be taken by both parents at the same time. Employees can choose to transfer up to four weeks of leave to the other parent.
- An additional 18 weeks of leave to be taken within one year of receiving the child. Employees can postpone some or all of this leave until any time before the child turns nine if they meet certain conditions.
Parents can get the parental benefit during this time if they are not paid by their employer.
Leave before receiving the child
Employees who adopt a child in Denmark are also entitled to leave before the child arrives to live with them. The amount they are entitled to depends on whether the child is adopted from Denmark or from abroad. Employees can take:
- Up to four weeks of leave if they are adopting a child from abroad
- One week of leave if they are adopting a child from Denmark
Other leave in Denmark
Employees in Denmark may also be entitled to various other types of leave, depending on what is written in their collective bargaining agreement. Of course, employers in Denmark can also choose to provide their employees with additional leave by specifying this in their individual employment contracts. They can’t provide less leave than what is stated in the CBA or the Salaried Employees Act if it applies.
National military or civil service leave
Employees aged between 18 and 30 in Denmark can be called up for national military or civil service, which normally lasts four months. Both men and women can also volunteer for national service. It’s illegal to dismiss an employee for taking or requesting national service leave in Denmark.
Carer’s leave
Employees in Denmark are entitled to up to six months’ leave to care for a relative who is dying or seriously ill or injured. Employees in this situation receive a carer’s allowance from the local authority where they live.
Bereavement leave
Employees are entitled to bereavement leave after the death of a child or a stillbirth. They can take this leave for up to 26 weeks after the child’s death. During this time, they can receive unemployment benefits as long as they meet certain requirements.
Unpaid leave
Public sector employees in Denmark are entitled to unpaid leave in various circumstances, such as if they or their partner is temporarily posted abroad. There is no specific right to unpaid leave in the private sector. However, employers are free to make individual arrangements with employees who request unpaid leave.
Special event leave
There is no specific law in Denmark that grants employees the right to time off for special events like weddings or funerals. However, many workplaces have policies in place that provide for paid time off in these circumstances.
Public holidays
Employees in Denmark are typically entitled to time off on public holidays. Collective bargaining agreements might also grant employees additional days off work.
Public holidays in Denmark
There are 10 public holidays each year in Denmark, and Danish employees are typically entitled to time off on these days. However, how this is paid depends on the type of employment. Employees who receive a monthly salary should receive the same salary each month, regardless of how many public holidays occur. For employees on hourly wages, whether or not public holidays are paid depends on their collective bargaining agreement and individual employment contract.
Many public holidays in Denmark, including Maundy Thursday and Good Friday, always fall on the same weekday. However, some public holidays, like Christmas Day, could fall on a weekend. Public holidays in Denmark don’t move to the next working day if they fall on a Saturday or Sunday, as they do in some other countries. If a public holiday falls on a weekend, employees get fewer public holidays that year.
Public holidays and collective bargaining agreements
Depending on their collective bargaining agreement, employees might be entitled to days off on days that are not public holidays. These might include:
1 May
International Workers’ Day
5 June
Constitution Day
24 December
Christmas Eve
31 December
New Year’s Eve
Public holidays in Denmark in 2024
Here are the public holidays observed in Denmark in 2024:
1 January
New Year’s Day
28 March
Maundy Thursday
29 March
Good Friday
31 March
Easter Sunday
1 April
Easter Monday
9 May
Ascension Day
19 May
Whitsun
20 May
Whit Monday
25 December
Christmas Day
26 December
Second Day of Christmas
Other important dates in Denmark
There are also several other dates on the Danish calendar that are not public holidays, but which are nonetheless culturally important. These include:
2 February
Candlemas
23 March
Nordic Day
16 April
Birthday of H.M. Queen Margrethe II.
5 May
Liberation Day
Second Sunday in May
Mother’s Day
9 May
Europe Day
26 May
Birthday of H.M. King Frederik X.
5 June
Father's Day
15 June
Valdemar’s Day
15 June
Reunification Day
23 June
Midsummer Eve
Protect your employees and your business
As an employer in Denmark, you need to understand your employees’ rights and entitlements. But keeping up with them can be a lot of work.
When you hire workers with CXC, we’ll ensure your engagements are in line with all local, national, and international employment regulations. That way, your workers will get the benefits they’re entitled to, and your business will be protected from risk.
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