Managing employee leave and vacation entitlements in Denmark requires a clear understanding of the country's labor laws and collective agreements. Danish legislation provides robust protections for employees, ensuring they receive adequate time off for rest, illness, and family responsibilities. Employers must navigate these regulations to ensure compliance and maintain positive employee relations.
Understanding the standard entitlements and procedures for various types of leave is crucial for businesses operating in Denmark, whether they have a local entity or employ individuals remotely via an Employer of Record. These policies are designed to support work-life balance and employee well-being, contributing to a productive workforce.
Annual Vacation Leave
In Denmark, employees are entitled to a minimum of 25 days of paid annual vacation per year. The vacation year runs from September 1st to August 31st, en vacation is earned concurrently, meaning employees accrue vacation days as they work. For every month of employment, an employee accrues 2.08 vacation days.
Employees are typically entitled to take 15 days of main holiday consecutively during the main holiday period, which runs from May 1st to September 30th. The remaining 10 days can be taken as supplementary holidays at other times of the year, often in blocks of 5 days.
Vacation pay is generally calculated in one of two ways:
- Salary during vacation: Employees receive their usual salary while on vacation, plus a holiday supplement (ferietillæg) of at least 1% of their annual salary.
- Holiday allowance (Feriegodtgørelse): For employees with variable pay or those leaving employment, holiday allowance is typically paid at a rate of 12.5% of the employee's gross salary earned during the accrual period. This is often managed through the FerieKonto system.
Unused vacation days can sometimes be transferred to the next vacation year, typically up to 5 days, by agreement between the employer and employee. Vacation days exceeding this limit that are not taken or transferred are usually paid out after the end of the vacation year.
Public Holidays and Observances
Denmark observes several public holidays throughout the year. Employees are generally entitled to time off on these days, often with pay, depending on their employment contract or collective agreement. When a public holiday falls on a weekend, it is typically not moved to a weekday.
Here are the expected public holidays for 2025:
| Date | Day of Week | Holiday Name |
|---|---|---|
| January 1 | Wednesday | New Year's Day |
| April 17 | Thursday | Maundy Thursday |
| April 18 | Friday | Good Friday |
| April 20 | Sunday | Easter Sunday |
| April 21 | Monday | Easter Monday |
| May 16 | Friday | Great Prayer Day |
| May 29 | Thursday | Ascension Day |
| June 8 | Sunday | Whit Sunday |
| June 9 | Monday | Whit Monday |
| December 25 | Thursday | Christmas Day |
| December 26 | Friday | Boxing Day (2nd Day) |
Note: Constitution Day (Grundlovsdag) on June 5th is not a public holiday by law, but many workplaces treat it as a half or full day off based on collective agreements or company policy.
Sick Leave Policies and Pay
Employees in Denmark are entitled to sick leave if they are unable to work due to illness. The rules regarding sick pay depend on the length of employment and the duration of the illness.
- Employer's responsibility: An employer is typically responsible for paying sick pay for the first 30 calendar days of an employee's absence due to illness, provided the employee has been employed for at least 8 weeks and has worked a minimum of 74 hours within that period. The amount paid is usually equivalent to the employee's normal salary.
- Municipal responsibility: After the initial 30 days, or if the employee does not meet the eligibility criteria for employer-paid sick pay, the employee may be entitled to sickness benefits (sygedagpenge) from the municipality. The municipality assesses the employee's eligibility and the amount of benefit, which is capped.
- Notification: Employees are generally required to notify their employer of their absence due to illness as soon as possible, typically on the first day of absence. Employers may request documentation, such as a doctor's note, especially for longer periods of absence.
Collective agreements may provide more favorable sick pay conditions than the minimum legal requirements.
Parental Leave
Denmark offers comprehensive parental leave provisions, allowing parents significant time off to care for their children. The entitlements are a combination of leave reserved for each parent and leave that can be shared.
Key entitlements include:
- Maternity Leave: The mother is entitled to 4 weeks of pregnancy leave before the expected birth date and 14 weeks of maternity leave after the birth.
- Paternity Leave: The father/co-mother is entitled to 2 weeks of paternity leave within the first 14 weeks after the birth.
- Parental Leave: Parents are jointly entitled to 32 weeks of parental leave per child, which can be extended to 46 weeks. This leave can be taken by either parent, or shared between them. Each parent also has 9 weeks of parental leave specifically reserved for them, which cannot be transferred to the other parent. The remaining weeks can be transferred.
During parental leave, employees may be entitled to parental benefits (barselsdagpenge) from the municipality, subject to eligibility requirements (e.g., employment status and income). The level of benefit is capped. Many collective agreements and individual employment contracts supplement these benefits to full salary for a certain period.
Adoption leave follows similar principles to parental leave, with entitlements for taking time off before and after receiving the child, and subsequent shared parental leave.
Other Types of Leave
Beyond the main categories, Danish law and collective agreements may provide for other types of leave:
- Care Leave: Employees may be entitled to leave to care for seriously ill close relatives.
- Bereavement Leave: While not a statutory right, many collective agreements and company policies grant paid leave in the event of the death of a close family member.
- Study Leave: Some collective agreements or company policies allow employees to take leave for educational purposes, sometimes with financial support.
- Sabbatical Leave: This is not a statutory right but may be offered by employers as part of their HR policy, allowing employees extended unpaid leave.
- Force Majeure Leave: Employees have a right to absence from work due to unforeseen urgent family reasons in case of illness or accident, where the immediate presence of the employee is required. This is typically short-term unpaid leave.
Specific entitlements and conditions for these types of leave often depend heavily on collective agreements or individual employment contracts.
