Checklist: Parental benefit and temporary parental benefit - Living in Sweden and working in Denmark
This checklist is for people living in Sweden and working in Denmark who are entitled to parental benefit or temporary parental benefit from Denmark.
1. Employment requirement (Danish work requirement)
Make sure you meet the employment requirement to receive parental allowance:
- You must be employed on the first day or the day before your leave.
- You must have worked at least 160 hours during the last four full months before your leave.
- You must have worked at least 40 hours per month for at least three of the four months.
Udbetaling Danmark automatically receives this information from your employer.
If you do not meet the employment requirement but have been employed in Sweden immediately prior to your employment in Denmark, without any gap in between, you must inform Udbetaling Danmark that you wish to include your insurance period in Sweden in accordance with Article 6 of Regulation 883/2004.
2. Notify your employer
Notify your employer that you will be taking parental leave. If you are pregnant, you must notify your employer no later than 3 months before the expected date of birth; different deadlines apply for fathers/co-mothers. The various deadlines for notifying your employer can be found on Udbetaling Danmark's website.
Also check with your employer what agreements or contracts you have in connection with parental leave. For example, you may be entitled to full pay during parts of your parental leave or to take leave earlier than four weeks before your expected date of delivery. If you are entitled to leave earlier than four weeks before your expected delivery date, these days will not be counted against the Swedish days to which the other parent may be entitled.
3. Apply for parental allowance from Udbetaling Danmark
If you receive pay during the first period of parental leave, your employer will receive compensation for this from Udbetaling Danmark, known as a refund. You can only apply for maternity allowance from Udbetaling Danmark yourself once your pay has stopped. Your employer is responsible for notifying Udbetaling Danmark, after which you will receive a notification from Udbetaling Danmark that you can apply. If you do not receive the letter, you should contact your employer. You must apply no later than eight weeks after your salary has ceased. Attach a family certificate to your application. You can order the family certificate from the Tax Agency.
Read more about maternity leave at borger.dk
Read more about family certificates on the Danish Tax Agency's website
If you do not receive a salary during the initial period, you should apply for maternity leave from Udbetaling Danmark immediately, but you must wait until your employer has notified them that you have taken leave. Your employer will notify Udbetaling Danmark that you have taken leave, and you will then receive a letter informing you to apply for maternity/paternity benefit. The letter will also state the deadline for submitting your application. If you have not received the letter shortly after taking leave, you should contact your employer. Attach a family certificate to your application. You can order the family certificate from the Tax Agency.
4. Coordination between countries
If you are on maternity leave in Denmark and the other parent is receiving parental allowance in Sweden, you should bear in mind that the days you take in Denmark will be deducted from the Swedish parental allowance days. Conversely, the Swedish days taken will also be deducted from the Danish days you claim. One week of parental leave counts as seven days of parental allowance. When the other parent is to take parental allowance in Sweden, you need to contact Udbetaling Danmark and ask them to send you a certificate of your paid days. The other parent must attach the certificate when applying for parental allowance in Sweden.
Read more about deductions in our article on parental leave and parental allowance.
5. Important information
Remember to check your digital mail regularly during your maternity leave, to apply on time and to notify any changes.
