Parental benefits when you live in Sweden and work in Denmark
If you live in Sweden and work in Denmark, find out what you need to do before and during parental leave, including notifying your employer, applying for Danish parental benefits and coordinating benefits between Denmark and Sweden.
1. Check that you meet the employment requirement
To receive Danish parental benefits, barselsdagpenge, you must meet the employment requirement:
- You must be employed either on the day before your parental leave starts or on the first day of your leave.
- You must have worked at least 160 hours during the last 4 full months before your leave.
- You must have worked at least 40 hours per month in at least 3 of those 4 months.
The Danish authority, Udbetaling Danmark, automatically receives this information from your employer.
If you do not meet the employment requirement but worked in Sweden immediately before starting work in Denmark, with no gap between the two jobs, tell Udbetaling Danmark that you want your Swedish insurance period to be included under Article 6 of Regulation 883/2004.
2. Notify your employer
If you are employed when your child is born and your child was born on or after 2 August 2022, you must notify your employer that you will be taking parental leave. The deadlines depend on whether you are the mother, father or co-mother, and on how you plan to take your leave. See the deadlines in the table below.
Also check which agreements or contracts apply to parental leave at your workplace. For example, you may be entitled to full pay during part of your leave or to start your leave earlier than 4 weeks before the expected birth.
If you are entitled to start your leave earlier, these days will not be deducted from the Swedish parental leave days that the other parent may be entitled to.
|
Deadline |
If you are the mother |
If you are the father or co-mother |
|
3 months before expected birth |
Tell your employer that you are pregnant and whether you plan to take the 4 weeks of leave before the birth. |
|
|
4 weeks before expected birth |
If you plan to start your leave earlier than 4 weeks before the birth, tell your employer when. The same applies if you transfer up to 8 weeks of leave to the other parent instead of taking it yourself. |
Tell your employer whether you plan to take leave during the first 10 weeks after the birth and when you expect to take it. |
|
6 weeks after birth |
Tell your employer how much leave you plan to take, when you plan to take it and whether you want to postpone any of your leave. |
Tell your employer how much leave you plan to take, when you plan to take it and whether you want to postpone any of your leave. |
|
6 weeks after birth |
If you have postponed up to 5 weeks of leave, tell your employer when you plan to take it. |
If you have postponed up to 5 weeks of leave, tell your employer when you plan to take it. |
|
8 weeks before postponed leave starts |
If you have postponed leave without having agreed the timing with your employer, tell your employer when you plan to take the leave. |
If you have postponed leave without having agreed the timing with your employer, tell your employer when you plan to take the leave. |
Source: The Ministry of Employment and Gender Equality (in Danish)
3. Apply for Danish parental benefits
Barselsdagpenge are calculated as a weekly amount. The amount you can receive depends on how much you work.
If you receive pay during your parental leave
If you receive pay during the first part of your parental leave, your employer receives reimbursement, refusion, from Udbetaling Danmark.
You can apply for barselsdagpenge once your pay stops. Your employer must first notify Udbetaling Danmark. You will then receive a letter from Udbetaling Danmark with information on how to apply.
If you do not receive the letter, contact your employer. You must apply no later than 8 weeks after your pay stops.
If you do not receive pay during your parental leave
If you do not receive pay at the start of your parental leave, apply for barselsdagpenge as soon as your employer has notified Udbetaling Danmark that your leave has started.
You will then receive a letter from Udbetaling Danmark with information on how to apply and the application deadline. If you do not receive the letter shortly after starting your leave, contact your employer.
Include a family certificate with your application
In both cases, you must include a Swedish family certificate, familjebevis, with your application. You can order it from the Swedish Tax Agency, Skatteverket.
Read about maternity and parental leave at lifeindenmark.dk
Order a family certificate at Skatteverket
4. Coordination of parental benefits between Denmark and Sweden
If you receive barselsdagpenge in Denmark while the other parent receives parental benefit in Sweden, the days are coordinated between the two countries. Days taken in Denmark are deducted from the Swedish parental benefit days, and days taken in Sweden are deducted from the Danish days.
One week of parental leave in Denmark counts as 7 parental benefit days.
When the other parent applies for parental benefit in Sweden, contact Udbetaling Danmark and ask for a certificate showing the days for which you have received barselsdagpenge. The other parent must include this certificate with their application in Sweden.
See our page about parental leave when working in Denmark
5. Check your Digital Post during your parental leave
Check your Digital Post regularly during your parental leave. Make sure you apply by the relevant deadlines and notify Udbetaling Danmark if your circumstances change.
