Parental leave when you work in Denmark
If you work in Denmark, Danish rules apply to your parental leave. Find out about parental benefits, how much leave you can take and the rules for extending or postponing your leave.
Parental benefits
Danish parental benefits, barselsdagpenge, provide you with an income during leave in connection with pregnancy, birth or adoption. The Danish authority, Udbetaling Danmark, decides whether you are entitled to barselsdagpenge.
To qualify for barselsdagpenge, you must meet the following employment requirements:
- 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.
Udbetaling Danmark automatically receives this information from your employer.
See the rules for parental leave at Life in Denmark
How much can you receive in parental benefits?
Your barselsdagpenge are calculated as a weekly amount based on how much you work.
You may also be entitled to pay from your employer during all or part of your parental leave. This depends on your employment contract and any agreements at your workplace. Check with your employer to find out what applies to you.
Parental leave if your child was born on or after 2 August 2022
Parental leave gives you the right to take time off work when you have a child. The rules below apply if your child was born on or after 2 August 2022.
Deadlines for notifying your employer
You must notify your employer about your parental leave within specific deadlines. The deadlines depend on whether you are the mother, father or co-mother, and on how you plan to take your leave.
See our page with the deadlines for notifying your employer
For children born on or after 2 August 2022, parental leave is generally divided equally between both parents.
The parent giving birth is entitled to 4 weeks of leave before the birth if they are covered by social insurance in Denmark.
If both parents are covered by social insurance in Denmark and live together when the child is born, each parent is entitled to 24 weeks of leave.
If only one parent is covered by social insurance in Denmark, that parent is entitled to 24 weeks and may be able to apply for an additional 13 weeks of leave if certain conditions are met. This means they may be entitled to up to 37 weeks in total. The parent giving birth may be entitled to up to 41 weeks in total.
If one parent is covered by social insurance in Sweden or another country, parental benefit days are coordinated between the countries. This can affect how many days each parent can take and how you can transfer leave between you.
If the child has only one parent at birth, that parent can apply for an additional 22 weeks of leave. This gives the parent up to 46 weeks of leave in total: 24 weeks plus 22 additional weeks.
This may apply if:
- the parent giving birth has conceived with the help of a donor and there is no other legal parent
- the father has had a child with the help of a surrogate mother abroad
- the other parent died before the birth
- the parent is the sole adoptive parent
If the parents do not live together
Different rules apply if the child has two parents who do not live together when the child is born.
The parent with whom the child is registered receives an additional 13 weeks of leave, giving them up to 37 weeks in total.
If that parent also has sole custody, or obtains sole custody before the child turns 1, they can apply for an additional 9 weeks. This gives them up to 46 weeks of leave in total.
Read about situations that might affect your leave at Life in Denmark
If you have twins, you can apply for 13 additional weeks of leave with barselsdagpenge from Udbetaling Danmark. The additional leave must be taken within 12 months of the birth.
If you have 3 or more children in the same birth, you can apply for up to 26 additional weeks of leave with barselsdagpenge. The additional leave must be taken within 18 months of the birth.
Read about parental leave for multiple births at Life in Denmark
You can extend your parental leave, for example by combining leave with part-time work. You must agree this with your employer.
Some parts of your parental leave must be taken before your child turns 1. You can also extend your leave without receiving barselsdagpenge.
For more information about extending your parental leave, contact Udbetaling Danmark.
Contact Udbetaling Danmark, Maternity benefits
Good to know: Extending your leave may affect how many days are deducted from the other parent's parental benefit days in Sweden.
Contact the Swedish Social Insurance Agency, Försäkringskassan, at Øresunddirekt to find out how this may affect you.
In Denmark, you can postpone part of your parental leave by returning to work full-time during a period when you would otherwise be entitled to barselsdagpenge.
Some parts of your parental leave must be taken before your child turns 1.
For more information about postponing your parental leave, contact Udbetaling Danmark.
Parental leave if your child was born before 2 August 2022
Different parental leave rules apply if your child was born before 2 August 2022. You may still be able to take leave under the previous rules.
Read about parental leave for children born before 2 August 2022 at Life in Denmark
More information
If you have questions about parental leave in Denmark, contact your trade union, Udbetaling Danmark or Försäkringskassan at Øresunddirekt in Malmö.
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