Time off to care for a sick child in Denmark
If your child becomes ill while you work in Denmark, find out when you may be entitled to paid leave, what your employment contract covers and what support is available if your child is seriously ill.
Paid leave on your child's first day of illness
If you are entitled to paid leave on your child's first day of illness, this will be stated in your employment contract or in your workplace's local rules.
In many workplaces, you are entitled to one day's paid leave. The purpose of this day is to care for your child and, if necessary, arrange alternative childcare if your child needs to stay at home for longer.
If you are not entitled to paid leave, your employer may deduct pay for your absence. Check with your employer what applies in your workplace.
Leave if your child is seriously ill
If you have a seriously ill child under the age of 18, you may be entitled to full or partial family care leave, plejeorlov.
Depending on your employment contract or collective agreement, you may receive full pay from your employer during your leave. In some cases, you may instead be entitled to compensation from the municipality. The compensation corresponds to the sickness benefits you would normally receive if you were ill yourself.
Your entitlement depends on your individual circumstances and whether you meet the relevant conditions.
Read about leave to care for a seriously ill child at borger.dk (in Danish)
Child care days
All employees in the Danish public sector are entitled to child care days, omsorgsdage, with full pay to spend time with their child.
If you work in the private sector, your employment contract or collective agreement will state whether you are entitled to omsorgsdage.
If the other parent is covered by Swedish social insurance
If the other parent is covered by the Swedish social insurance system, they may transfer their right to temporary parental benefit for the care of a sick child (VAB) to another person who is also covered by Swedish social insurance.
This means that the person caring for the child does not have to be the child's parent, provided the conditions are met.
Read about VAB at Försäkringskassan
More information
If you have questions about caring for a sick child while working in Denmark, contact the experts at the Øresunddirekt Information Centre in Malmö.
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