Parental leave by country / Denmark
Maternity, paternity and parental leave in Denmark
How long each parent can be away, who pays and how much, the notice rules and the job protection — in plain English, whether you run a team in Denmark or work on one.
Denmark’s 2022 model gives each employed parent 24 weeks of leave with benefit after the birth, plus four weeks before it for the mother. Eleven of each parent’s 24 weeks are earmarked and lost if not used — two around the birth and nine more — while 13 can be transferred to the other parent. The benefit (barselsdagpenge) is paid by Udbetaling Danmark up to a weekly ceiling; salaried employees and most people under collective agreements receive full or partial salary from the employer for defined periods, who then claims the benefit.
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How it works
For children born on or after 2 August 2022 the Barselslov splits leave equally: the mother has four weeks of pregnancy leave before the due date, and each parent then has 24 weeks with benefit after the birth. Two weeks must be taken by each parent in connection with the birth; for employees a further nine weeks are earmarked and must be used within the child’s first year, so 11 weeks per parent cannot be transferred. The remaining 13 weeks each may be transferred to the other parent and, subject to notice, taken up to the child’s ninth birthday. Benefit is paid by Udbetaling Danmark at the sickness-benefit rate up to a weekly ceiling adjusted each January; the Salaried Employees Act obliges employers to pay salaried mothers at least half salary from four weeks before to 14 weeks after the birth, and collective agreements typically provide full pay for longer periods for both parents, with the employer reimbursed through the benefit. Employees must notify pregnancy leave three months before the due date and post-birth leave within six weeks of the birth.
Worth knowing: The earmarked nine weeks apply to employees; self-employed parents and the unemployed can transfer them. Solo parents receive the other parent’s 22 non-earmarked weeks as well, and since 2024 part of the leave can be transferred to a close relative or social parent in defined family forms.
If you run a team in Denmark
Register the leave and apply for reimbursement of barselsdagpenge through NemRefusion for the weeks you pay salary; contribute to the mandatory maternity equalisation fund (Barsel.dk or a sectoral scheme). Respect the earmarked weeks — an employee cannot be pressured to transfer them. Dismissal for reasons connected with pregnancy or leave is unlawful and carries heavy compensation. Holiday accrues in full during leave with benefit or salary.
If you work in Denmark
Tell your employer three months before the due date when you will start pregnancy leave, and within six weeks of the birth how you will take your 24 weeks. Use your 11 earmarked weeks — two at the birth, nine in the first year — or lose them; agree with the other parent who takes the 13 transferable weeks. Apply for benefit through borger.dk; if your employer pays salary, they claim it instead.
Parental leave and annual leave
Holiday accrues in full during leave with salary or barselsdagpenge. Holiday that cannot be taken because of leave is carried over or paid out under the Holiday Act’s hindrance rules.
The annual leave entitlement itself is covered on our Denmark annual leave page — 25 working days minimum.
Keeping the record straight
Long leaves are where leave records go wrong quietly: holiday that kept accruing for months and was never credited, a return date nobody diarised, a reduced entitlement applied where the law forbids it. In Denmark the rules above decide what is owed on return, and the record has to show it. A tracker like Leavo keeps the leave, the accrual and the approvals in one place so the return is a date, not a dispute. We compare the options in our leave management software guide, and the policy side — carryover, payout, accrual — in our guides.
Parental leave in Denmark: common questions
Can the mother take more than 24 weeks after the birth?
Yes, if the other parent transfers some or all of their 13 transferable weeks to her; the other parent’s 11 earmarked weeks cannot be transferred and are lost if unused.
How much is barselsdagpenge?
It is calculated from earnings up to a weekly ceiling adjusted every January — the same level as sickness benefit. Salaried employees get at least half pay from the employer around the birth, and most collective agreements provide full pay for defined periods.
When must the leave be taken?
The earmarked weeks within the child’s first year (two at the birth). Transferable weeks can be postponed and taken until the child turns nine, with notice to the employer, and some can be taken part-time by agreement.
Does annual leave accrue during maternity or parental leave in Denmark?
Holiday accrues in full during leave with salary or barselsdagpenge. Holiday that cannot be taken because of leave is carried over or paid out under the Holiday Act’s hindrance rules.
Source
Primary source: Barselsloven (Act on Leave and Benefits in the Event of Childbirth), 2022 model. Benefit rates and ceilings change every year and collective agreements frequently improve on the statutory scheme — confirm against the current text before acting. See our methodology.