Sick leave by country / Denmark
Sick leave and sick pay in Denmark
Who pays when someone is ill, how much, for how long, and what the certificate rules are — in plain English, whether you run a team in Denmark or work on one.
In Denmark the employer carries the first 30 calendar days of sickness: salaried employees (funktionærer) receive full pay under the Salaried Employees Act, most others full pay under a collective agreement, and anyone else at least the statutory sickness benefit, provided they have worked eight weeks and 74 hours for that employer. From day 31 the municipality pays sygedagpenge, capped at a weekly maximum, for up to 22 weeks within nine months, after which the case is reviewed for extension or a job-clarification programme.
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How it works
The Act on Sickness Benefits divides the cost between employer and municipality. During the arbejdsgiverperiode of 30 calendar days the employer pays sickness benefit to an employee who has been continuously employed for eight weeks and worked at least 74 hours in that time; salaried employees get full salary under section 5 of the Funktionærloven, and collective agreements extend full pay to most other groups. After 30 days — or from day one where the employee does not qualify from the employer — the municipality pays sygedagpenge, calculated from earnings up to a weekly ceiling adjusted every January, for up to 22 weeks in any nine-month period, with extension possible on defined grounds. There is no standard sick note: the employer may ask for a solemn declaration (tro- og loveerklæring) after the first day and, at its own expense, for a medical statement such as a mulighedserklæring describing what work the employee can still do.
Worth knowing: Employers with employees who have long-term or chronic illness can enter a §56 agreement with the municipality and be reimbursed from the first day of each absence, removing the 30-day cost for that person.
If you run a team in Denmark
Pay for the first 30 days (full salary for salaried staff), report the absence to the municipality via NemRefusion by day 35 if it continues, and claim reimbursement of benefit for days beyond the employer period — or from day one for employees with chronic conditions under a §56 agreement. Hold the statutory sickness interview within four weeks. You may ask for a declaration or a medical statement, but you pay for the latter.
If you work in Denmark
Report sick on the first day as your workplace requires. You are paid by your employer for 30 days if you qualify — full pay if you are a funktionær or covered by an agreement. After that the municipality pays sygedagpenge, subject to a cap, and will follow up with you regularly; cooperate with the follow-up plan to keep the benefit.
Sickness and annual leave
Illness before a holiday starts postpones the holiday; illness during a holiday gives the right to replacement days after five days of sickness in the holiday year (fewer in a partial year), if reported and documented. Holiday accrues in full during periods of sickness benefit.
The annual leave entitlement itself is covered on our Denmark annual leave page — 25 working days minimum.
Keeping the record straight
Sick pay rules turn on dates: the day the illness started, the day the certificate was due, the day the employer's obligation ends and the benefit takes over. In Denmark those dates decide who pays and how much, and they have to be provable months later — to a payroll auditor, an insurer, or the employee. A shared spreadsheet rarely survives that; a tracker like Leavo records each absence with its dates and approvals alongside annual leave, so the record exists before anyone asks for it. We compare the options in our leave management software guide, and the policy side — carryover, payout, accrual — in our guides.
Sick leave in Denmark: common questions
Does my employer have to pay full salary when I am sick?
If you are a salaried employee (funktionær), yes, throughout the illness under the Salaried Employees Act. Otherwise it depends on your collective agreement; the statutory minimum is sickness benefit for the first 30 days, then the municipality.
How much is sygedagpenge?
Your usual hourly earnings up to a weekly ceiling that is adjusted every January and published by the municipalities and borger.dk — roughly the level of unemployment benefit.
Can my employer demand a doctor’s note?
The employer can ask for a solemn declaration from you after the first day and for a medical statement (mulighedserklæring or friattest), but must pay for the medical statement. There is no automatic requirement to see a doctor.
What happens if I fall ill during my annual leave in Denmark?
Illness before a holiday starts postpones the holiday; illness during a holiday gives the right to replacement days after five days of sickness in the holiday year (fewer in a partial year), if reported and documented. Holiday accrues in full during periods of sickness benefit.
Source
Primary source: Sygedagpengeloven (Act on Sickness Benefits); Funktionærloven §5 for salaried employees. Rates and caps change — often every January or April — and collective agreements frequently improve on the statutory scheme. Confirm against the current text before acting. See our methodology.