Employment law in Denmark: dismissal, pay and contracts
Danish employment rules depend on whether you are a salaried employee (funktionær), whether a collective agreement applies and what your contract says. Below are 50 questions employees often ask about dismissal, pay, contracts, sick leave and disputes at work, answered in plain language. Each answer lists the official sources it is based on.
It depends on whether you are a salaried employee (funktionær) or covered by a collective agreement. Salaried employees get notice that grows with length of service, can ask for a written reason, and may claim compensation if the dismissal isn't reasonable.
Read the full answer
Deadline: Time limits for challenging a dismissal can be short, often just weeks. Act quickly.
Good to know
For salaried employees the employer's notice is 1 month at first, then 3 months after about six months' service, rising to 4, 5 and 6 months at roughly 3, 6 and 9 years. The exact dates are set out in the Salaried Employees Act.
The notice must be in writing, and you can ask for a written explanation.
If you have worked there for at least a year and the dismissal isn't reasonably justified by your or the company's circumstances, you can claim compensation (Salaried Employees Act, section 2 b).
Hourly-paid employees and those covered by a collective agreement follow the agreement's rules on notice and dismissal instead.
What to do
Ask for the dismissal and the reasons in writing.
Contact your union or unemployment fund (a-kasse) straight away.
Don't sign a severance or settlement agreement before you have had advice.
Check your options for unemployment benefit (dagpenge) through your a-kasse.
Salaried employees (funktionærer) who are dismissed after 12 years of uninterrupted employment with the same employer are owed severance of 1 month's pay. After 17 years it is 3 months' pay. The right comes from the Salaried Employees Act and applies when the employer dismisses you.
Read the full answer
Note: The 12 or 17 years must be uninterrupted employment with the same employer. If you are unsure how your service is counted, ask your union before you accept any settlement.
Good to know
The rule is in section 2 a of the Salaried Employees Act (funktionærloven): 1 month's pay after 12 years and 3 months' pay after 17 years of uninterrupted employment with the same employer.
The same amounts are owed if the employer dismisses you on the spot (summary dismissal) without justification.
Severance under section 2 a is a separate rule from compensation for an unjustified dismissal under section 2 b, so check both.
If your employer is bankrupt, LG (the Wage Earners' Guarantee Fund) can pay this severance to salaried employees who meet the 12- or 17-year conditions.
What to do
Check your contract and payslips to confirm you are a funktionær, and count your uninterrupted years with the same employer.
Ask your employer to confirm in writing how much severance is due and when it will be paid.
If it is not paid, contact your union or a lawyer, and keep the dismissal letter and your contract.
No. An employer may not dismiss you or treat you less favourably because of pregnancy or because you ask for or take maternity or parental leave. If you are dismissed during pregnancy or leave, the employer must prove that the reason had nothing to do with it.
Read the full answer
Note: A dismissal that is wholly or partly based on pregnancy or leave is not allowed. Time limits for claims can be short, so get advice from your union or a lawyer straight away.
Good to know
Section 9 of the Equal Treatment Act (ligebehandlingsloven) bans dismissal and less favourable treatment because you claimed or took leave under the Maternity Act (barselsloven), or because of pregnancy, maternity or adoption.
Being on leave does not make dismissal impossible, but the dismissal may not be wholly or partly based on the leave.
If you are dismissed during pregnancy or leave, the employer must prove that the dismissal was not based on it (section 16(4)).
If you are dismissed while on leave or after asking for leave, you are entitled to a full written explanation (section 16(5)).
A dismissal in breach of the rule can be set aside, or you can be awarded compensation (godtgørelse) based on your seniority and the circumstances (section 16).
What to do
Ask the employer in writing for the reason for the dismissal.
Save the dismissal letter, messages and notes of anything said about your pregnancy or leave.
Contact your union or a lawyer quickly, so your claim is not put at risk by delay.
You are a funktionær if you mainly do sales or office work, technical or clinical assistance of a non-craft kind, or supervise others' work for the employer, and you work more than 8 hours a week on average under the employer's instructions. Section 1 of the Salaried Employees Act sets the test.
Read the full answer
Note: The Act's test is based on your tasks and working hours, as set out in section 1. If your job is mixed, ask your union to assess which tasks dominate.
Good to know
Section 1 lists four groups: sales and office assistants, technical or clinical assistants of a non-craft or non-factory kind, people who lead or supervise others' work on the employer's behalf, and people whose work is mainly of these kinds.
You must work for the employer on average more than 8 hours a week and be subject to the employer's instructions.
Civil servants (tjenestemænd) in the state, the folkeskole, the church and municipalities, apprentices and certain seafarers are excluded.
It matters because funktionærer have statutory rights such as the notice scale, severance (section 2 a) and compensation for unjustified dismissal (section 2 b).
Some employees who are not funktionærer by law have agreed salaried-like terms in their contract; LG treats them like funktionærer on notice pay if the employer goes bankrupt.
What to do
Compare your main daily tasks with the groups listed in section 1 of the Act.
Check your contract, ansættelsesbevis and any collective agreement for the notice period and for any reference to the Salaried Employees Act.
If you are unsure, ask your union or a lawyer to assess your job before you accept a dismissal or a settlement.
Only if there is a justified reason. If your employer dismisses you with immediate effect (bortvisning) without justification, a salaried employee (funktionær) can claim pay for the notice period, severance and compensation under the Salaried Employees Act. Whether the dismissal was justified depends on what happened.
Read the full answer
Note: An immediate dismissal is a serious step and must be justified. Get advice before you accept it, and keep all documents.
Good to know
A summary dismissal ends the job at once. If it is unjustified, a funktionær is entitled to pay until the date the employment could lawfully have ended (section 3 of the Salaried Employees Act).
The severance rule (section 2 a) and the rule on compensation for unjustified dismissal (section 2 b) also apply to an unjustified summary dismissal.
The rule works both ways: if an employee leaves or stays away unlawfully, the employer can claim damages, normally at least half a month's pay (section 4).
The Act covers funktionærer. If you are not one, check your collective agreement (overenskomst) and your contract.
What to do
Ask your employer to confirm the dismissal and the reason in writing.
Write down exactly what happened and who was present, and save messages and documents.
Contact your union or a lawyer before you sign anything or accept a settlement.
For a salaried employee (funktionær) on probation, the Salaried Employees Act sets a notice of 14 days if the employment ends within the first 3 months. A probation period (prøvetid) may be agreed for at most 6 months. Other employees follow their contract or collective agreement.
Read the full answer
Note: The short probation notice only applies if probation has been agreed. Check that your contract or ansættelsesbevis actually contains a probation clause.
Good to know
The 14-day probation notice is in section 2(5) of the Salaried Employees Act and applies to employment that ends within the first 3 months of a probation period.
Under the Employment Statement Act, probation can never exceed 6 months. For fixed-term employment it can be at most a quarter of the employment period and no more than 6 months.
No new probation period can be agreed when a fixed-term contract is extended or renewed.
Compensation for unjustified dismissal under section 2 b requires at least one year of uninterrupted employment, so it normally does not apply during probation.
Your probation terms should appear in your written terms (ansættelsesbevis).
What to do
Check your ansættelsesbevis or contract for a probation clause and its length.
Note your start date and count the 3 months, so you know which notice applies.
Ask for the notice and the reason in writing.
Contact your union if you think the probation rules were not followed.
For a salaried employee (funktionær), notice from the employer must be in writing and given no later than the last day of the month before the notice period begins. The notice ends at the end of a month. On request, the employer must state the reason for the dismissal in writing.
Read the full answer
Note: A notice that is not in writing or not given in time may not have the effect the employer intends. Ask your union to check the dates before you accept it.
Good to know
Employer notice for a funktionær is 1 month to the end of a month in the first 6 months, then 3 months, rising by 1 month for every third year of service up to 6 months (section 2).
Notice under section 2(2), (3) and (6) must be in writing and given by the last day of the month before the notice period starts (section 2(7)).
The employer must give you the reason in writing if you ask for it (section 2(7)).
If you resign as a funktionær, your notice is 1 month to the end of a month (section 2(6)) and must also be in writing.
Employees who are not funktionærer follow their collective agreement or contract.
What to do
Check the date on the notice and the date you received it.
Work out when the notice period starts and ends, and compare it with the notice scale for your years of service.
Ask the employer in writing for the reason for the dismissal.
Contact your union or a lawyer if the notice is late, oral or too short.
Sometimes. If your notice is 3 months or less, the employer cannot force you to take your main holiday (hovedferie), but can require other holiday with at least one month's notice. If your notice is longer than 3 months, main holiday can be required if the notice is at least 3 months plus the holiday days.
Read the full answer
Note: A collective agreement (overenskomst) may set different holiday rules. Check yours or ask your union.
Good to know
With notice of 3 months or less, other holiday can be required if you are told at least one month ahead and it is taken before the notice ends.
Holiday you had already planned before you got notice can still be taken, unless the employer extends the notice by the holiday days you take.
If you are released from work (fritstillet), holiday counts as taken if the holiday notice and days fit within the release period, even if you did not want it.
If you start a new job during the release, your old employer can only count the days as holiday if you take holiday at the new job, with some exceptions such as bankruptcy.
Feriefridage, omsorgsdage and seniorfridage follow your contract or collective agreement.
What to do
Check how long your notice is and how many holiday days you have left.
Ask in writing whether you are being released from work and whether holiday is placed within the notice period.
Log in to borger.dk 'Se og bestil feriepenge' to see your holiday balance.
Contact your union if you disagree with how holiday is placed.
Yes, in many cases. If you are dismissed and are a member of an unemployment insurance fund (a-kasse), your former employer must pay you dagpengegodtgørelse, called G-dage, for the first two days of unemployment. You must have worked at least 74 hours in the last four weeks of the employment.
Read the full answer
Deadline: Register as a job seeker on your very first day of unemployment ('på første ledige dag').
Good to know
The employer owes G-dage after dismissal, being sent home, work-sharing (arbejdsfordeling) or the end of a task-based or time-limited contract.
You must be a member of an a-kasse and have worked at least 74 hours in the last four weeks, equal to two weeks of full collective-agreement hours.
No G-dage are owed if a ground for lapse applies, for example if you resign, are sick on the days in question or get other work.
Separately, you must register with the municipality as a job seeker on your first day of unemployment.
What to do
Ask your employer or payroll whether G-dage will be paid with your final pay.
Register as a job seeker on your first day of unemployment via borger.dk or Jobnet.
Contact your a-kasse about your dagpenge and about how G-dage are handled.
If G-dage are not paid and you think they should be, ask your a-kasse or union for help.
A salaried employee (funktionær) with at least one year of uninterrupted service can claim compensation if the dismissal is not reasonably justified. The cap is 3 months' pay if you were 30 or older when dismissed, 4 months after 10 years' service and 6 months after 15 years.
Read the full answer
Note: These figures are maximums, not what you automatically get. The amount is set case by case, so ask your union to assess your case before you accept a settlement.
Good to know
The dismissal must not be reasonably justified by your circumstances or the company's circumstances (section 2 b of the Salaried Employees Act).
The amount is set by length of service and the circumstances. If you were under 30, it cannot exceed pay for half your notice period.
From age 30 the maximum is 3 months' pay; after 10 years' continuous service up to 4 months; after 15 years up to 6 months.
The same compensation rules apply to an unjustified summary dismissal.
On request, the employer must state the reason for the dismissal in writing (section 2(7)).
What to do
Ask the employer for the reason for the dismissal in writing.
Write down your length of service and how your job and the company's situation looked at the time.
Contact your union or a lawyer to assess whether the dismissal was reasonable.
Do not sign a settlement before you have had advice.
Send a written demand with a short deadline and contact your union. If the employer is bankrupt or has closed down insolvent, you can claim unpaid wages from the Wage Earners' Guarantee Fund (Lønmodtagernes Garantifond, LG).
Read the full answer
Deadline: Claims to LG must be made on time. Late claims are not paid.
Good to know
Not paying wages is a serious breach of contract. After a written demand you may be entitled to end the employment and claim pay for the notice period, but get advice before you do.
LG only pays in certain situations: bankruptcy, a closed and insolvent employer, a deceased and insolvent employer, or a restructuring where you no longer work for the employer.
Late claims aren't paid, so apply to LG promptly.
Be careful with agreements to postpone your wages. They can affect what LG will cover.
What to do
Gather your contract, payslips and records of the hours you worked.
Send a written demand to the employer with a short deadline (unions often advise a few days).
Contact your union or a-kasse before you quit or agree to any delay.
If the employer is bankrupt or has closed down, apply to LG via borger.dk.
LG (Lønmodtagernes Garantifond) can pay up to 160,000 kr. in total, not counting holiday pay (feriepenge), SH payment and similar balances. As a rule you can claim pay going back 6 months from the date the bankruptcy petition was filed. The exact amount depends on how you were employed.
Read the full answer
Deadline: Apply within 4 months after the bankruptcy declaration (6 months if the employer has ceased and is insolvent). A missed deadline can affect whether and how much you get.
Good to know
LG can cover wages, pay for the notice period, pension, holiday pay, supplements such as bonuses, commission and overtime, severance and compensation, interest and ATP contributions.
LG does not cover things like mileage allowances, per diems, expenses your employer should have reimbursed, or compensation for a missing employment certificate.
You must have been employed for work you did yourself. Owners and their spouses or cohabiting partners, and as a rule directors and self-employed people, are excluded.
Most applications get a decision within 35 working days. The money reaches your NemKonto 3 to 5 working days later, and holiday pay goes to your FerieKonto.
If you disagree with the decision, send comments and further documents to LG. If you still disagree, you can take the case to court in Hillerød, because LG has no appeals board.
What to do
Gather your contract, notice or release letter, payslips for the last 6 months and any timesheets.
Apply through 'Anmeld til LG' on borger.dk with MitID, or let your union apply for you.
Read LG's decision letter carefully when it arrives.
If you disagree, send LG your comments and extra documents.
If your employer is declared bankrupt, apply to LG within 4 months. If the employer has ceased and is insolvent, the deadline is 6 months. After an employer's death there are two deadlines. In reconstruction there is no fixed deadline, but your claim must be processed before the reconstruction ends.
Read the full answer
Deadline: Bankruptcy: 4 months. Ceased and insolvent: 6 months. Death: 4 months for LG and 8 weeks for the estate's lawyer. Apply as early as possible.
Good to know
Bankruptcy: apply within 4 months after your employer is declared bankrupt.
Ceased and insolvent: apply within 6 months after the employer has ceased operating and is insolvent.
Death: apply to LG within 4 months after the probate court (skifteretten) decides whether the estate is insolvent, and file your claim with the estate's lawyer within 8 weeks after the proclama is published in Statstidende.
Reconstruction: there is no fixed deadline if you were dismissed and released from work before or during the reconstruction, but LG must have processed your application before the reconstruction period ends.
Missing a deadline can affect whether you get money from LG and how much.
What to do
Check Statstidende.dk to see whether and when your employer was declared bankrupt.
Write down the deadline that applies to your situation and put it in your calendar.
Apply as early as you can with your contract and payslips, even if you do not yet have every document.
If you are a union member, ask your union whether it will apply for you.
Not yet. LG only pays after a bankruptcy or reconstruction, or if the employer has ceased and been declared insolvent. Meanwhile, demand payment in writing, keep reminding the employer, and go to court if you are still unpaid after 2-3 months. You can also ask the probate court to declare the employer bankrupt.
Read the full answer
Deadline: If the unpaid amount is more than half a year old, you must show that you have actively tried to collect it. Act from the first missed payment.
Good to know
LG can pay if the employer is bankrupt, ceased and insolvent, dead and insolvent, or in reconstruction. Forced dissolution (tvangsopløsning) alone is not enough.
If the unpaid amount is more than half a year old, counted from the key date (fristdag), you must be able to show that you actively tried to collect it.
Write to your employer as soon as pay is missing, remind them at short intervals, and keep all documentation for LG.
If the employer still has not paid after 2-3 months, take the case to the courts without delay. Your union, a lawyer or free legal aid (gratis retshjælp) in your municipality can help.
You can file the bankruptcy petition yourself at the probate court (skifteretten). The court fee starts at 750 kr. and can be higher depending on the company type.
What to do
Send a written demand for the missing pay as soon as you notice it.
Send reminders at short intervals and keep copies of everything.
Contact your union, a lawyer or the free legal aid in your municipality.
If it is still unpaid after 2-3 months, take the case to court, or ask the probate court to declare the employer bankrupt so LG can step in.
Yes, LG can pay your wages for the notice period, but to get more than the minimum compensation you must look for work throughout it: at least 3-4 jobs a month. A funktionær gets minimum compensation of up to 3 months' salary regardless of new work, paid with the first payment.
Read the full answer
Note: Payment normally comes only when the whole notice period has passed and you have sent your documentation. After that it can take up to 30 working days.
Good to know
A funktionær's notice depends on service: 1 month up to 6 months, then 3 months, 4 months after 3 years, 5 months after 6 years and 6 months after 9 years, all to the end of a month.
Minimum compensation (minimalerstatning) covers up to 3 months of salary and is paid whether or not you find a new job.
If your notice is longer than 3 months, LG calculates the final amount after the notice ends by comparing your actual income with what you would have earned. If you earned less, LG pays the difference.
You do not have to search for work during any holiday you take after being released from duty.
Employees with agreed salaried-like terms (funktionærlignende vilkår) are treated the same way.
What to do
Start applying for jobs at once and keep a log of the jobs you apply for.
Keep proof of your applications, your income and any holiday taken.
Apply to LG through borger.dk as soon as possible.
When LG asks after the notice period ends, send the list of jobs, your income and your holiday.
Yes. LG can pay your feriepenge, and the money goes to your FerieKonto. Feriepenge are 12.5% of your gross pay and are not counted in LG's 160,000 kr. maximum. Report your claim as soon as you hear of the bankruptcy, because only feriepenge that have not expired can be paid.
Read the full answer
Deadline: Feriepenge are only paid if you met LG's reporting deadline and the feriepenge have not expired. Report as soon as you learn of the bankruptcy.
Good to know
LG pays feriepenge under the Holiday Act and does not pay a separate holiday supplement, because the supplement is already included.
Since 1 September 2020 you earn holiday from 1 September to 31 August, and feriepenge are based on your gross pay for that period.
If your employer belonged to an employers' association with a holiday guarantee scheme (feriegarantiordning), that scheme pays instead.
Feriepenge usually reach your FerieKonto 3 to 5 weekdays after LG has processed your claim. If you have a notice period, it can take up to 10 weekdays after it ends.
If new work stops you taking some holiday during the notice period, you can apply for holiday compensation (ferietabserstatning) by messaging LG after the notice period ends.
What to do
Apply to LG through borger.dk as soon as you learn of the bankruptcy.
Gather your payslips and information about the holiday you have taken.
Check your holiday balance in 'Se og bestil feriepenge' on borger.dk.
If you start a new job during the notice period, ask LG about holiday compensation.
You earn 2.08 holiday days a month, which is 25 days (five weeks) a year. If you get feriepenge, they are 12.5% of your pay before labour market contribution and income tax. If you are paid a salary with holiday on pay (ferie med løn), you keep your normal pay on holiday plus a 1% holiday supplement.
Read the full answer
Deadline: To carry holiday over when you receive feriepenge, the written agreement must be made before 31 December.
Good to know
You earn holiday from 1 September to 31 August and can take it from 1 September to 31 December of the following year.
Main holiday (hovedferie) is three consecutive weeks between 1 May and 30 September. The employer must give at least 3 months' notice for main holiday and 1 month's notice for other holiday.
Part-time and few-day workers earn holiday at the same rate.
You can carry over up to 1 week above 4 weeks only if you and your employer agree. With feriepenge the agreement must be in writing before 31 December.
If you cannot agree on dates, the employer decides. A collective agreement can set different rules, so check it or ask your union.
What to do
Check your payslip to see whether you have ferie med løn or feriepenge.
Log in to 'Se og bestil feriepenge' on borger.dk to see your balance.
Agree holiday dates in good time, in writing if possible.
Check your collective agreement or ask your union if your employer's rules look different.
Your unused feriepenge are not lost when you change job. Log in to 'Se og bestil feriepenge' on borger.dk to see and order them, usually from about the 5th or 20th of the month after your last pay period ended. You then take holiday without pay at your new job.
Read the full answer
Note: Receiving dagpenge or ledighedsydelse during the holiday period can affect whether you can get your feriepenge paid out.
Good to know
Unused holiday can be taken at your new job. You order the feriepenge from your previous employer and tell your new employer that you will take holiday without pay (ferie uden løn).
If your pay period ended on or before the 15th, feriepenge are normally visible around the 5th of the next month. If it ended after the 15th, around the 20th. If you cannot see them, contact your former employer.
With ferie med løn, carried-over holiday must be paid out by your employer when you leave. If it is not paid automatically, it may have been moved to FerieKonto.
Payout without taking holiday is only possible if you left the job during the holiday period in which the feriepenge were earned, so check the current rules on borger.dk.
If you receive dagpenge or another public benefit, report the holiday you take to your a-kasse or municipality.
What to do
Find the end date of your last pay period on your final payslip.
Log in with MitID to 'Se og bestil feriepenge' on borger.dk.
Order the feriepenge for the holiday you want to take at your new job.
If they are missing, contact your former employer.
It depends on what is agreed in your contract or collective agreement (overenskomst). Your written terms (ansættelsesbevis) must state your normal working hours and the rules on overtime. The Working Time Act caps average weekly hours at 48 including overtime over a 4-month period.
Read the full answer
Note: A claim for unpaid overtime is subject to the general 3-year limitation period, so raise it in good time. See the question on how long you have to claim unpaid wages.
Good to know
Your ansættelsesbevis must cover pay, pay dates, normal working hours and the rules on overtime, so start by reading it.
Under section 4 of the Working Time Act, average working time over 4 months must not exceed 48 hours a week including overtime. Annual leave and sick leave do not count against you in the calculation.
Working time is time at work and at the employer's disposal, unless a collective agreement says otherwise.
Employees with independent decision-making or management functions can be exempt if the employment contract says the rules do not apply.
If your employer is bankrupt, LG can cover unpaid overtime supplements as part of your claim.
What to do
Check your ansættelsesbevis and any collective agreement for the overtime rules.
Keep your own record of dates, hours and who asked you to work extra.
Ask your employer in writing for payment or time off, with a summary of the hours.
As a general rule a claim is time-barred after 3 years, counted from the earliest date you could demand payment, unless other rules say otherwise. The period can be interrupted, for example by legal proceedings or the employer acknowledging the debt. LG has much shorter deadlines, such as 4 months after a bankruptcy.
Read the full answer
Deadline: The general limit is 3 years, but other rules can set a different period. Claim as early as possible and do not wait for the deadline.
Good to know
The general limitation period is 3 years (section 3(1) of the Limitation Act), unless other provisions say otherwise.
It runs from the earliest time you could demand that the claim be paid (section 2(1)).
The period can be interrupted, for example by the debtor acknowledging the claim, by legal proceedings, by a claim in bankruptcy or by enforcement steps, after which a new period starts.
If your employer goes bankrupt, LG's deadlines apply instead, and wages older than half a year need proof that you tried to collect them.
A collective agreement or special rule can set a different period, so ask your union if you are covered by one.
What to do
Collect your contract, payslips and records of the hours you worked.
Send a written demand to your employer now and keep a copy.
Ask your union or a lawyer about starting proceedings, which interrupts the limitation period.
If the employer is bankrupt, check LG's deadlines at once.
Read what has changed before you sign. You are entitled to written terms (an ansættelsesbevis): the key terms within 7 days of starting and the rest within a month. An employer can't simply rewrite essential terms such as pay without your agreement.
Read the full answer
Deadline: Key terms within 7 days of starting work; all terms within one month.
Good to know
Since 1 July 2023, employees who work more than 3 hours a week on average (over four weeks) must receive the written terms.
If your terms are changed later, you must be told in writing no later than the day the change takes effect.
If you refuse a worse contract, the employer may respond by giving notice. So get advice before you refuse or sign.
A missing or incomplete statement of terms can give you a claim for compensation if you are privately employed.
What to do
Compare the new contract with the old one point by point: pay, hours, place of work, duties, notice period and non-compete clauses.
Ask the employer in writing what is changing and why.
Your employer must give you written information on the essential terms: names and addresses, workplace and job description, start date, probation terms, paid leave and notice periods, pay and pay dates, normal working hours and overtime rules, and any collective agreement. Most items are due within 7 calendar days of starting, the rest within one month.
Read the full answer
Note: The statement covers essential terms only, but it is the minimum you can demand in writing. Check each item against what was agreed when you were hired.
Good to know
The information can be on paper or electronic, as long as you can store it, print it and the employer can prove it was sent.
Some items may be given by reference to laws or agreements, for example a collective agreement, instead of being written out in full.
For fixed-term jobs the statement must also give the expected duration, and it must set out the rules for unpredictable work patterns and any training.
If a term changes, you must be told in writing as soon as possible and no later than the day the change takes effect, unless the change follows from a referenced law or agreement.
The rules cannot be waived to your disadvantage, although collective agreements can replace parts of the Act.
What to do
Compare your ansættelsesbevis with the list of items above.
Ask your employer in writing to supply any missing items.
Keep a copy of the statement and of every written change.
If the employer does not respond, you can complain to Ankestyrelsen's employment committee.
If you work more than 3 hours a week on average over four weeks, you have the right to written information on your essential terms. If your employer fails, you can complain to Ankestyrelsen, which decides whether the duty was met. Only the courts can award compensation.
Read the full answer
Note: Ankestyrelsen decides whether the information duty was met but cannot award compensation. Only the courts can, so talk to your union or a lawyer if you want to claim it.
Good to know
Ankestyrelsen's employment committee can decide complaints about the content of the statement, the deadline for handing it over, the duty to inform posted employees, the duty to report changes, and the duty to hand out or supplement statements for employees hired before 1 July 2023.
To handle your case, Ankestyrelsen needs your period of employment, your number of working hours and the identity of your employer. It then asks the employer for information.
Ankestyrelsen cannot award compensation. The courts can award compensation if the employer has failed its duty.
Hours worked for employers in the same company, group or unit are added together when checking the 3-hour threshold.
What to do
Ask your employer in writing for your ansættelsesbevis, stating your start date.
Keep a record of your working hours and any messages about your terms.
If the employer does not respond, send a complaint to Ankestyrelsen's employment committee.
If you want compensation, ask your union or a lawyer about a court claim.
A non-compete clause is only valid if you hold a very special position of trust, were given written reasons, have been employed at least 6 months without a break, are compensated, and it lasts no more than 12 months after you leave. A clause that restricts you more than needed is not binding.
Read the full answer
Note: Your employer can release you from a non-compete with one month's notice to the end of a month. Ask whether it intends to keep the clause.
Good to know
The Act on employment clauses took effect on 1 January 2016 and applies to agreements made from that date. Older agreements follow the old rules.
The clause is valid only if all five conditions are met: a very special position of trust (or an employee invention), written notice of why it is needed, 6 months of uninterrupted employment, compensation, and a maximum of 12 months after leaving.
A non-compete is not binding if it goes further than needed to protect the employer's interests or unreasonably restricts your livelihood.
If the employer dismisses you without reasonable cause, or its own failures give you valid grounds to leave, the non-compete is invalid and you are owed the lump-sum compensation.
Job clauses, which limit your chances of being hired elsewhere, cannot validly be agreed, with a narrow exception during business-transfer negotiations.
What to do
Find the clause in your contract and check when you signed it, before or after 1 January 2016.
Check it against the five conditions.
Ask your employer in writing whether it intends to enforce the clause and what compensation it will pay.
Get advice from your union or a lawyer before you start a competing job.
Yes, a valid non-compete or customer clause requires compensation. For a clause of up to 6 months it is at least 40% of your monthly pay, and for up to 12 months at least 60%. If you take other suitable work, later months can be reduced, but the first two months are paid as a lump sum when you leave.
Read the full answer
Note: Your compensation can lapse if you do not actively look for other suitable work. The initial lump sum is not affected.
Good to know
For a combined non-compete and customer clause, which can last at most 6 months, compensation is at least 60% of monthly pay.
If you have other suitable work, the minimum falls to 16% for months 3-6 of a clause of up to 6 months, and to 24% for months 3-12 of a clause of up to 12 months.
The first two months are paid as a lump sum at departure, at least 40% or 60% depending on the clause length, and the duty to limit your loss does not apply to this lump sum.
Compensation lapses if you do not actively look for other suitable work.
A customer clause can only cover customers you dealt with in the last 12 months before notice, and the employer must give you a customer list when you resign or are dismissed.
What to do
Read the clause to see how long it lasts and what it covers.
Work out your minimum compensation from your monthly pay.
Ask your employer in writing for the lump sum due when you leave.
Keep proof that you are actively looking for other suitable work.
Generally no. An employer may not prevent you from taking another job, or treat you less favourably for it, as long as you can still meet your working hours. Exceptions apply where the second job is incompatible with your main job, for example for health and safety reasons, trade secrets, public-sector integrity or conflicts of interest.
Read the full answer
Note: The exceptions are specific and narrow. A general dislike of side jobs is not enough, but a real conflict of interest or trade-secret risk can be.
Good to know
The rule is in the Employment Statement Act, which covers employees who work more than 3 hours a week on average.
The employer may object only where the second job is truly incompatible, for example because of health and safety, trade secrets, integrity in public administration or a conflict of interest.
The employer may not treat you unfavourably for having a second job, for example by dismissing you or giving you worse conditions for that reason.
A contract term cannot take this right away from you to your disadvantage, but collective agreements can replace parts of the Act.
What to do
Check your contract and ansættelsesbevis for any rule on side jobs.
Make sure the second job does not clash with your working hours in the main job.
If the employer objects, ask for the reason in writing.
Contact your union if you are told to give up the second job.
Yes. If your employer is required to offer you training for the job, the training must be free for you, count as working time and, where possible, take place during normal working hours. Your written terms (ansættelsesbevis) should also state any training your employer provides.
Read the full answer
Note: The rule covers training the employer is obliged to offer. Whether a particular course falls under it is a question for your union or a lawyer.
Good to know
The rule covers training that the employer is obliged to offer you for the job.
The training must be free for you, count as working time and, where possible, be held in your normal working hours.
Information about training belongs in your written terms, and a change to those terms must be notified in writing no later than the day it takes effect.
Collective agreements can replace parts of the Act, so check yours.
What to do
Check your ansættelsesbevis for what it says about training.
Ask your employer in writing who pays for a course and whether it counts as working time.
Keep receipts and a note of the hours you spend on training.
Contact your union if the employer refuses to pay or to count the time.
Average weekly working time over 4 months must not exceed 48 hours, including overtime. You are entitled to at least 11 consecutive hours of rest in every 24 hours, which can be reduced to 8 hours in special cases. If you work more than 6 hours a day you are entitled to a break.
Read the full answer
Note: Exemptions exist for people with free working time and under some collective agreements. Check your contract before you assume the limits apply.
Good to know
The 48-hour limit in section 4 of the Working Time Act is an average over a 4-month period, and it includes overtime.
Employees working more than 6 hours a day are entitled to a break long enough to serve its purpose.
Employees with independent decision-making or management functions can be exempt if their contract says so.
Where a collective agreement guarantees at least the minimum rights, it can replace parts of the Act.
Night workers' normal working time must not average more than 8 hours per 24 hours over a 4-month period.
What to do
Check your ansættelsesbevis for your normal hours and the overtime rules.
Keep a log of your hours and rest periods.
Raise it with your employer or shop steward if the limits are exceeded.
Ask your union if you are unsure whether an exemption applies to you.
Yes, if your scheduled or actual working time averages more than 3 hours a week over four weeks. Employees with no guaranteed paid hours are covered too, and hours for the same company, group or unit are added together. Your written terms must include rules for unpredictable work patterns.
Read the full answer
Note: The 3-hour test is an average over four weeks, so a few busy weeks can bring you over the threshold. Keep a record of your hours.
Good to know
The threshold is an average of more than 3 hours a week over a four-week reference period, using scheduled or actual hours.
Hours worked for employers in the same company, group or unit are added together.
The written terms must cover the workplace, pay, pay dates and normal hours, and also the rules for unpredictable work patterns.
Most items are due within 7 calendar days of starting and the others within one month.
A different threshold applies to funktionær status: you must work more than 8 hours a week on average for the Salaried Employees Act to apply.
What to do
Note your actual hours over four weeks.
Ask your employer in writing for your ansættelsesbevis.
Keep rotas, messages and payslips showing when you were called in.
If you get nothing, complain to Ankestyrelsen's employment committee.
If you will work abroad for more than 4 consecutive weeks, your employer must give you the written information before you leave. It must also state the destination country, how long the stay lasts, the currency you are paid in, any benefits in cash or kind, return-travel costs and any required certificates.
Read the full answer
Deadline: The written information must be given before you leave if the stay abroad exceeds 4 consecutive weeks.
Good to know
The extra information is required when the work abroad lasts more than 4 consecutive weeks.
It must be handed over before you leave, not after you arrive.
Any later change to these terms must be notified in writing as soon as possible and no later than the day the change takes effect.
Ankestyrelsen's employment committee can decide complaints about the duty to inform posted employees, but only the courts can award compensation.
What to do
Ask your employer for the written information well before departure.
Check that it covers country, duration, pay currency, benefits, return travel and certificates.
Keep a copy and every written change.
If the employer does not provide it, complain to Ankestyrelsen's employment committee.
Salaried employees (funktionærer) normally keep their full pay. Others usually receive sickness benefit (sygedagpenge) from the employer for the first 30 days and from the municipality after that, and many collective agreements give full pay during illness.
Read the full answer
Note: The employer pays for the first 30 calendar days. After that, sickness benefit is handled together with the municipality.
Good to know
Report sick to your employer as early as possible, following the rules in your contract or workplace.
For salaried employees, the employer can ask for a doctor's statement on the expected length of the illness once the absence has lasted more than 14 days.
Under the '120-day rule', a salaried employee who has received pay during illness for 120 days within 12 months can be dismissed with one month's notice.
Don't take a side job while you are on sick leave.
What to do
Tell your employer you are sick, following your workplace's rules.
Check your contract or collective agreement to see whether you get full pay.
If your illness continues, expect contact from the municipality about sickness benefit and follow-up.
Ask your union if you are unsure whether the pay or dismissal rules were followed.
Report sick to your employer as soon as possible and no later than 2 hours after your working hours begin, unless your workplace has set a different deadline. If you report late, you have no right to sickness benefit until the day you do report, apart from justified delays such as hospitalisation.
Read the full answer
Deadline: Report sick no later than 2 hours after your working hours begin, unless your workplace has a different deadline. Return the municipality's form within 8 days.
Good to know
Your employer must notify the municipality within 5 weeks of your first sick day, and the municipality then sends you a form (oplysningsskema) asking how long you expect to be off.
You must complete that form within 8 days of it being sent, unless you have agreed otherwise with the municipality.
You can lose your right to sickness benefit if you fail to report or document your sick leave.
Sickness benefit can normally be paid from your first day of absence and stops when you are fit for work again, even if you do not report that.
What to do
Contact your employer in the way your workplace requires, no later than 2 hours after your normal start time.
If something prevents you, such as hospitalisation, report as soon as you can and keep proof of why you were delayed.
Complete the municipality's form within 8 days and return it.
In 2026 the maximum sickness benefit is DKK 5,085 per week, or DKK 137.43 per hour. To qualify you must be unable to work because of your own illness and meet an employment condition, such as at least 240 hours in the six completed months before your first sick day.
Read the full answer
Deadline: If you reported sick but received no letter from the municipality, you have 3 weeks to apply. Contact the municipality if no letter arrives within 10 days after your pay stops.
Good to know
The main employment condition is 240 hours in the 6 completed calendar months before your first sick day, with at least 40 hours in each of at least 5 of those months. Other routes include being entitled to unemployment benefit, being a paid apprentice or being in a fleksjob.
If you do not get full pay while sick, your employer pays sickness benefit for the first 30 calendar days, provided you were continuously employed there for the 8 weeks before and worked at least 74 hours in that period. After that the municipality pays.
If your employer keeps paying your salary, it can claim a refund from the municipality.
If a doctor finds you can only work part of the time, you can receive reduced benefits, but you must be absent at least 4 hours a week. Benefits are paid in arrears.
What to do
Check that you meet one of the employment conditions, for example by adding up your hours in the last six completed months.
When your employer stops paying, wait for the letter from the municipality, complete it and return it.
If no letter arrives, contact the municipality and apply through Mit Sygefravær.
If you disagree with what your employer reported to the municipality, tell the municipality through Mit Sygefravær.
Sickness benefit normally lasts up to 22 weeks within a 9-month period. Before it ends, the municipality reviews your case and can extend it in certain situations. If it cannot be extended and you are still unfit for work, you move to a job clarification programme (jobafklaringsforløb) for up to two years at a time.
Read the full answer
Note: The 22 weeks are counted within a 9-month period, so earlier sick leave may count. Ask your municipality how many weeks you have left.
Good to know
The municipality can extend sickness benefit, for example when clarification or work-trial measures are under way, when you are receiving or waiting for medical treatment, when a doctor has assessed you as seriously or life-threateningly ill, or when a workplace injury claim or a førtidspension application is pending.
A jobafklaringsforløb is an individually tailored effort to get you back to work or into education, for example guidance and upskilling, a workplace internship, a job with wage subsidy or a mentor.
It should be as short as possible and lasts at most two years at a time, and a new one can be granted if you are still unfit for work.
During it you receive resource programme benefit (ressourceforløbsydelse), which borger.dk says is paid at the level of kontanthjælp regardless of your assets or your partner's income.
What to do
Keep in contact with the municipality and take part in its follow-up conversations, because refusing follow-up without good reason can cost you your benefit.
Before the 22 weeks run out, ask the municipality whether your case fits one of the extension grounds.
If you disagree with a decision, complain to the municipality within 4 weeks.
Yes. Your employer must invite you to a sick-leave meeting (sygefraværssamtale) no later than four weeks after your first sick day, to discuss how and when you can return. You must take part, by phone if illness stops you coming in. If you do not, you can lose your right to sickness benefit until the meeting is held.
Read the full answer
Deadline: The employer must hold the sick-leave meeting no later than four weeks after your first sick day. To use the early follow-up scheme, the employer must request it within the first five weeks.
Good to know
The meeting can cover how and when you can return, including reduced duties, changed tasks or a gradual restart.
Your employer may ask you to complete a mulighedserklæring, a form in which your own doctor assesses what work you can do.
According to borger.dk, if you do not take part, your right to sickness benefit lapses from the day of the missed meeting until it is held.
If your absence is expected to last more than 8 weeks, you or your employer can request early follow-up from the municipality, and you can ask for a return-to-work plan (fastholdelsesplan).
What to do
Answer the invitation and agree a time, and say in advance if you can only join by phone.
Think through what you can do, for example which tasks, how many hours and what adjustments would help.
If the absence looks like lasting more than 8 weeks, ask for a return-to-work plan or early follow-up.
A mulighedserklæring is a form that helps you and your employer work out what work you can do while ill. You and your employer complete page 1 together, and your own GP completes page 2 with a medical assessment. Your employer is not entitled to your diagnosis, only to information about functional limitations relevant to the job.
Read the full answer
Note: Your employer is not entitled to know your diagnosis, only the functional limitations that matter for your job.
Good to know
Your employer can ask for it at any point in a sick leave, even a short one, when you are both unsure what work is possible.
On page 1 you and your employer record the functions you cannot perform, the job functions affected and any proposed changes. On page 2 your GP assesses whether you can resume work fully or partly, possibly with changed duties.
STAR's guidance says the employer must cover the cost of the declaration, which depends on how extensive the case is.
Your employer can require you to take part in the sick-leave conversation, by phone if illness prevents you from attending, and your right to sickness benefit can lapse if you stay away.
What to do
Meet your employer and complete page 1 together.
Take the form to your own GP, who completes page 2 and gives it back to you.
Hand the completed form to your employer by the deadline the employer sets.
Yes, being sick does not by itself protect you from dismissal, but rules apply. A salaried employee (funktionær) can only be dismissed under the 120-day rule if that was agreed in writing, and can claim compensation if the dismissal is not reasonably justified. Other employees follow their contract or collective agreement (overenskomst).
Read the full answer
Note: Whether you are a funktionær decides which rules apply: the Act covers you if you work more than 8 hours a week on average and fall within one of the listed groups.
Good to know
A funktionær's dismissal must be given in writing, and you can ask your employer to state the reason in writing (Salaried Employees Act, section 2(7)).
Under the 120-day rule (section 5(2)), the contract must say so in writing. The employer must have paid you during sickness for 120 days within 12 consecutive months and can then give 1 month's notice to the end of a month, which must happen right after the 120 days while you are still sick.
If you have been employed without a break for at least a year and the dismissal is not reasonably justified by your or the company's circumstances, you can claim compensation (section 2 b).
If you have a disability, the employer must have arranged, or at least examined, whether your work can be adapted before dismissing you, and the Board of Equal Treatment can award compensation but cannot order you to be re-employed.
If you are not a funktionær, your contract and any collective agreement set the notice and dismissal rules.
What to do
Ask for the dismissal and the reason in writing.
Check whether your contract has a 120-day clause and whether you count as a funktionær.
Contact your union or a-kasse straight away.
If you think your health or disability played a part, consider a complaint to the Board of Equal Treatment.
By law you may be absent when your child's sudden illness or injury makes your presence absolutely necessary, but the law does not promise pay. Pay on the child's first sick day depends on your contract, workplace rules or collective agreement. Without such a right, your employer may deduct pay for those days.
Read the full answer
Note: If nothing gives you the right to pay on the child's first sick day, your employer may deduct your pay for the days you miss.
Good to know
The right comes from the Act on employees' right to leave for special family reasons and also covers injuries that happen at school or daycare.
The law does not define acute illness, but the absence is expected to be short, covering the first sick day until other arrangements can be made.
Most collective agreements have rules on the child's first sick day. They typically require that the child is under 18, stays with you, that you need to stay home and that it fits conditions at the workplace, and some give paid leave for 2 or more days.
If both parents are entitled to leave, only one of you may be absent for the same period of illness, and there is no separate first sick day for each parent.
What to do
Tell your employer as early as possible, before your shift starts.
Check your employment contract, local workplace rules or collective agreement to see whether the day is paid.
Ask your employer or union if you are unsure what applies to you.
Complain to the municipality within 4 weeks. The municipality must reconsider its decision within 4 weeks of receiving your complaint. If it upholds the decision, your case is sent on automatically to Ankestyrelsen (the National Appeals Board), which then reviews it. You do not need to send a new complaint.
Read the full answer
Deadline: You must complain to the municipality within 4 weeks, and the municipality must reconsider within 4 weeks of receiving your complaint.
Good to know
If you disagree with the information your employer gave about your sick leave, you can tell the municipality through Mit Sygefravær.
You can lose your right to sickness benefit if you refuse to have your case referred to the region's clinical function, deliberately delay your recovery, refuse municipal follow-up without good reason, or fail to report or document your sick leave.
You can refuse certain medical treatments you do not feel safe with, such as surgery, antidepressant medication or ECT, without losing your benefit. This applies only to medical treatment, not to physiotherapy or talks with a psychologist.
What to do
Read the decision carefully and note the date you received it.
Send your complaint to the municipality, explain why you disagree and attach any medical documentation.
Wait for the municipality's reconsideration, which should come within 4 weeks.
If it upholds its decision, the case goes to Ankestyrelsen, so keep your contact details up to date.
If you fall ill before your holiday starts, you can postpone it. If you fall ill during it, you may get replacement holiday (erstatningsferie), but not for the first 5 sick days if you were employed for the whole holiday year. Report sick as soon as possible and get a medical certificate covering the whole illness from day one.
Read the full answer
Deadline: Report sick as soon as possible. Postponed or replacement holiday can be taken from 1 September to 31 December of the following year.
Good to know
If you are sick before your holiday begins, your employer cannot require you to take it. You can postpone it within the holiday period, which runs from 1 September to 31 December of the following year.
The medical certificate (lægeerklæring) must cover your illness from the first sick day, and you pay for it yourself, even abroad.
If you are employed for the whole holiday year, the first 5 sick days during the holiday cannot be replaced. For shorter employment the number is reduced in proportion to the length of employment.
When you recover during the holiday, tell your employer immediately and say whether you want to continue the rest of it. You have no right to take the replacement holiday straight away, so agree it with your employer when you are back.
If you keep your holiday while sick, you get no sickness benefit for it.
What to do
Report sick as soon as possible, and if the workplace is closed, keep proof of your attempt to contact it, such as an email.
Get a medical certificate that covers your illness from the first sick day.
Tell your employer immediately when you recover and whether you want to continue your holiday.
Agree the dates of any replacement holiday when you are back at work.
Talk to your shop steward or union first. They can negotiate for you and take cases to the labour-law bodies. For unsafe or abusive working conditions you can contact the Danish Working Environment Authority, and for discrimination the Board of Equal Treatment.
Read the full answer
Deadline: Act early. Many employment claims have short time limits.
Good to know
Unions can negotiate with the employer and, if needed, take disputes under collective agreements on to industrial arbitration or the Labour Court.
If you aren't in a union, a lawyer or the ordinary courts may be the route. A legal aid office can give you a first orientation.
Keep a written record: dates, what was said, who was present, and copies of messages.
Claims are time-limited, so don't wait.
What to do
Write down what has happened and save messages and documents.
Contact your shop steward or union.
For working-environment problems, contact the Working Environment Authority. For discrimination, contact the Board of Equal Treatment.
If you have no union, get free advice from a legal aid office.
According to Arbejdstilsynet, harassment (krænkelser) is any action you experience as unpleasant, humiliating, hostile, threatening or degrading, and your experience, not the other person's intent, decides. Your employer must prevent staff from becoming ill or hurt because of it. You can raise it with management, a safety or union representative, or Arbejdstilsynet's call centre.
Read the full answer
Note: Harassment linked to, for example, ethnic origin, religion, sexual orientation, age or disability can also be unlawful discrimination under the Employment Discrimination Act.
Good to know
Examples include belittling someone's work, excluding them, withholding information and physical violence. Harassment can be active or passive, spoken, written or physical.
Your employer should make clear that harassment is unacceptable, set written guidelines, define who does what, take reports seriously and follow up with an impartial investigation that also looks at underlying causes at the workplace.
You can turn to management, your arbejdsmiljørepræsentant or tillidsrepræsentant, colleagues and your union. Arbejdstilsynet's call centre (70 12 12 88, Monday to Thursday 8-15, Friday 8-14) gives guidance on specific cases and the rules.
Anxiety, sleep problems or shame are common reactions, and it is acceptable to say no and to seek support, even when the person involved has power over you.
What to do
Write down what happened, with dates, places and witnesses, and save messages.
Raise it in writing with your manager or your safety or union representative.
Contact your union for advice about your situation.
If nothing happens, call Arbejdstilsynet for guidance.
Yes. Anyone can complain to Arbejdstilsynet (the Danish Working Environment Authority) if they suspect a workplace is breaking working-environment rules. You can complain confidentially, in which case Arbejdstilsynet will not mention the complaint during a visit, or with your consent, in which case you are not anonymous.
Read the full answer
Note: A complaint does not always lead to a visit, and Arbejdstilsynet does not automatically tell you whether it did.
Good to know
A confidential complaint is made with the confidential form or by calling 70 12 12 88, and Arbejdstilsynet has a duty of confidentiality about it.
If you give consent, Arbejdstilsynet may disclose that you complained, what it concerns and that a visit is based on it. Only you can give that consent, and it can help Arbejdstilsynet document a violation.
A complaint does not always lead to a visit. Arbejdstilsynet makes an individual assessment and generally visits if it judges there is acute danger.
If a visit reveals problems, Arbejdstilsynet decides that the company must solve them. You are not automatically told what happened, but you can request access to the case file (aktindsigt).
What to do
Decide whether you want to complain confidentially or with your consent.
Gather the basics: the company's name and address, the nature of the problem, how many people are affected, when it started, and whether the working environment organisation has been involved.
Submit the form or call Arbejdstilsynet on 70 12 12 88 (Monday to Thursday 8-15, Friday 8-14).
If you want to know the outcome, request access to the case documents.
Your employer must make sure staff do not become ill because of a poor psychological working environment. Management is responsible, but the work is shared with employees: problems are mapped, an action plan is made, responsibilities are assigned and the results followed up. If you are sick-listed with stress, the employer should examine whether work conditions contributed.
Read the full answer
Note: Arbejdstilsynet refers to the Order on the psychological working environment (BEK no. 605 of 29 June 2026) for the detailed requirements, so check the current text.
Good to know
According to Arbejdstilsynet, a poor psychological working environment can cause stress and affect physical and mental health, and if it lasts it can lead to illness.
The workplace should have a systematic effort at several levels and follow it up. When there are problems, management and employees should map them, make an action plan, divide responsibility, follow up and evaluate.
If you have been off with stress, your employer should investigate whether conditions at work contributed and address them, both for you and for your colleagues.
When you return, tasks can be adapted to what you can gradually handle, your manager should check in regularly, and you should have a calm place to work. Stress is not a sign of weakness, and you should take symptoms seriously, pause and seek help.
What to do
Write down which work conditions are putting you under pressure and since when.
Raise it with your manager and your safety representative, preferably in writing.
Contact your doctor if you have symptoms.
Call Arbejdstilsynet on 70 12 12 88 for guidance if the workplace does not act.
Sexual harassment (seksuel chikane) is any act of a sexual nature that you experience as unpleasant, degrading, hostile or threatening, and your experience, not the other person's intent, decides. Your employer must prevent it and act on every report. You can say no, turn to a safety or union representative, ask management to investigate, or call Arbejdstilsynet.
Read the full answer
Note: If the person harassing you is your manager, a safety or union representative can help you raise the matter with management.
Good to know
Examples include demeaning treatment based on gender or sexuality, unwanted comments about your body, clothing or lifestyle, pornographic material, unwanted touching, and pressure to provide sexual services in exchange for a promotion.
Leaders should take every report seriously, investigate impartially by talking to those involved and, if needed, witnesses, document the course of events and keep strict discretion.
You do not have to prove that the behaviour was meant as harassment, and it is acceptable to state your boundaries. This can be hard when the person has power, such as a manager, so a safety or union representative can help raise the case with management.
Harassment that is unwanted conduct related to a protected ground such as sex, and that violates your dignity or creates a hostile or degrading environment, can also be discrimination that the Board of Equal Treatment handles.
What to do
If you can, say clearly that the behaviour is unwanted.
Write down what happened, when, where and who saw it, and save messages.
Report it to your manager, or to your safety or union representative if the manager is involved.
Contact your union, or call Arbejdstilsynet on 70 12 12 88 for guidance.
Your employer may not treat you worse because of sex, race, skin colour, ethnic origin, religion or belief, political opinion, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, sex characteristics, national or social origin, age or disability. The ban covers hiring, employment and dismissal, and you can be entitled to compensation (godtgørelse).
Read the full answer
Note: The Board of Equal Treatment decides complaints based on the protected grounds listed in the discrimination legislation, so describe which ground you think applies.
Good to know
The Employment Discrimination Act covers the whole employment cycle: recruitment, during employment and dismissal, and the qualifications, and only the qualifications, should decide who is hired or promoted.
Direct discrimination means being treated worse than someone else in a similar situation because of a protected ground. Indirect discrimination is a seemingly neutral rule or requirement, such as a language requirement, that puts a group at a disadvantage without being objectively justified.
Harassment related to a protected ground is also prohibited, as are discriminatory job advertisements.
Employers may not collect or use information about employees' race, ethnic origin or religion.
Complaints about discrimination in the labour market can be brought before Ligebehandlingsnævnet (the Board of Equal Treatment).
What to do
Write down what happened, when, who was involved and how others in a similar situation were treated.
Save documents such as the job advertisement, emails, the dismissal letter and your contract.
Talk to your union or, if appropriate, your employer.
If that does not solve it, consider a complaint to the Board of Equal Treatment.
Send your complaint to Ligebehandlingsnævnet (the Board of Equal Treatment) using the online form or the PDF form, stating who you are complaining about, the ground of discrimination and what you want. There is no deadline for filing, but the average case takes about 12 months, and the board can only handle it if your union cannot take it up.
Read the full answer
Deadline: There is no deadline for filing the complaint, but compensation claims are generally time-barred after 3 years, or 5 years if they arise from employment, and you can also lose a claim by waiting too long.
Good to know
Include your personal details, the other party's details, an explanation of why you think you were discriminated against, the ground and what you want. Attach evidence such as screenshots, letters, text messages or recordings, and if you were dismissed, your contract, the dismissal letter and recent payslips.
The secretariat confirms receipt by Digital Post and sends your complaint to the other party. You cannot be anonymous, and each side is typically heard twice.
The board decides at a meeting chaired by a judge. The decision is sent by Digital Post and published anonymised on retsinformation.dk.
If your union can take your case to faglig voldgift or Arbejdsretten, the board cannot handle it. As a union member you must document that the union cannot or will not take it up.
The board's decision cannot be appealed to another authority, but you can bring it before the courts.
What to do
Check with your union first whether it can take your case through the union system.
Fill in the online complaint form or the PDF form and send it as the page describes.
Attach your evidence as files, not links, since web pages can change before a decision is made.
If someone who is not a lawyer represents you, include a power of attorney (fuldmagt).
Yes. Employers must take appropriate measures, such as adjusted work patterns, redistributed tasks or reduced hours, so a person with a disability can work. Before refusing to hire or dismissing such a person, the employer must have arranged, or at least examined, adapting the job or workplace. The duty ends where measures would be a disproportionate burden.
Read the full answer
Note: Whether your condition counts as a disability is assessed case by case by the Board of Equal Treatment.
Good to know
Ligebehandlingsnævnet assesses case by case whether you have a disability. It refers to long-term limitations from physical, mental or psychological impairments that, together with various barriers, hinder full and effective participation in working life on equal terms.
There is no duty to provide work if you are no longer competent, suitable and available for the role, and the employer must show that a specific adjustment was impossible or a disproportionate burden. Public funding can change that assessment.
To bring a case you must point to concrete circumstances suggesting your disability played a part, because being refused a job or dismissed is not enough on its own. The burden then shifts to the employer to rebut it.
The board can find unlawful discrimination and award compensation, but it cannot order an employer to hire or rehire you.
A person who is treated worse because their child has a disability, and who provides most of the child's necessary care, can also be protected.
What to do
Tell your employer in writing about your limitations and suggest adjustments, such as aids, hours or tasks.
Keep copies of all replies and records of meetings.
Contact your union for advice before agreeing to leave or to a new contract.
If you think you were discriminated against, consider a complaint to the Board of Equal Treatment.
Disputes under an overenskomst are meant to be resolved first within the trade-union system, usually with your union acting for you: local negotiation with the shop steward, then a mediation meeting, then meetings between the organisations. Disagreements over interpretation can go to a faglig voldgiftsret, whose award normally cannot be appealed.
Read the full answer
Note: These steps apply to disputes under an overenskomst. If no collective agreement covers your job, a different route applies.
Good to know
The first step is local negotiation between the employer and the shop steward (tillidsrepræsentant).
If that fails, either side can request a mediation meeting (mæglingsmøde) in writing with a short description of the dispute. If the mediators agree, they can decide the case on the spot.
If mediation fails, the case goes to a meeting between the organisations (organisationsmøde). For an alleged breach of the agreement there is also a joint meeting (fællesmøde) that includes the umbrella organisations.
Disputes about how an agreement should be interpreted go to a faglig voldgiftsret, the final instance in the system. Before arbitration the parties must have held a negotiation meeting and a mediation meeting, and an award normally cannot be appealed.
Breaches of collective agreements on pay and working conditions can also be brought before Arbejdsretten (the Labour Court).
What to do
Tell your shop steward or union as soon as the dispute arises.
Give them your contract, payslips, the collective agreement and a written account of what happened.
Ask which step the case is at and what outcome to expect.
Arbejdsretten handles breaches of collective agreements and the lawfulness of industrial action. As far as possible a dispute must first be tried in the union system. In the court the organisations are normally the parties, not individual employees, and a case starts when a statement of claim (klageskrift) is sent. No court fee is charged.
Read the full answer
Note: Arbejdsretten's decisions are generally final, so make sure the case is well prepared with your union before it is filed.
Good to know
Arbejdsretten deals with violations and interpretation of main agreements, violations of other collective agreements on pay and working conditions, and whether collective industrial action is lawful.
Before going to court the parties should try to resolve the dispute in the union system (Labour Court Act, section 33), through local negotiation, a mediation meeting and meetings between the organisations.
The organisations are the parties even when the breach affects individual members (section 13(1)), and an employer who belongs to no organisation can be sued directly.
The klageskrift (section 14) must state the parties' names and addresses, what the claimant wants, a short account of the facts and a list of the evidence, and a copy must be sent to the other side.
The first hearing is normally 3-6 weeks after the klageskrift arrives, a case usually involves only two hearings, and the court's decisions are generally final.
What to do
Ask your union whether your case can be taken further.
Your union tries to resolve it in the union system with negotiation and mediation.
If that fails, the organisation files a klageskrift with Arbejdsretten.
The court holds a preparatory hearing and then a final hearing.
These answers explain general rules in Denmark and may not fit every case. Rules, amounts and deadlines change and depend on your situation and contract. For advice on your own case, contact a legal aid office, a lawyer or your union.
Every answer is based on official Danish sources such as borger.dk, retsinformation.dk, the Danish Courts and the relevant authorities, and links to them. We do not give legal advice.
