Statutory notice period
The minimum notice an employer must give. Contracts and collective agreements can lengthen it and only rarely shorten it, and the tenure bands are where cross-border assumptions usually go wrong.
Employer notice for salaried employees (funktionærer) under the Salaried Employees Act. Hourly and other workers fall outside the Act and are typically covered by collective agreements, often with much shorter notice.
| Service | Employer notice | Runs |
|---|---|---|
| During the first 6 months of employment | 1 month | to the end of a month |
| After 6 months | 3 months | to the end of a month |
| Rising by 1 month for every further 3 years of service | capped at 6 months | to the end of a month |
Notice must be given early enough that employment ends within the service band it was given in, so in practice the longer notice applies some months before each threshold. Where a probation period of up to 3 months is agreed, the employer may give 14 days' notice during it instead.
Source: Funktionærloven § 2, danskelove.dk, full text of the consolidated act. Checked on 2026-07-27.
Minimum paid annual leave
The statutory floor for paid holiday. The counting basis matters as much as the number, since some laws count a six-day week and others count working days or calendar weeks.
25 days per year, accruing at 2.08 days per month.
Holiday accrues and can be taken concurrently through the holiday year. Employees who do not receive salary during leave get a holiday allowance of 12.5 per cent of pay instead.
Source: Lønmodtager og ferie, borger.dk, the Danish public administration portal. Checked on 2026-07-27.
Probation limit
The longest trial period the law allows an employer to agree, together with the notice that applies while it runs.
3 months at most, with notice of 14 days during it.
Applies where a trial period is agreed for a salaried employee. The employer's notice during it is at least this long, and the arrangement lapses if employment continues beyond the trial.
Source: Funktionærloven § 2, danskelove.dk, full text of the consolidated act. Checked on 2026-07-27.
Employer social contributions
What the employer pays on top of gross salary into statutory schemes. Some countries charge a percentage of pay, others charge flat amounts, and a single headline rate hides caps, regional rules and industry-rated items.
Figures apply for 2026.
| Scheme | Employer amount |
|---|---|
| ATP Livslang Pension, employer shareThe employer pays two thirds of the full contribution; the employee's third is withheld from pay. | 2,376 DKK per year, being 2/3 of 891 DKK per quarter |
| AUB, employers' education contributionBilled quarterly. A deduction applies for the first employee and for every fiftieth, so a company with a single employee pays nothing. | 2,821 DKK per year |
| Barsel.dk, parental leave equalisationPrivate employers not covered by an equivalent scheme. No contribution is due for registered trainees under 25. | 2,200 DKK per year |
| AES, occupational disease insuranceThe rate is set by industry code. | varies |
| Financing contribution and administrative leviesPrivate employers; billed together with the items above through the joint quarterly collection. | varies |
| Sum of the fixed items aboveFixed statutory items only, per full-time employee, before the industry-rated and variable items above. | 7,397 DKK per year |
There is no general percentage-of-pay social security charge on Danish employers; the statutory items are small fixed amounts, and welfare is funded mainly through general taxation.
Source: Arbejdsgiver, Samlet Betaling, Virk, the Danish business authority portal; Arbejdsgiver, Arbejdsgivernes Uddannelsesbidrag, Virk, the Danish business authority portal; Barsel.dk, bidrag og satser, Virk, the Danish business authority portal. Checked on 2026-07-27.