What are you entitled to?

All employees in Denmark are entitled to 5 weeks (25 working days) of paid annual leave per year. The holiday year runs from 1 September to 31 August, and you have 16 months to use your leave — from 1 September to 31 December the following year.

You accrue 2.08 holiday days per month of employment, and you can use them from the following month. This is called simultaneous holiday (samtidighedsferie) — you don't have to wait a full year before taking paid time off.

How does holiday pay work?

Salaried employees (funktionærer and others on monthly pay): You receive your normal salary during holiday, plus a minimum 1% ferietillæg (holiday supplement) on your annual earnings, typically paid in May.

Hourly workers and new starters: You accrue feriepenge at 12.5% of your earnings. Your employer pays this into FerieKonto (or Feriepengeinfo) on your behalf. When you take holiday, you request payment via borger.dk using MitID — it doesn't arrive automatically. Search "Se og bestil feriepenge" on borger.dk.

Important: 1.4 million Danish workers currently have unclaimed feriepenge. Check your balance at borger.dk. Entitlements from the September 2025–August 2026 holiday year can be claimed until 31 December 2026.

When can you take holiday?

You have the right to take at least 3 consecutive weeks of main holiday between 1 May and 30 September. The remaining 10 days can be taken at other times. Your employer sets the dates but must give at least 3 months' notice for main holiday and 1 month for other days.

What are feriefridage?

Many workplaces with a collective agreement also offer feriefridage — typically 5 extra days per year, bringing total leave to 6 weeks. These are not statutory but are negotiated via collective agreement or individual contract.

What if you change jobs or leave Denmark?

When you leave a job, your employer transfers your accrued holiday money to FerieKonto. You can use it at your new job. If you leave Denmark permanently, contact FerieKonto directly to request a cash payout — it doesn't happen automatically.