Holiday rules

Under the Danish Holiday Act, you are entitled to 5 weeks of annual leave – equivalent to 25 days.

Many workplaces offer 5 additional days off, but this is not a legal requirement. These extra days are referred to as additional leave days, special leave days or the sixth week of holiday. Specific rules apply to these additional days.

Read more about the additional leave days, special leave days and the sixth week of holiday.

You earn holiday on an ongoing basis. Under the Danish Holiday Act, you earn 2.08 days of holiday days per month.

If you are entitled to additional leave under your collective agreement or employment contract, you will naturally earn more holiday days each month.

The holiday year runs from 1 September to 31 August the following year. Any holiday you earn during this period must be taken by 31 December of the following year.

For example: All holiday earned between 1 September 2026 and 31 August 2027 must be taken by 31 December 2027.

As a general rule, you will lose any unused holiday days after 31 December.

You may be able to carry over some of your unused holiday days to the next holiday year, but this requires a specific agreement with your employer.

You are generally entitled to three consecutive weeks of summer holiday – this is called the main holiday.

The main holiday period is between 1 May and 30 September.

If you want to split your main holiday, you need to agree to this with your employer.

It is a good idea to request holiday as early as possible. If you and your employer cannot agree, your employer may decide when you take your holiday.

However, your employer must give notice at least three months before your main holiday (summer holiday) and at least one month before other holiday periods.

You can take a holiday before you have earned it if you agree this with your employer. This is called a holiday in advance.

The agreement should be in writing, so both parties are clear on the terms.