Extra holiday days and holiday allowance

If you receive paid holiday, you are also entitled to a holiday allowance of at least 1% of your holiday-qualifying salary. It is paid out twice a year:

May salary: Holiday allowance for the period 1 September to 31 May
August salary: Holiday allowance for the period 1 June to 31 August
Some employees are entitled to a higher holiday allowance, for example through a collective agreement or an individual contract.
Check your employment terms so you know what you are entitled to.

Extra Holiday Days – What Applies to You?
Extra holiday days, also known as the sixth holiday week, are not part of the Danish Holiday Act. They depend on what has been agreed with your employer, either in your contract or through collective bargaining.

If You Work in the Private Sector
Your employer determines the framework for extra holiday days. Most follow one of these models:

Model 1
You receive 5 extra holiday days per calendar year — independent of the holiday year.
The days often follow the company’s internal rules and remain unchanged from year to year.

Model 2
You accrue and take 5 extra holiday days according to the principles of the Holiday Act.
This may mean, for example, that the days follow the same accrual period and usage rules as your regular holiday days.

If You Work in the Public Sector
Here, the old rules for the sixth holiday week (special holidays) still apply:

Extra holiday days are accrued in the previous calendar year
They must be taken between 1 May and 30 April the following year
As a public sector employee, you must therefore keep track of two systems:
The new Holiday Act for ordinary holiday, and the previous rules for special holiday days.

If You Work in a Pharmacy
If you are employed at a pharmacy, you accrue a sixth holiday week in line with the other 5 weeks under your collective agreement. This means all six holiday weeks are combined in the same system, and you can track your total amount of holiday on your payslip.