Holiday rules

We help you get an overview so you can plan your holiday and avoid unpleasant surprises.

What does the Holiday Act mean for you?
You accrue holiday continuously, which gives you more flexibility — but also more to keep track of.

You accrue 2.08 paid holiday days per month
This gives you a total of 5 weeks of holiday per holiday year
The holiday year runs from 1 September to 31 August
You have 16 months to take your holiday — until 31 December of the following year
 
How to plan your holiday
The Holiday Act allows you to take holiday before you have accrued it — but only if you have agreed to this with your employer. This is called holiday in advance, and it requires a clear agreement.

You may also use holiday carried over from previous years.
If you leave your job before you have accrued the holiday you have already taken, your employer may deduct the amount from your salary.

The transition to the new Holiday Act
When the new Holiday Act came into force, all holiday accrued from 1 September 2019 to 31 August 2020 was frozen in Lønmodtagernes Feriemidler (the Employees’ Holiday Funds). You can only have this money paid out:

When you reach state pension age
If you leave the labour market
Or in special situations, such as political agreements like those during COVID-19
You can see your frozen holiday funds on borger.dk.

Employers had until 31 December 2020 to report the frozen holiday days. If you leave your job, they can still settle the funds via FerieKonto.

Are you prevented from taking holiday?
Sometimes you may be unable to take holiday even though you are entitled to it. This is called a holiday obstruction, and it means your employer cannot require you to take holiday during that period. If you want to know what applies in your situation, we can help you get an overview.

What is a holiday obstruction?
A holiday obstruction is a specific situation where you are not able to take holiday. Examples include:

• Illness
• Parental leave
• Military service

If you are affected by a holiday obstruction, you are entitled to postpone your holiday.

Illness and holiday – the rules
You may choose to take holiday even if you are on sick leave, but only if you report yourself fit for work to the municipality before your holiday begins.

If you fall ill during your holiday:

• You must notify your employer immediately
• You cover the cost of the first five sick days yourself
• After that, you may receive replacement holiday for the remaining sick days
• You must cover the cost of documentation yourself, e.g., a medical certificate abroad

If you are unsure how to handle your situation, contact us — we will guide you.

Special rules for pharmacy employees
If you are employed at a pharmacy, you are covered by Pharmadanmark’s collective agreement. This means:

You accrue both holiday and extra holiday days according to the principle of simultaneous accrual
You accrue a total of 2.5 holiday days per month
If you change jobs and leave the pharmacy sector, the value of your holiday will be paid out.
However, you do not carry over the actual days or hours from the sixth holiday week to your new employer, as this right cannot be transferred.