Holiday Pay (Feriepenge) in Denmark (2026 Legal Guide) — Rules & Requirements
About this article
Sourced from Danish Acts of Parliament (love), executive orders (bekendtgørelser), and official government guidance. Written in plain language for general understanding — this is educational content, not legal advice. Our editorial standards
What is this right?
Ferieloven (the Holiday Act) — Consolidated Act No. 152 of 20 February 2024 — entitles every employee to 2.08 days of paid holiday per month of employment, or 25 days a year. The 2020 reform replaced the old staggered holiday scheme with concurrent holiday (samtidighedsferie): you accrue holiday from 1 September and can take it from 1 September the same year, with the holiday year ending on 31 August.
How you are paid for that holiday depends on your contract (§ 16). Hourly-paid employees receive feriegodtgørelse of 12.5% of gross salary, which the employer reports and pays to FerieKonto — a fund under Arbejdsmarkedets Tillægspension (ATP) — and which you request via borger.dk or atp.dk when you take the holiday. Salaried employees (funktionærer) instead continue to receive their ordinary salary while on holiday, plus a holiday supplement of at least 1% of the holiday-qualifying salary; many collective agreements raise that supplement.
When does it apply?
- You work in Denmark as an ordinary employee — full-time, part-time, fixed-term or casual.
- Your pay is A-income (applies to most employees, including foreign workers with a CPR number).
- You are not exempted by special collective agreements that derogate from the Holiday Act (rare; mainly certain agricultural and maritime areas).
What should you do?
- Check your accrual at borger.dk with MitID. FerieKonto shows your current balance and the year's payments.
- Agree your holiday with the employer in good time — under § 9 the employer must give at least 3 months' notice of the main holiday and 1 month's notice of remaining holiday; the collective agreement may set further deadlines.
- FerieKonto pays out feriegodtgørelse directly to your NemKonto, typically 1-2 days before the holiday begins.
- If the holiday pay is missing or too low, report it to FerieKonto via borger.dk — FerieKonto chases the employer, and unpaid amounts are passed to Lønmodtagernes Garantifond (LG) for collection. If your employer goes bankrupt you must file the claim with LG yourself. Your trade union can also pursue the claim for you.
- If you leave Denmark, you can request payment of accrued holiday pay before departure — particularly important for non-EU/EEA workers who lose access to NemKonto after returning home.
What should you NOT do?
- Don't accept "rolled" holiday pay on top of the monthly salary — the Holiday Act generally requires separate payment to FerieKonto, not a salary add-on.
- Don't forget unused holiday before 31 December after the end of the holiday year — unused holiday pay generally lapses, unless the collective agreement allows it to be carried over.
- Don't assume the employer reports correctly — check the FerieKonto payments every month via borger.dk.
About Employment Law & Working Conditions in Denmark
Your work in Denmark rests on the so-called flexicurity model — there is no statutory minimum wage, but collective agreements (overenskomster) at sector level cover around 80% of employees. Ferieloven (the Holiday Act) gives you 25 days of paid holiday a year, accrued monthly. Salaried employees (funktionærer) have enhanced notice periods and protection against unfair dismissal under funktionærloven (the Salaried Employees Act). The working environment is governed by arbejdsmiljøloven (the Working Environment Act), enforced by Arbejdstilsynet. Collective-agreement disputes are heard by Arbejdsretten (the Labour Court); individual cases are heard by the ordinary courts.
Common Questions
What is the holiday pay (feriepenge) — how to get your holiday pay right in Denmark?
Ferieloven (the Holiday Act) — Consolidated Act No. 152 of 20 February 2024 — entitles every employee to 2.08 days of paid holiday per month of employment, or 25 days a year. The 2020 reform replaced the old staggered holiday scheme with concurrent holiday (samtidighedsferie): you accrue holiday from 1 September and can take it from 1 September the same year, with the holiday year ending on 31 August.How you are paid for that holiday depends on your contract (§ 16). Hourly-paid employees receive feriegodtgørelse of 12.5% of gross salary, which the employer reports and pays to FerieKonto — a...
When does it apply — holiday pay (feriepenge) — how to get your holiday pay?
You work in Denmark as an ordinary employee — full-time, part-time, fixed-term or casual.Your pay is A-income (applies to most employees, including foreign workers with a CPR number).You are not exempted by special collective agreements that derogate from the Holiday Act (rare; mainly certain agricultural and maritime areas).
What should you do — holiday pay (feriepenge) — how to get your holiday pay?
Check your accrual at borger.dk with MitID. FerieKonto shows your current balance and the year's payments.Agree your holiday with the employer in good time — under § 9 the employer must give at least 3 months' notice of the main holiday and 1 month's notice of remaining holiday; the collective agreement may set further deadlines.FerieKonto pays out feriegodtgørelse directly to your NemKonto, typically 1-2 days before the holiday begins.If the holiday pay is missing or too low, report it to FerieKonto via borger.dk — FerieKonto chases the employer, and unpaid amounts are passed to...
What should you NOT do — holiday pay (feriepenge) — how to get your holiday pay?
Don't accept "rolled" holiday pay on top of the monthly salary — the Holiday Act generally requires separate payment to FerieKonto, not a salary add-on.Don't forget unused holiday before 31 December after the end of the holiday year — unused holiday pay generally lapses, unless the collective agreement allows it to be carried over.Don't assume the employer reports correctly — check the FerieKonto payments every month via borger.dk.