The Salaried Employees Act 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?
Funktionærloven (the Salaried Employees Act) — Consolidated Act No. 1002 of 2017 — is one of Denmark's most widely used employment laws. It covers salaried employees (funktionærer), defined broadly as employees in commercial, technical or administrative work who work, on average, more than 8 hours per week and receive a fixed salary. Most Danish salaried employees are covered.
The Act provides stronger statutory rights than general employment legislation — a graduated notice period that rises with seniority, severance pay for long-serving salaried employees on dismissal, and continued pay during illness. Collective agreements can supplement these rights, but cannot reduce them.
When does it apply?
- You work, on average, more than 8 hours per week in clerical, retail, warehouse or technical work in Denmark.
- You receive a fixed salary (not piece-rate or day-rate pay — those employees are typically covered by collective agreements instead).
- Your job is not expressly exempted (certain agricultural and maritime areas are covered by special laws).
What should you do?
- Confirm your salaried-employee status — check whether the contract classifies you as a salaried employee, or assess whether your position meets the § 1 definition (commercial/technical/administrative work, fixed salary, on average more than 8 hours per week).
- Calculate your notice period (§ 2):
- From the employer: 1 month (under 6 months' seniority), 3 months (6 months-3 years), 4 months (3-6 years), 5 months (6-9 years), 6 months (over 9 years).
- From the salaried employee: 1 month regardless of seniority.
- Severance pay (§ 2 a) is due if the employer dismisses a salaried employee with at least 12 years' seniority: 1 month's salary at 12 years, 3 months' salary at 17 years' seniority or more.
- For non-payment or unjustified dismissal: contact your trade union (DJØF, HK, IDA, FAOD and others organise salaried staff) — Denmark's approx. 60% unionisation rate means most salaried employees have a union safety net. The union can take the claim up with the employer and run the case for you. Where the dispute turns on a collective agreement, it goes to Arbejdsretten or to industrial arbitration (faglig voldgift); a purely individual claim under the Salaried Employees Act goes to the ordinary courts.
- Without union membership, you bring the claim yourself before the ordinary district court (byret). Note that Forligsinstitutionen cannot help with this — it mediates collective bargaining between unions and employer associations, not individual complaints.
What should you NOT do?
- Don't accept a shorter notice period than the statutory minimum — § 2 is mandatory; contract terms below the statutory minimum are invalid.
- Don't sign a severance agreement without review by a trade union or lawyer — salaried-employee rights are substantial and easy to underestimate.
- Don't assume hourly-paid workers are automatically exempt — hourly-paid workers can also be salaried employees if the 8-hour threshold and the role criteria are met.
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 the salaried employees act — protection of salaried employees right in Denmark?
Funktionærloven (the Salaried Employees Act) — Consolidated Act No. 1002 of 2017 — is one of Denmark's most widely used employment laws. It covers salaried employees (funktionærer), defined broadly as employees in commercial, technical or administrative work who work, on average, more than 8 hours per week and receive a fixed salary. Most Danish salaried employees are covered.The Act provides stronger statutory rights than general employment legislation — a graduated notice period that rises with seniority, severance pay for long-serving salaried employees on dismissal, and continued pay...
When does it apply — the salaried employees act — protection of salaried employees?
You work, on average, more than 8 hours per week in clerical, retail, warehouse or technical work in Denmark.You receive a fixed salary (not piece-rate or day-rate pay — those employees are typically covered by collective agreements instead).Your job is not expressly exempted (certain agricultural and maritime areas are covered by special laws).
What should you do — the salaried employees act — protection of salaried employees?
Confirm your salaried-employee status — check whether the contract classifies you as a salaried employee, or assess whether your position meets the § 1 definition (commercial/technical/administrative work, fixed salary, on average more than 8 hours per week).Calculate your notice period (§ 2):From the employer: 1 month (under 6 months' seniority), 3 months (6 months-3 years), 4 months (3-6 years), 5 months (6-9 years), 6 months (over 9 years).From the salaried employee: 1 month regardless of seniority.Severance pay (§ 2 a) is due if the employer dismisses a salaried employee with at least 12...
What should you NOT do — the salaried employees act — protection of salaried employees?
Don't accept a shorter notice period than the statutory minimum — § 2 is mandatory; contract terms below the statutory minimum are invalid.Don't sign a severance agreement without review by a trade union or lawyer — salaried-employee rights are substantial and easy to underestimate.Don't assume hourly-paid workers are automatically exempt — hourly-paid workers can also be salaried employees if the 8-hour threshold and the role criteria are met.