The rules for maternity/paternity leave are flexible. Some of the maternity/paternity leave is reserved for the mother and some for the father/co-mother. The rest may be divided as you wish. According to the Act on Entitlement to Leave and Benefits in the Event of Childbirth, you as parents are entitled to a total of 52 weeks' maternity/paternity leave with maternity/paternity benefits.

The 52 weeks of maternity/paternity benefits are divided between the mother and father as follows:

• Pregnancy leave - 4 weeks prior to the birth for the mother
  The leave starts 28 days prior to the expected birth inclusive of the due date. This does not affect the length of leave after the birth if the birth takes place before or after the due date.
• Maternity leave - 14 weeks after the birth for the mother
  The leave starts on the calendar day after the birth. The mother is entitled to leave during the first two weeks after the birth.
• Paternity leave - 2 weeks after the birth for the father/co-mother
  The leave is taken in connection with the birth but the father may arrange with his employee for the weeks to be placed at another time before the child is 14 weeks old. In specific cases, the father may assume the mother's entitlement to leave during the first 14 weeks. This applies, e.g., in the event that the mother passes away or cannot take care of the child due to illness. The co-mother has the same rights as the father according to the Act on Entitlement to Leave and Benefits in the Event of Childbirth.
• Parental leave - 32 weeks after the birth, which may be divided between the parents
  The leave may be taken together, by taking turns or in continuation of each other.

If you receive pay during any of the maternity/paternity leave, you must be aware that the weeks with pay are deducted from the 52 weeks of leave with maternity/paternity benefits. This is because the government benefits are paid to your employer as reimbursement for the pay you receive.

You can see if you meet the requirements for receiving government benefits and the payment you are entitled to on lifeindenmark.dk

The legislation and Finansforbundet (Financial Services Union Denmark) contain rules regarding when you should give notice to your employer - both before and during maternity/paternity leave. We recommend that you give written notice.

Deadlines for notice prior to due date

• 3 months prior to due date: The mother must inform her employer of when she expects to give birth and state whether she wishes to exercise her right to pregnancy leave prior to the birth. However, it may be a good idea to disclose your pregnancy or fertility treatment earlier, in order to safeguard against dismissal – or during fertility treatment.

• Within 4 weeks prior to the start of leave: The father must inform his employer of when he expects to take his 2-4 weeks of paternity leave.

Deadlines for notice after due date

• Within 8 weeks after the birth: Both the mother and father must inform their employers of whether they wish to take parental leave with full pay, as well as when they wish to take their leave.
• Within 8 weeks after the birth:
  The parents must inform their employers of how much leave they wish to take, how they will take it and whether they wish to extend or postpone a part of their leave. The parents must also inform their employers if they wish to make use of the uniform agreements' right to a part-time agreement up to and including week 60 after the birth.
  

The leave can be amended by giving the employer new notice within 8 weeks after the birth. However, the leave cannot be amended after the 8 weeks unless your employer agrees to this.

In the event that a child is hospitalised, the employer must be informed as soon as possible if it means that the leave will be postponed or extended.

As parents, you have a combined right to 52 weeks' maternity/paternity leave with maternity/paternity benefits but you also have the right to be absent from work for up to a total of 112 weeks if you are employed. This means that you are entitled to be on leave for a longer period than you are entitled to receive government benefits.

Below you can see how long it is possible to extend your maternity/paternity leave:

• Pregnancy leave for mother - 4 weeks prior to the birth
• Maternity leave for mother - 14 weeks after the birth
• Paternity leave for father - 2 weeks after the birth
• Parental leave for mother - 32 weeks after the birth
• Parental leave for father - 32 weeks after the birth
• Both parents may also choose to extend the parental leave by 8 or 14 weeks

It is therefore possible to extend your leave to a total of 84 weeks, and up to 112 weeks if both parents choose to extend their parental leave by 14 weeks.

Postponement of maternity/paternity leave

Parents with employment have the possibility of postponing a part of their parental leave. The postponed leave must be taken before the child reaches the age of 9 and the parent taking the leave must be employed and fulfil the requirements for receiving maternity/paternity benefits for the period the leave is taken in.

The leave may be postponed by using the following two methods:

1. Rights-based postponement
2. Agreement-based postponement

 

The leave may be postponed by combining both methods.

1. Rights-based postponement

One parent is entitled to postpone between 8 and 13 weeks of the 32-week period of parental leave. Read about the agreement-based postponement if you both wish to postpone the leave. You have the right to postpone your leave and your employer's approval is therefore not necessary. However, we recommend that you ask for written confirmation of the agreement. Please note that only one parent is entitled to postpone the leave using the rights-based method.

Remember that the parent taking the leave must notify their employer of the postponed leave within 8 weeks after the birth and 16 weeks before the leave is taken. The leave must be taken as one consecutive period.

You retain the right to the postponed leave, even if you change jobs. This means that you have the guarantee of taking the leave at a later date, as long as your employer is given a minimum of 16 weeks' notice before the start of the leave.

 

2. Agreement-based postponement

Both parents may postpone up to 32 weeks of parental leave and take it at a later date, as long as this can be agreed with their employers. This agreement option applies to both parents, but there will still be only 32 weeks of parental leave with government benefits to be shared between both parents.

You are not required to take the leave all at once. You can agree to take it in weekly, daily or hourly segments, as long as your employer is prepared to go along with this. There are no notification rules in connection with agreement-based postponement.

Your new employer is not required to comply with the agreement in the event that you change jobs.

Extension of maternity/paternity leave

If you are employed, you may extend the parental leave of 32 weeks by 8 or 14 weeks. It may be extended by 8 weeks if you are unemployed.

If you choose to extend the leave, you should be aware of the following:

• The leave must be taken immediately after the parental leave without interruption.
• The extension of the leave cannot be combined with postponing the leave or partially resuming work.
• Your employer will not approve the extension if you have not notified the employer within 8 weeks after the birth.

 

Extension of reduced government benefits

You will not get any more maternity/paternity benefits when parental leave is extended. However, you can choose to reduce your maternity/paternity benefits so they are paid during the entire period. This means that the 32 weeks of maternity/paternity benefits paid during parental leave will be paid for 40 or 46 weeks instead. It is your own responsibility to inform Udbetaling Danmark that you would like your government benefits for 32 weeks of parental leave to be distributed over 40 or 46 weeks. Please note that incorrect instructions are sometimes given to the effect that the government benefits should not be reduced until after the maternity/paternity leave with full pay has ended. This is incorrect and you will lose money as a consequence of this.

In the event that you extend your leave by 8 or 14 weeks and receive reduced government benefits as a consequence, you will still be entitled to full pay if you are covered by one of the Financial Services Union Denmark's collective agreements and if the government benefits refunded to your employer amount to at least 32/46 of the highest amount of government benefits. The 32/46 fraction results from the fact that you can extend your parental leave by 8 or 14 weeks so that your parental leave is increased to 40 or 46 weeks, as well as still having the right to maternity/paternity benefits for 32 weeks of parental leave. In this situation, you have the opportunity to spread the government benefits for the 32 weeks over 40 or 46 weeks, which corresponds to 32/40 or 32/46 of the highest amount of government benefits. If you are considering extending the leave by 8 or 14 weeks, it is a good idea to contact a social worker at Financial Services Union Denmark.

It is your own responsibility to contact Udbetaling Danmark and reduce your maternity/paternity benefits. It is also important that you reduce your government benefits from week 15 after the birth. This is because there are economic benefits associated with reducing your government benefits from week 15.

 

The extension applies to both parents

The extension of maternity/paternity benefits has an effect on both parents. It allows you to share the extended leave, take some of the leave at the same time or for one parent to take the whole leave alone.

If you receive pay during the leave, however, you must both ensure that your employers accept the extension, as reduced maternity/paternity benefits mean reduced reimbursement for both employers. The extension may therefore have a consequence for payment during the leave if your employer requires full reimbursement of government benefits before you are entitled to full pay. As indicated above, the employer's reimbursement will be reduced as a result of the extension.

If you are in doubt about the rules, please contact the Financial Services Union Denmark so we can advise you on the best solution.

As a mother, you are entitled to absence with full pay when you need to attend preventive examinations in connection with pregnancy.

As a mother, you are entitled to absence with full pay if discomfort during pregnancy is documented by the doctor. You are also entitled to absence with full pay earlier than four weeks prior to the expected delivery date in cases where, according to an assessment by the doctor, pregnancy complications have arisen.

The length of leave after the birth is not affected by whether you start your leave earlier than four weeks before the birth. Giving birth before or after the expected delivery date does not affect the length of leave after the birth.

You can read more about which illnesses and discomfort give the right to absence with full pay at lifeindenmark.dk.

 

If your child is hospitalised

You can extend your maternity leave if your child is hospitalised within 46 weeks after the birth. You can extend your maternity leave by the number of days your child is hospitalised, but by no more than three months. However, this right to extend is subject to the condition that you do not resume to work in connection with the child being hospitalised.

Please note that the right to extend the maternity leave does not apply to the paternity leave during the two weeks the father may hold within the first 14 weeks.

 

If more than one child is hospitalised

If you give birth to more than one child and these children are hospitalised in connection with the birth, the discharge from the hospital will only count from the date when the last child is discharged.

Your leave may be extended by a maximum of three months.

You are both entitled to resume work partially during the entire period of your leave. The mother, however, may not resume work during the first two weeks after the birth. Partial resumption of work means that you can resume work with working hours that are shorter than usual working hours. In principle, this means that you can resume work for up to 36 hours per week if you work 37 hours per week.

You can resume work in the leave period with or without extending the leave.

You are obliged to provide documentation to Udbetaling Danmark stating that you have entered into an agreement on an extension of the leave period. We recommend that you do this in writing.

 

Example:

You would like to, e.g. use the last seven-week period of leave to resume work on a part-time basis. You are a full-time employee working 37 hours per week and agree with your employer that you will work 30 hours per week and take leave for seven hours per week during the seven weeks. Seven weeks of leave corresponds to 259 hours. This means that you can work for 30 hours and take seven hours of leave for a total of 37 weeks.  

• With extension: The leave period is extended by the amount of time that you work. If you extend your leave by partially resuming work, you must make an agreement to this effect with your employer.
• Without extension: You can try to make an agreement with your employer that you partially resume work during the leave period without extending the leave. Please note however, that you will lose your right to government benefits for the days you work. The local authority pays government benefits for the hours in which you take leave. You can only receive maternity benefits if your leave is at least 20 percent of the weekly working time before you commence your leave.

You are entitled to part-time employment up to and including week 60 after the birth if you are covered by the rules of the standard collective agreement or a number of Finansforbundet's (Financial Services Union Denmark's) other collective agreements.

If you cannot agree on the reduced working hours by local negotiation, you are entitled to part-time employment during the period. You must notify your employer within eight weeks of the birth if you wish to make use of the right to part-time employment. The company pays both the employee's and company's usual pension contributions during the period.

 

Example of part-time employment:

A mother who works in the financial sector wants to take maternity leave with full pay up to and including week 26. The mother wishes to work part-time from week 27 up to and including week 60, while at the same time, her husband takes paternity leave on government benefits for 20 weeks from week 27. If the mother cannot agree with her employer in the financial sector, she is entitled to part-time employment at half time during the period, as well as being entitled to her full pension contributions during the period.

As Parents, you are entitled to return to the same or an equivalent post on terms and conditions that are no less favourable. You also have the right to benefit from any improvement in working conditions to which you would have been entitled during your absence.

Your employer must not make significant changes to your job while you are on maternity/paternity leave. This will be comparable with a notice of termination from your employer if this nevertheless happens. Please contact Finansforbundet if changes were made to your job while you were on maternity/paternity leave and will we advise you with the best solution. 

Special protection provisions in the Danish Equal Opportunities Act apply in case of dismissal due to maternity/paternity leave. 

You may participate in an education and training during your maternity/paternity leave without affecting your maternity/paternity benefits.

Whether you are entitled or have the right to pay during your maternity/paternity leave depends on the maternity/paternity conditions agreed or determined by your place of employment. Finansforbundet's collective agreements grant the right to full pay during parts of the maternity/paternity leave.

If you are a salaried employee and employed by a company without a collective agreement or paternity/maternity leave conditions, you are covered by the paternity/maternity terms in the Danish Act on Salaried Employees. The Danish Act on Salaried Employees entitles the mother to half pay for up to 18 weeks (four weeks prior to the expected date of delivery and 14 weeks after the birth), as well as parental leave with maternity/paternity benefits, while the father is entitled to two weeks of paternity leave with maternity/paternity benefits in connection with the birth, as well as paternity leave with maternity benefits.

 

Example of pay according to the standard collective agreement

Here you can see how many weeks the mother and father are entitled to with full pay according to the standard collective agreement concluded between Finansforbundet and FA, as well as a large part of Finansforbundet's other collective agreements:

The mother is entitled to up to 30 weeks leave with full pay and the father is entitled to up to 16 weeks leave with full pay.

• Pregnancy leave (mother) - 4 four weeks with full pay prior to the birth

• Maternity leave (mother) - 14 weeks with full pay after the birth
  The leave starts on the calendar day after the birth. The mother is obliged to take leave in the first two weeks after childbirth.

• Paternity leave (father) - 4 weeks with full pay after the birth
  The 4-week period of paternity leave may be taken as a consecutive period or two periods of two weeks. Two of the weeks must be taken within the first 14 weeks after the birth unless agreed otherwise. The two remaining weeks may be taken any time during weeks 15–60 after the birth.
• Parental leave (mother) - 12 weeks with full pay after the birth
  The leave may be taken during weeks 15–60 after the birth as a consecutive period or divided into 2 x 6 weeks.
• Parental leave (father) - 12 weeks with full pay after the birth
  The leave may be taken during weeks 15–60 after the birth as a consecutive period or divided into 2 x 6 weeks.
  
  You are both entitled to 12 weeks parental leave if you are both covered by one of Finansforbundet's collective agreements.

 

Weeks with pay are deducted from your maternity/paternity benefits

You must be aware that weeks with pay are deducted from the 52 weeks of leave with maternity/paternity benefits. This is because the government benefits are paid to your employer as reimbursement for the pay you receive. If you take maternity/paternity leave at the same time as you receive pay, it will count as double in your government benefits account.

According to the collective agreements in the area of Finansforbundet and the FA, full pay is subject to whether your employer is able to receive a government benefit refund, which corresponds to at least 32/46 of the maximum government benefit amount.

The 32/46 fraction results from the fact that you can extend your parental leave by 8 or 14 weeks so that your parental leave is increased to 40 or 46 weeks, as well as still having the right to maternity/paternity benefits for 32 weeks of parental leave. In this situation, you have the opportunity to spread the government benefits for the 32 weeks over 40 or 46 weeks, which corresponds to 32/40 or 32/46 of the highest amount of government benefits. If you are considering extending the leave by 8 or 14 weeks, it is a good idea to contact a social worker at Financial Services Union Denmark. 

Would you like to extend your maternity/paternity leave?

Read more about extending your maternity/paternity leave.

As parents, you are entitled to a total of 52 weeks' maternity/paternity leave with maternity/paternity benefits, regardless of whether you are unemployed or unemployed.

The rules regarding whether you meet the requirements to receive maternity/paternity benefits and how much you will receive depends on whether you are employed, self-employed, unemployed or a student. You can read more about the requirements and see the current rates for government benefits on lifeindenmark.dk.

 

Specifically for students

You are not entitled to maternity/paternity benefits if you are a student on SU (Danish students' Grants and Loans Scheme), but you may receive extra SU clips etc.

You should therefore contact the SU Agency so that they can advise you on your options as a student parent on SU.

You will be in exactly the same position when you are on maternity/paternity leave as you were when you were not on maternity/paternity leave. This means that you have the right to be informed of any pay reviews or negotiations in your company while you are on leave. The maternity/paternity leave shall therefore not be the reason that you are given a lower pay development or cannot have access to a pay negotiation.

It can be beneficial to conclude an agreement with your manager regarding when and how you will negotiate your pay next time, even before you go on leave. Remember that you can always request a pay negotiation within this context, even if it is not written directly in your agreement.

If your employer has a collective agreement with Finansforbundet

If you are covered by the standard collective agreement between Finansforbundet and FA or have similar terms, then the company pays both your and the company's pension contributions during your entire maternity/paternity, but not beyond 60 weeks after the birth.

This means that you will not only receive full pension contributions during your maternity/paternity leave in the periods when you receive full pay, but also during the periods when you are on leave without pay, up to week 60 after the birth.  

The fact that your pension contributions are paid during your maternity/paternity leave means that you also earn the right to holiday with pay pursuant to the rules of the Danish Holiday with Pay Act (i.e. 1-5 holiday weeks) in the periods where your employer pays pension contributions during your leave.

 

If your employer does not have a collective agreement with Finansforbundet

If you are not covered by one of Finansforbundet's collective agreements, whether you have the right to pension contributions during all or part of your leave depends on your collective agreement or employment contract. 

If your employer has a collective agreement with Finansforbundet

If you are covered by Finansforbundet's standard collective agreement or similar terms, you accrue the right to holiday with pay pursuant to the rules of the Danish Holiday with Pay Act during maternity/paternity leave in the periods where you receive full or partial pay or pension contributions. You also accrue holiday with pay during the periods when you take maternity/paternity leave on government benefits but where your employer pays pension contributions - but not beyond week 60 week after the birth.  

Accrual of holiday with pay is based on your weekly working time and how many months of employment you have in the qualifying year.

If you are a member of an unemployment fund, you can accrue entitlement to holiday benefits based on the maternity/paternity benefits you have received. This requires that you meet the conditions to receive maternity/paternity benefits, however.

You can see more about this on lifeindenmark.dk.

 

If your employer does not have a collective agreement with Finansforbundet

If you are not covered by one of Finansforbundet's collective agreements, whether you accrue holiday with pay during all or part of your leave depends on your collective agreement or employment contract.

According to the Holiday with Pay Act, maternity/paternity leave is considered a holiday obstacle. Therefore, you can generally not take a holiday during your maternity/paternity leave.

If you take maternity/paternity leave up to the end of the main holiday on 30 September or up to the end of the holiday year on 30 April with regard to other holidays, then you will be able to have the remaining holiday days paid out in cash.

If you do not wish to receive payment for your holiday, you can instead agree with your employer that you transfer the holiday you have accrued over 20 days, as well as holiday days granted through a collective agreement (6 holiday weeks), to the following holiday year.

Such an agreement must be in writing and concluded before 30 September and after the end of the holiday year.

 

What if I am prevented from taking a holiday due to postponement/extension of my leave?

If you are on maternity/paternity leave and have made use of your right to extend the leave or take postponed leave, maternity/paternity leave is considered a holiday obstacle.

This means that in the above situations you have the option of having your holiday pay paid out for the holiday you have not held.

Another option is to agree with your employer that your holiday is transferred to the next holiday year. 

You are entitled to childcare days if you are covered by Finansforbundet's standard collective agreement or similar terms.

If you have not had the possibility of taking your childcare days, they will be deposited in your hour bank account at the end of the year, following which you can choose to have them paid out or hold them as time off in lieu. However, please be aware that something else may have been agreed locally, so contact your union representative or the Finansforbundet if you are in doubt. 

When you resume work after the maternity/paternity leave, you should be aware that you do not accrue entitlement to childcare days during the periods when you do not receive pay or, e.g. only receive pension contributions paid by the company. This is the case for example with maternity/paternity leave with government benefits.

Read more about the rules for childcare days in Finansforbundet's and FA's rules on childcare days.

The rules for maternity/paternity leave are flexible. Some of the maternity/paternity leave is reserved for the mother and some for the father/co-mother. The rest may be divided as you wish. According to the Act on Entitlement to Leave and Benefits in the Event of Childbirth, you as parents are entitled to a total of 52 weeks' maternity/paternity leave with maternity/paternity benefits.  

The 52 weeks of maternity/paternity benefits are divided between the mother and father as follows:

• Pregnancy leave - 4 weeks prior to the birth for the mother
  The leave starts 28 days prior to the expected birth inclusive of the due date. This does not affect the length of leave after the birth if the birth takes place before or after the due date.
• Maternity leave - 14 weeks after the birth for the mother
  The leave starts on the calendar day after the birth. The mother is obliged to take leave in the first two weeks after childbirth.
• Paternity leave - 2 weeks after the birth for the father/co-mother
  The leave is taken in connection with the birth but the father may arrange with his employee for the weeks to be placed at another time before the child is 14 weeks old. In specific cases, the father may assume the mother's entitlement to leave during the first 14 weeks. This applies, e.g., in the event that the mother passes away or cannot take care of the child due to illness. The co-mother has the same rights as the father according to the Act on Entitlement to Leave and Benefits in the Event of Childbirth.
• Parental leave - 32 weeks after the birth, which may be divided between the parents
  The leave may be taken together, by taking turns or in continuation of each other.

If you receive pay during any of the maternity/paternity leave, you must be aware that the weeks with pay are deducted from the 52 weeks of leave with maternity/paternity benefits. This is because the government benefits are paid to your employer as reimbursement for the pay you receive.

You can see if you meet the requirements for receiving government benefits and the payment you are entitled to on lifeindenmark.dk.

If you are a salaried employee and employed by a company without a collective agreement or paternity/maternity leave conditions, you are covered by the paternity/maternity terms in the Danish Act on Salaried Employees. The Danish Act on Salaried Employees entitles the mother to half pay for up to 18 weeks (four weeks prior to the expected date of delivery and 14 weeks after the birth), as well as parental leave with maternity/paternity benefits, while the father is entitled to two weeks of paternity leave with maternity/paternity benefits in connection with the birth, as well as paternity leave with maternity benefits.

The legislation and Finansforbundet (Financial Services Union Denmark) contain rules regarding when you should give notice to your employer - both before and during maternity/paternity leave. We recommend that you give written notice.

Deadlines for notice prior to due date

• 3 months prior to due date: The mother must inform her employer of when she expects to give birth and state whether she wishes to exercise her right to pregnancy leave prior to the birth. However, it may be a good idea to disclose your pregnancy or fertility treatment earlier, in order to safeguard against dismissal – or during fertility treatment.

• Within 4 weeks prior to the start of leave: The father must inform his employer of when he expects to take his 2-4 weeks of paternity leave.

Deadlines for notice after due date

• Within 8 weeks after the birth: Both the mother and father must inform their employers of whether they wish to take parental leave with full pay, as well as when they wish to take their leave.
• Within 8 weeks after the birth:  
  The parents must inform their employers of how much leave they wish to take, how they will take it and whether they wish to extend or postpone a part of their leave. The parents must also inform their employers if they wish to make use of the uniform agreements' right to a part-time agreement up to and including week 60 after the birth.

The leave can be amended by giving the employer new notice within 8 weeks after the birth. However, the leave cannot be amended after the 8 weeks unless your employer agrees to this.

In the event that a child is hospitalised, the employer must be informed as soon as possible if it means that the leave will be postponed or extended.

Special maternity/paternity leave provisions apply to insurance agents.

The rules for maternity/paternity leave are flexible. Some of the maternity/paternity leave is reserved for the mother and some for the father/co-mother. The rest may be divided as you wish. According to the Act on Entitlement to Leave and Benefits in the Event of Childbirth, you as parents are entitled to a total of 52 weeks' maternity/paternity leave with maternity/paternity benefits.  

The 52 weeks of maternity/paternity benefits are divided between the mother and father as follows:

• Pregnancy leave - 4 weeks prior to the birth for the mother
  The leave starts 28 days prior to the expected birth inclusive of the due date. This does not affect the length of leave after the birth if the birth takes place before or after the due date.
• Maternity leave - 14 weeks after the birth for the mother
  The leave starts on the calendar day after the birth. The mother is obliged to take leave in the first two weeks after childbirth.
• Paternity leave - 2 weeks after the birth for the father/co-mother
  The leave is taken in connection with the birth but the father may arrange with his employee for the weeks to be placed at another time before the child is 14 weeks old. In specific cases, the father may assume the mother's entitlement to leave during the first 14 weeks. This applies, e.g., in the event that the mother passes away or cannot take care of the child due to illness. The co-mother has the same rights as the father according to the Act on Entitlement to Leave and Benefits in the Event of Childbirth.
• Parental leave - 32 weeks after the birth, which may be divided between the parents
  The leave may be taken together, by taking turns or in continuation of each other.

If you receive pay during any of the maternity/paternity leave, you must be aware that the weeks with pay are deducted from the 52 weeks of leave with maternity/paternity benefits. This is because the government benefits are paid to your employer as reimbursement for the pay you receive.

Among other things, you can see if you meet the requirements for receiving government benefits and the payment you are entitled to on lifeindenmark.dk.

Finansforbundet's collective agreements grant the right to full pay during all or part of your maternity/paternity leave. Whether you are entitled or have the right to pay during your maternity/paternity leave depends on the maternity/paternity conditions agreed or determined by your place of employment.

If you are a salaried employee and employed by a company without a collective agreement or paternity/maternity leave conditions, you are covered by the paternity/maternity terms in the Danish Act on Salaried Employees. The Danish Act on Salaried Employees entitles the mother to half pay for up to 18 weeks (four weeks prior to the expected date of delivery and 14 weeks after the birth), as well as parental leave with maternity/paternity benefits, while the father is entitled to two weeks of paternity leave with maternity/paternity benefits in connection with the birth, as well as paternity leave with maternity benefits.

Pay during maternity/paternity leave for insurance agents is calculated in the same way as pay during illness. You can read more about how pay is calculated during illness (and maternity/paternity leave) in your local collective agreement or on Finansforbundet's website.

Pay during maternity/paternity leave according to Finansforbundet's framework agreement
If you are employed in one of Finansforbundet's local collective agreements for insurance agents, then the rules of the framework agreement apply to you. Here you can see how many weeks the mother and father are entitled to with full pay according to the framework agreement for insurance agents concluded between Finansforbundet and FA.

According to the framework agreement, the mother is entitled to take up to 28 weeks leave with full pay and the father is entitled to take up to 14 weeks leave with full pay.

• Pregnancy leave (mother) - 4 four weeks with full pay prior to the birth
• Maternity leave (mother) - 14 weeks with full pay after the birth
  The period is calculated from the calendar day after the child is born. The mother is obliged to take leave in the first two weeks after childbirth.
• Paternity leave (father) - 4 weeks with full pay after the birth
  The 4-week period of paternity leave must be taken as a consecutive period of two weeks. Two of the weeks must be taken prior to the first 14 weeks after the birth, unless otherwise agreed. The two remaining weeks may be taken during weeks 15–60 after the birth.
• Parental leave (mother) - 10 weeks with full pay after the birth
  If you cannot agree on when the leave should be taken, you can take it during weeks 15-60 after the birth as 2 consecutive periods of 5 weeks.
• Parental leave (father) - 10 weeks with full pay after the birth
  If you cannot agree on when the leave should be taken, you can take it during weeks 15-60 after the birth as 2 consecutive periods of 5 weeks.

You are both entitled to 10 weeks parental leave if you are both covered by one of Finansforbundet's collective agreements for insurance agents.

You must be aware that weeks with pay are deducted from the 52 weeks of leave with maternity/paternity benefits. This is because the government benefits are paid to your employer as reimbursement for the pay you receive. If you take maternity/paternity leave at the same time as you receive pay, it will count as double in your government benefits account. A condition of the Remuneration Act is that your employer receives a government benefit refund. According to the collective agreements in the area of Finansforbundet and the FA, full pay is subject to whether your employer is able to receive a government benefit refund, which corresponds to at least 32/46 of the maximum government benefit amount.

This means that you are entitled to full pay during your leave, even if your employer receives a small amount of government benefit refund, but you must make sure that the government benefit refund corresponds to at least 32/46 of the maximum government benefit amount. This is only of relevance to you if choose to apply your right to extend your parental leave of 32 weeks by 8 or 14 weeks to 40 or 46 weeks. 

You can read more about extending your maternity/paternity leave in the section above. 

It is a good idea to contact Finansforbundet if you have any doubts as to whether you meet the requirements for a government benefit refund.

You must remember to give your employer notice about your maternity/paternity leave. The legislation and Finansforbundet contain rules regarding when you should give notice to your employer - both before and during maternity/paternity leave. We recommend that you give written notice.

Deadlines for notice

• 3 months prior to due date: The mother must inform her employer of when she expects to give birth and state whether she wishes to exercise her right to pregnancy leave prior to the birth. However, it may be a good idea to disclose your pregnancy or fertility treatment earlier, in order to safeguard against dismissal – or during fertility treatment.

• Within 4 weeks prior to the start of leave: The father must inform his employer of when he expects to take his 2-4 weeks of paternity leave.

Deadlines for notice after due date

• Within 8 weeks after the birth: Both the mother and father must inform their employers of whether they wish to take parental leave with full pay, as well as when they wish to take their leave.
• Within 8 weeks after the birth:  
  The parents must inform their employers of how much leave they wish to take, how they will take it and whether they wish to extend or postpone a part of their leave. The parents must also inform their employers if they wish to make use of the uniform agreements' right to a part-time agreement up to and including week 60 after the birth.

The leave can be amended by giving the employer new notice within 8 weeks after the birth. However, the leave cannot be amended after the 8 weeks unless your employer agrees to this.

In the event that a child is hospitalised, the employer must be informed as soon as possible if it means that the leave will be postponed or extended.