Parental leave calculator
Calculator
Your leave from the due date
Applies to employees for children born from 2 August 2022. Weeks are shown taken back to back – in practice some can be postponed.
4 weeks of pregnancy leave for the mother before the due date, then 24 weeks for each parent. 2 weeks at the birth and 9 weeks before the child's first birthday are earmarked and cannot be transferred; the other 13 can. Self-employed, unemployed and students have different rules – see borger.dk.
How the 48 weeks fit together
The rules from 2 August 2022 give each parent 24 weeks after the birth – 48 in total. The mother also has 4 weeks of pregnancy leave before the due date. Of the 24 weeks, 11 are earmarked: 2 weeks around the birth (the mother's right after, the partner's within the first 10 weeks) and 9 weeks that must be taken before the child turns one. Earmarked weeks are lost if not used. The remaining 13 weeks can be transferred freely to the other parent.
When do you have to give notice?
The mother must tell her employer about the pregnancy no later than 3 months before the due date – and when she expects to start leave. The partner must give notice of the 2 weeks at the birth no later than 4 weeks before the due date. No later than 6 weeks after the birth, both of you must say how the rest of the leave will be taken.
Salary or benefit?
Parental benefit from Udbetaling Danmark is the foundation. Many collective agreements and contracts give full pay for part of the period – check your contract or ask your union. This calculator counts weeks, not money.
Follow your pregnancy week by week
What is happening with your baby and body right now – and which scans make sense when.
Frequently asked questions
When does my leave start?
Pregnancy leave starts 4 weeks before the due date – for most in week 36. If you give birth early, maternity leave starts on the day of birth; the pregnancy-leave weeks you did not take are lost.
Can the partner take leave at the same time as the mother?
Yes. The 2 weeks at the birth are normally taken together, and the rest can be taken at the same time or one after the other. The only requirement is that earmarked weeks are taken within the deadlines.
What happens to earmarked weeks we do not use?
They are lost. They can neither be transferred nor postponed beyond the child's first year. The 13 transferable weeks can be postponed – up to 5 of them until the child turns 9.
Do the rules also apply if I am self-employed or unemployed?
Partly. Self-employed, unemployed and students also have 24 weeks each, but the 9-week earmarking only applies to employees – they can transfer more weeks. The rules are on borger.dk.