Am I allowed to take 5 weeks of holiday in Denmark?
Yes — under the Holiday Act every employee is entitled to 5 weeks of paid holiday, that is 25 days a year. You accrue 2.08 holiday days a month, and you can take the holiday at the same time as you earn it (concurrent holiday), so newcomers do not have to wait a year. Holiday pay is 12.5% of your gross salary; if you are on a monthly salary with paid holiday, you instead get a holiday supplement of at least 1% — two different schemes that are easily confused. 3 of the 5 weeks are main holiday and must be given as a block between 1 May and 30 September. The trap: a 6th week or extra days is not statutory — it comes only from a collective agreement or your contract.
📋 The rules
- 5 weeks of holiday = 25 days a year
- You accrue 2.08 days a month
- Holiday pay is 12.5% of gross salary
- 3 weeks main holiday in a block (1 May–30 Sep)
- A 6th week comes only from an agreement
🔓 Exceptions
- Extra holiday days and a 6th week are not statutory but can follow from an agreement
- Monthly-paid staff get paid holiday plus a holiday supplement of at least 1%
- Concurrent holiday lets newcomers to the labour market take holiday sooner
⚠️ Penalties & fines
If your employer fails to pay the holiday pay, the matter can be reported and the money can be collected via FerieKonto; a fine is also possible. But what people most often lose out on is not fraud, it is confusion: holiday pay is 12.5% of gross salary, while monthly-paid staff with paid holiday instead get a supplement of at least 1% — two different schemes. And a 6th holiday week or extra days is not statutory: it exists only if a collective agreement or your contract grants it, so it does not follow you automatically when you change job.
📎 Official sources
❓ Frequently asked
How much holiday am I entitled to?
5 weeks of paid holiday, that is 25 days a year, under the Holiday Act. You accrue 2.08 holiday days a month and can take the holiday at the same time as you earn it, so you need not wait a year.
What is holiday pay?
Holiday pay is 12.5% of your gross salary. If you are on a monthly salary with paid holiday, you instead get a supplement of at least 1% — two different schemes, and you do not get both at once.
What is main holiday?
3 of the 5 weeks are main holiday and must be given as a continuous block between 1 May and 30 September. The other 2 weeks are not tied to that period and can be taken across the rest of the year.
Am I entitled to a 6th holiday week?
No, not by law. A 6th week or extra holiday days comes only from a collective agreement or your contract, so it does not follow you automatically if you change job. Check your own agreement.
What is concurrent holiday?
That you can take the holiday at the same time as you earn it, instead of waiting a year. It matters above all for newcomers to the labour market, who can get away on holiday far sooner than before.
🔎 Common searches
What people search to land here:
- “how much holiday entitled denmark”
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- “accrue 2.08 holiday days”
- “main holiday 1 may”
- “6th holiday week agreement”