Am I allowed to get paid when I am sick in Denmark?
It depends on whether you are a salaried employee (funktionær). Salaried employees have a right to full pay during sickness under the Salaried Employees Act, and the employer can then reclaim a sickness-benefit refund from the municipality. Others can get sickness benefit: the employer pays the first 30 calendar days (the employer period), and then the municipality takes over. The maximum rate is 5,085 kr a week in 2026, equal to 137.43 kr an hour — a ceiling, so if you earn more, it will not cover your full pay. It normally runs for at most 22 weeks within 9 months. The trap is your own duties: report the illness late or miss the follow-up and you can lose the right.
📋 The rules
- Salaried employees have a right to full pay during sickness
- The employer pays the first 30 days
- Max sickness benefit: 5,085 kr a week in 2026
- Sickness benefit runs for at most 22 weeks normally
- You must report the illness and take part in follow-up
🔓 Exceptions
- Salaried employees get full pay, and the employer can reclaim a sickness-benefit refund
- The self-employed get sickness benefit only after 2 weeks of illness without insurance
- The seriously ill can get an extension or a job-clarification programme
⚠️ Penalties & fines
The real risk is not a fine but losing the money. If you do not report the illness in time, or you miss the municipality's follow-up, you can lose the right to sickness benefit — even in the middle of a period of illness. The amount also has a ceiling: the maximum rate is 5,085 kr a week in 2026, equal to 137.43 kr an hour, so if you earn more, it will not cover your full pay. And it is time-limited: normally at most 22 weeks within 9 months, after which the municipality must decide on an extension or a job-clarification programme.
📎 Official sources
- Borger.dk · Sickness benefit →
- Ministry of Employment · Rates 2026 →
- STAR · Sickness and parental leave →
❓ Frequently asked
Do I get paid when I am sick?
If you are a salaried employee, you have a right to full pay during sickness under the Salaried Employees Act. If you are not, you can get sickness benefit — first from the employer, then from the municipality.
Who pays the first days?
The employer pays the first 30 calendar days, the so-called employer period. After that the municipality takes over the payment, if you are still ill and meet the conditions for sickness benefit.
How high is the sickness benefit rate?
The maximum rate is 5,085 kr a week in 2026, equal to 137.43 kr an hour. That is a ceiling and not a guarantee of your salary, so if you earn more than that, it will not cover the whole amount.
How long can I get sickness benefit?
Normally for at most 22 weeks within 9 months. After that the municipality must decide on an extension, and the seriously ill can be extended or moved to a job-clarification programme instead.
What must I do myself?
You must report the illness in time and take part in the municipality's follow-up along the way. If you do not, you can lose the right to sickness benefit — even mid-period, and no matter how ill you are.
🔎 Common searches
What people search to land here:
- “do I get paid when sick denmark”
- “sickness benefit rate 5085 kr”
- “employer period 30 days”
- “salaried full pay sickness”
- “sickness benefit 22 weeks”
- “sickness benefit municipality”