Many developed, Western countries, including Denmark, have extensive social support systems. These usually include a variety of benefits designed to offer financial assistance to people who find themselves in various, and often unpredictable, situations. We offer detailed information on the different types of benefits available in Denmark and the steps needed to obtain them. If you are in need of unemployment benefits, sickness support, parental care or any other form of assistance, you will find with us the necessary knowledge of qualifying criteria and assistance in filling out applications. You are welcome to contact us.
There are several different types of applications for benefits in Denmark, tailored to your individual situation and needs. Among the most common applications are:
- Application for sickness benefit (sygedagpenge),
- Application for maternity benefit,
- Application for family allowance (børnecheck),
- Application for social allowance (kontanthjælp),
- Application for unemployment benefit (dagpenge).
You are entitled to sickness benefits if your employer has entered into collective bargaining agreements with unions and you have worked there for a minimum of three months. However, you must meet the criteria for entitlement to sickness benefit, according to current Danish regulations.
In order to receive sickness benefits in Denmark, specific conditions must be met. First and foremost, you must have worked at least 240 hours in Denmark in the last six full calendar months before your first day of illness, of which you must have worked at least 40 hours in each month for five of those months. However, if you have suffered an injury at work in the performance of your duties, these criteria do not apply. In the case of an accident at work, sickness benefits are payable from the first day of illness, even if the employee does not meet all the conditions listed above. It is important that the accident be recognized by the Labor Market Insurance (Arbejdsmarkedets Erhvervssikring), although this process can sometimes be time-consuming.
Your employer must pay sickness benefits for the first 30 days of illness if you have been employed for at least eight weeks and worked a minimum of 74 hours during that time. If you fail to meet this requirement, the responsibility for paying the benefit is assumed by the municipality, which will transfer the money to your designated bank account.
To apply for sickness benefits in Denmark, first notify your employer of your illness. Notifying this is crucial for you and your employer to respond appropriately to your absence due to illness. Even before you apply for sickness benefits, make sure you have all the documents you will need. Required documents include information about your illness such as a medical diagnosis, CPR (Danish personal identity) number and other medical documents, and in addition, information about your employment such as an employment contract or other documents proving your current employment status are often useful.
To apply for sickness benefits, contact your local labor office (Arbejdsformidlingen) or other relevant office. You have three options for submitting such a claim - in person, by phone or via an online platform. First, complete the sickness benefit claim form. In it, you will need to provide such information as details of your employment or current health status. To avoid delays in processing your application and receiving benefits, check the accuracy of the data you provide on the form beforehand. Also attach any required documents, such as a medical diagnosis, a valid certificate of incapacity from your doctor and documents that will prove your employment.
After completing the application form and attaching the necessary documents, submit your application to the labor office of your choice in person, by phone or online through their platform. Then, wait for a response from the labor office. The application process can take some time, so be patient. Regularly monitor the status of your application to ensure that it has been processed and that no additional documents are required to be provided. Once your application has been officially approved, you will receive your sickness benefits in your bank account or by other pre-selected means.
In order to claim sickness benefits, information regarding your illness must be sent electronically by your employer. Once you receive the digital correspondence on the e-box, you will have to respond to it and send it to the municipality within the next 8 days. The period of payment of wages during illness and the amount of wages are determined by the arrangements in collective bargaining agreements. You are advised to contact your labor union for details.
An alternative to sickness benefit paid by your employer, if he has not signed a collective agreement with the unions or if you have worked for him for less than three months, is a state benefit. Such benefits are paid by the municipality and are slightly lower than the standard sickness benefit provided for in collective bargaining agreements.
In order to claim maternity benefit, women of Polish origin must have resided in Denmark for a minimum of 6 weeks and have legal employment in the country. This benefit begins one month before the expected date of childbirth and continues for another 24 weeks after the birth of the child.
If you want to apply for maternity benefits in Denmark, follow the steps below:
1. First, contact your employer, informing them of your planned maternity leave and the benefit you intend to receive. Your employer can provide you with pertinent information regarding your maternity benefit and documents proving your employment.
2. Next, make sure you have gathered all the required documents before submitting your official application. These will include your CPR (Danish personal identity) number, details of your expected delivery date, and your employment contract or other document confirming your employment.
3. You then need to submit an application to the local labor office (Arbejdsforhold). You do not have to go to the office in person for this - there is also the option of submitting the application by mail or online. It is important that the form is filled out correctly and all required documents are attached.
4. After submitting the application, you have to wait for the office to process it, which can take up to several weeks. During this time, the office may ask for additional documents or information that will be needed to make a final decision.
5. If the application is approved, the maternity benefit will be transferred to a pre-designated bank account or sent in the form of a postal check, according to the preference indicated in the submitted application.
The amount of allowance is determined individually, based on the amount of current income. The highest possible benefit amount is 3113 crowns per week, which is equivalent to about 1,900 zlotys at the moment.
In Denmark, those who are legally employed and have minor children are entitled to family allowance, known as børnecheck. All employed persons are entitled to this benefit, regardless of whether the children are in Denmark or in another country. If you work in Denmark, whether seasonally or permanently, you are entitled to receive child allowance for children under the age of 18 on an equal basis as Danish citizens. For children who were born in Denmark, the benefit is paid automatically, without the need for additional applications. However, for children of an EU citizen who do not live in Denmark, it is necessary to submit an application to the Udbetaling Danmark office.
In order to complete all the formalities, you must go to the so-called Socialcenter, located in the appropriate municipality according to your place of residence.
After collecting the E 401 and E 411 forms and the return address at the Socialcenter, it is necessary to send these documents to the spouse who lives in Poland. At a later stage, it is the responsibility of the spouse residing in Poland to deal with the vast majority of administrative matters at the Regional Social Policy Center. This center will complete and send the documents to Denmark, while the spouse must provide all the required documents. Among them are a certificate from a municipality or city office confirming permanent registration in Poland for both the spouse and children, abbreviated copies of the children's birth certificates and an abbreviated copy of the marriage certificate. In addition, you will need to provide information on your spouse's income and, if applicable, data on the receipt of family allowance and its amount.
In order to apply for the benefit, it is necessary to go to the local municipality office, the Socialcenter. The required documents are:
- Forms E 401 and E 411, which can be obtained from the office.
- Work and residence permit (Opholds- og arbejdstilladelse).
- Tax card.
- A CPR number, which is the equivalent of a PESEL number and is necessary if you plan to stay in Denmark for an extended period of time.
- A yellow card for health care eligibility, which can be obtained by obtaining a CPR number.
- Copies of your employment contract and your last three paycheck statements.
- An abbreviated copy of the birth certificate of your child or children.
- Information on the children's registration in Poland and other benefits, if any, if the other parent resides with the children in Poland.
- An abbreviated copy of the marriage certificate.
Documents that have been delivered to the Regional Social Policy Center are first verified on-site. After this verification, they are forwarded to the corresponding Socialcenter in Denmark. Once the documents are sent, you should go to the Socialcenter with your employment contract and three pay statements. Cooperation between Socialcenter branches and Polish Regional Social Policy Centers means that the completed documents are sent from Poland through these centers.
To apply for benefits, you can use the online option through Udbetaling Danmark by logging in with your NemID. In this case, documents such as a certificate of residence and employment in Denmark and a child's birth certificate translated into Danish or English are required. For those without a NemID, it is also possible to apply through borger.dk, although this will involve signing and scanning an additional form that contains key information about the benefit.
The waiting time for processing a child benefit application in Denmark can range from 6 to 12 months. The average waiting period, according to data provided by the Danish office, is about 33 weeks. Verification of information by the Danish office involves contacting the relevant Polish Office, which often takes the longest time. For this reason, it is important to be patient. Once the verification process has been completed and the application has been approved by the Danish office, the decision is sent to the e-box. If MitID is not available, the documentation will be delivered by traditional mail. In addition, it is worth remembering that the Danish office can calculate family benefits even for up to 3 years back, provided that the person was employed in Denmark during that time.
For benefits for children aged 0 to 14, payments are made quarterly. The deadlines are as follows:
- For the period from 01.10 to 31.12 - January 20.
- For the period from 01.01 to 31.03 - April 20.
- For the period from 01.04 to 30.06 - July 20.
- For the period from 01.07 to 30.09 - October 20.
On the other hand, benefits for young people aged 15 to 18 are paid every 20th of the month. In situations where the designated dates fall on holidays or public holidays, payment is made on the business day preceding these dates.
The amount of the allowance, which is tax-free, depends on the length of employment in Denmark or another European Union country, the age of the child (higher amounts are granted to younger children) and the rates set annually.
Here are sample amounts of child allowance, depending on the child's age:
- Children between the ages of 0 and 2 receive 5,124 kroner for each quarter.
- Children between the ages of 3 and 6 receive 4,056 crowns per quarter.
- For children ages 7 to 14, the allowance is 3,192 crowns per quarter.
- Young people between the ages of 15 and 17 receive 1,064 crowns per month.
The amount of benefits for foreigners depends primarily on the length of time worked. The right to benefits is earned after working for 6 months, while full entitlement is earned only after 6 years of work. Benefits are paid to a NemKonto, which is the same as a traditional bank account, registered to receive transfers from state institutions. Also note that the 800+ benefit awarded in Poland is automatically deducted from the family allowance paid in Denmark.
If you are legally employed and residing in Denmark, you are entitled to apply for social benefits and allowances. The first step in applying for social benefits in Denmark is to contact the local municipality office, or Socialcenter. Here you can get the necessary information on the application procedure and obtain a list of required documents.
Make sure you have all the necessary documents, including:
- income and employment information,
- documents proving your financial situation,
- proof of identity,
- as well as any other documents that may be needed depending on your personal situation.
Poles, as one of the more numerous national groups in Denmark, are entitled to these benefits. It is important for a person to be legally registered in Denmark, which entails:
- registering at the place of residence,
- having a CPR number, which corresponds to the Polish PESEL,
- employment under an employment contract,
- and obtaining a residence permit if the planned stay in Denmark exceeds 6 months.
For seasonal workers, employed for up to 3 months, no additional formalities are required.
Once all the necessary documents are gathered, it is necessary to make an appointment at the Socialcenter. There, a needs assessment will be conducted and an application for social benefits will be submitted. The office staff can also provide assistance and support in completing the application for social benefits.
In order to receive social benefits, it is necessary to have legal residence in Denmark and permanent residence. It is not possible to receive this benefit if you reside in a country other than Denmark. It's worth remembering that the specimen forms for applying for social welfare may vary from one municipality to another in Denmark.
For temporary financial assistance from Borger.dk, simply proving a low income is not enough. It is very important to present a concrete plan for the future that will help improve your financial situation; the benefit is intended to support the implementation of this plan or the survival of a difficult period. Borger.dk considers this assistance as a last option, granted only when other options have already been exhausted. If you need support in obtaining and completing an application, please contact us - we will be happy to assist you.
After suddenly losing your job in Denmark, it is possible to apply for unemployment benefits. It is crucial that you register with the authorities as soon as possible after losing your job in order to qualify for this benefit. Note, however, that the availability of the benefit is not guaranteed for everyone. Meeting several applicable conditions simultaneously is essential to have a chance of being granted it.
Those who wish to claim unemployment benefits must meet several important requirements. First, they should be members of the unemployment fund for at least a year and pay regular contributions, which amount to 8% of salary and are paid by the employer. In addition, one must have worked a minimum of 52 weeks in the past three years to qualify for full insurance, or 32 weeks to be eligible for partial insurance. Failure to meet any of these criteria will result in ineligibility for financial support.
To apply for unemployment benefits in Denmark, follow these steps:
1. First, gather all the required documents. You should have with you:
- Proof of registration at the labor office (Arbejdsformidlingen), which confirms your unemployment status.
- Your CPR number, or Danish identification number.
- An employment contract and other documents that confirm your employment and its duration.
2. The second step is to contact your local labor office. You can make an in-person appointment or use their online platform. Either in person or online, you will receive the necessary instructions on how to fill out the application form and a list of documents you need to attach.
3. The next step is to fill out the application form. Be sure to accurately fill in all the required information, especially those relating to your current financial situation and employment. You should also attach all the necessary documents to the application. Among them should be employment contracts, labor certificates and proof of registration with the labor office, if you have one.
4. Submit the completed form and attached documents to the labor office of your choice. You can do this in person or through their online platform. Once you have submitted your application, be prepared to wait for some time for the labor office to process it. This process can take some time, so it is important that you remain patient.
5. Check the status of your application regularly to ensure that it has been processed and that no additional documents are required.
6. Once your application is approved, unemployment benefits will be transferred to your bank account or other designated form. Remember to monitor your payment dates and provide any required documents as necessary.
The amount of the benefit depends on the amount of the last salary and can reach up to 90% of this amount. The average amount of daily unemployment benefit in Denmark oscillates around DKK 600-700, which is equivalent to about PLN 359-419. The possibility of receiving the benefit lasts for a maximum of 4 years.
Dagpenge, or unemployment benefit, is paid by a relief fund. Although the procedures may vary depending on the institution in question, it usually requires only an application and the fulfillment of predetermined conditions. In principle, this benefit can be collected for a maximum of 2 years, but there is also the possibility of extending it.
A voluntary unemployment insurance option is available in Denmark. Before this option can be used, it is necessary to enroll in an unemployment insurance fund, which in most cases is run by trade unions. In order to join such a fund, several requirements must be met: you must be between the ages of 18 and 63, live in Denmark, and be employed and paid in Denmark. It is also important to fill out the appropriate form at the fund corresponding to your profession or level of education.