Holidays are meant for recharging and enjoying life. Whether you have planned a big trip around the world or simply intend to relax in your garden, it is helpful to understand the holiday rules and your rights.
The Danish Holiday Act entitles you to 25 days of holiday per year (five weeks). In many cases, your collective agreement actually gives you the right to more. Between May 1st and September 30th, you are entitled to three consecutive weeks of holiday, known as the main holiday period. If you have a child who attends school, your employer should, as far as possible, accommodate your wish to take your main holiday during your child's summer school holiday.
And remember: even if you have not accrued paid holiday with an employer, you still have the right to take holiday, although it will be at your own expense.
The rest of your holiday can be spent throughout the year. The timing of your holiday should be agreed with your employer. If the company has a fixed holiday shutdown, or if you cannot reach an agreement, the employer has the right to determine the holiday schedule.
Many collective agreements include a sixth week of holiday, consisting of five additional holiday days (floating public holidays) that a large number of agreements entitle you to take.
The sixth week of holiday is not part of the Danish Holiday Act. Instead, it is a benefit that trade unions have negotiated into collective agreements.
If you are unsure whether you are entitled to the sixth week of holiday, ask your union representative or contact your local 3F branch.
If you are sick when your holiday begins, your employer cannot require you to take holiday. This means that you have the right to postpone your holiday to another time during the holiday year.
You must remember to report it in accordance with the sickness reporting rules that apply to your employment. This normally means notifying your employer at the start of your working hours on the first day of your holiday. You can also ask your union representative if you are unsure.
You must remember to notify your employer when you are fit for work again. You should also inform them whether you wish to take the remainder of the holiday you originally planned. If you do not do so, you are expected to return to work.
If you are unfortunate enough to become ill while on holiday, you must follow the same procedures as if you became ill while at work.
You must notify your employer immediately and, in general, follow the sickness reporting rules that apply at your workplace.
If you recover before your planned holiday ends, you must notify your employer that you are fit for work and state whether you wish to return to work or take the remainder of your holiday.
However, if you become ill after your holiday has started, you will not receive replacement holiday for the first five sick days. You must notify your employer of your illness immediately and not wait several days before reporting it.
To qualify for replacement holiday if you become ill during your holiday, your illness must prevent you from taking your holiday.
This means that you must obtain medical documentation of your illness, including for the first five sick days for which you are not entitled to replacement holiday.
This documentation can be obtained from your general practitioner (GP) and will usually require a visit to your doctor's office.
You are responsible for paying the cost of the medical certificate yourself.
If, due to illness, maternity/paternity leave, or similar circumstances, you are unable to take your holiday before the end of the holiday period or holiday year, you may transfer up to four weeks of holiday, provided that you remain ill until the end of the holiday-taking period on 31 December.
Your employer must inform Feriepengeinfo of the number of holiday days to be transferred. This notification must be made by 31 January following the end of the holiday period.
In cases of long-term illness, you may, in special circumstances, be entitled to have your holiday paid out instead of transferring it. To qualify, you must have been prevented from taking your holiday due to illness during two consecutive holiday-taking periods.
For example, if you are ill up to the end of the first period on 31 December but later recover during a period in which you could have taken holiday, you will not be entitled to a payout of your holiday pay.
You must therefore be able to document that you were prevented from taking holiday due to long-term illness during two consecutive holiday-taking periods.