Maternity/paternity leave
Holidays when on parental leave
Can I take holiday during parental leave?
Maternity/paternity leave or parental leave is considered a holiday obstacle. This means that, as a rule, you cannot take holiday during your leave.
If you can agree with your employer that you will interrupt your leave to take the holiday and then resume your leave, there is nothing to stop you taking holiday during your leave. This applies to paternity and parental leave.
Can I transfer holiday or receive holiday pay for holiday I did not take before my parental leave?
When you fail to take all your holiday days before going on maternity leave, parental leave or paternity leave, your holiday will be carried over to the holiday-taking period from 1 September to 31 December of the following year.
If you have not taken the fifth week of holiday, your employer must automatically pay it out after the end of the holiday-taking period, unless you agree that the week should be transferred to the next holiday period.
If you still have a holiday obstacle (e.g. illness or parental leave) when the holiday period expires, 4 weeks of holiday are transferred to the following period. Holiday in excess of 4 weeks must be paid out as salary, unless you make an agreement with your manager to transfer it.
It is only after the expiry of the following holiday period to which you have transferred the holiday weeks, that you can have the weeks paid out as salary.
It is a condition that you have not been able to take your holiday during the holiday period and that the reason for the holiday hindrance is the same. If this is not the case, the holiday will be transferred again.
Do I accrue holiday during maternity or paternity leave?
If you received full or partial pay during your leave, you are entitled to holiday with pay.
Rules for salaried employees
Are you covered by the rules of Salaried Employees' Act, where you received half pay in the period from 4 weeks before the expected date of birth to 14 weeks after the birth? Then you are entitled to holiday with full pay at the time you take the holiday. This applies when you continue in the same employment.
You do not accrue paid holiday during the weeks you receive maternity pay (barselsdagpenge).
Rules for employees in the state, municipality or region
If you are employed in state, municipality or region, you are entitled to holiday with full pay both for the periods when you receive full or partial pay during your maternity/paternity leave and for the periods when the employer only pays the pension contribution, even if you receive only maternity pay (barselsdagpenge) during this period.
If you are employed in a municipality or region, you can receive a pension contribution for maximum 20 weeks of unpaid leave.
If you are a government employee, you do not accrue the right to holiday with full pay during any period in which you have chosen to extend your parental leave by 8 or 14 weeks.
What happens to my holiday if I change jobs?
Do you change employers before you have taken all the holiday you accrued during maternity/paternity leave? Then you are entitled to holiday pay from the salary you received during the holiday year.
Your employer must pay the holiday money into the Holiday Account with your last monthly salary.