The Danish Parental Leave Act grants 24 weeks of parental leave after birth to each parent, and both parents have the option of transferring 13 of these weeks to the other parent.
There is a right to pay during part of this leave. During this period, your school will receive your parental leave benefit to partly offset its costs of paying your salary during the leave.
There are a number of special rules for single parents, parents without a right to parental leave benefit (e.g. students), self-employed persons and other atypical situations. These rules are not reviewed here, but you are always welcome to contact the secretariat for more information about the rules that apply in your specific case.
As a mother, you have the right to begin your pregnancy leave six weeks before the due date. You must notify your employer no later than three months before the expected birth. This leave is with pay.
Once you have given birth, your parental leave begins. You are entitled to a total of 42 weeks of leave, 24 of which are with parental leave benefit/salary. If you wish to stay home with your child for a longer time, this is possible if you can agree with the child’s father/co-mother to transfer some of their weeks to you.
You can receive up to 13 weeks of transferred leave from the child’s father/co-mother, and your total leave with parental leave benefit after birth can thus be up to 37 weeks. You also have the right to take the remaining five weeks of leave without any income, but where your school must continue to pay the required pension contributions.
You also have the option of taking up to an additional 14 weeks of leave, but this will not come with any income or pension contributions.