- If you are ill due to your pregnancy, you must tell it to your employer or unemployment insurance fund which must report it to Udbetaling Danmark. As self-employed, you must apply for maternity benefits at virk.dk.
- You will then receive a letter by Digital Post which explains how you should apply for maternity benefits or which information you must send to Udbetaling Danmark in the self-service solution 'My maternity leave'.
- If you get a letter by Digital Post that Udbetaling Danmark must have a doctor’s certificate, you must contact your doctor to have it filled in, and the doctor must then send it to Udbetaling Danmark.
You should be aware that if Udbetaling Danmark does not receive the doctor’s certificate within the deadline notified to you, this may influence your right to maternity benefits.
If your work can harm your unborn child
As the mother you can take leave earlier with maternity benefits if:
- your doctor thinks that there is a special risk for you or your unborn child
- your work can harm your unborn child.
Your employer must report your absence to Udbetaling Danmark, which sends you a letter by Digital Post. From the letter you can see which information you must send to Udbetaling Danmark in the self-service 'My maternity leave' (Min Barsel).
Sickness during maternity leave
If the child’s mother becomes too ill to take care of your child within the first 10 weeks after the child is born, then as a father or co-mother you can take leave during this period. You can actually take over the mother’s leave, but this requires that you both fulfil the conditions for taking maternity/paternity leave with maternity/paternity benefits.
You also need documentation from a doctor that the mother cannot take care of the child and for how long this is the case.
If you become ill during the leave
If you as a mother become sick in the first 10 weeks after giving birth, or if you as a father or co-mother become sick in the first 2 weeks after the birth, you can choose to transfer part of your remaining leave to the other parent. However, please note that as a salaried employee, you are not able to transfer 9 of the weeks.
If your child is hospitalized
As parents,
you can extend your leave if your child is hospitalised during the leave
period. However, this only applies if the child is hospitalised before 46 weeks
after birth and if you do not go to work during this time.
Please note
that even if the child has been hospitalised after birth, for example due to
premature birth, the 9 non-transferable weeks must still be taken within the
child's first year.
If the child is born on 1 January 2026 or after
The leave
can be extended by the amount of time the child is hospitalised. However, you
can extend the leave for a maximum of 12 months each.
If your
child is hospitalised at home, and thus goes on early home stay, it is also
possible to extend the leave.
If the child is born before 1 January 2026
The leave
can be extended by the amount of time the child is hospitalised. You can at
most extend the leave 3 months in total.
If your
child is hospitalised at home and is placed on early home stay, it is not
possible to extend the leave. Only the hospitalisation itself is eligible for
an extension with maternity/paternity leavd benefits.
If the child is hospitalised before 1 January
2025, the father or co-mother's 2-week leave cannot be extended
The option
to extend the leave when the child is hospitalised does not apply during a
father or co-mother's 2-week leave in connection with the birth if the child is
hospitalised before 1 January 2025.
If your
child is hospitalised during your 2-week leave at birth, you can interrupt the
leave and start your subsequent leave instead, as the subsequent leave can be
extended. Please note that the 2 weeks of leave at birth must also be taken
before the child reaches the age of 10 weeks, otherwise they are lost.
You must
contact your employer and make an agreement with them if you want to use your
subsequent weeks of leave while the child is hospitalised. Also remember to
notify your employer immediately when the child comes home from the hospital.
If you want to work during the hospitalisation
If you
choose to return to work while the child is hospitalised, you can instead
postpone the remaining leave with maternity/paternity leave benefits until
after the discharge. To use that possibility, your child must have been
discharged no later than 60 weeks after the birth. This also applies to the
father or co-mother’s 2 weeks of leave at birth.
Send documentation
In order to extend your leave and be entitled to receiving maternity benefits, you must send documentation from the hospital for the child’s hospitalisation. It is important that the hospitalisation date and the discharge date is stated on the documentation.
Send documentation to Udbetaling Danmark – Public Benefits Administration via:
Please note that Udbetaling Danmark – Public Benefits Administration can only pay maternity benefits for the extended period once documentation is received (and the documentation must state the child’s hospitalisation date and discharge date).
Deadlines for application
As self-employed, you must apply no later than 3 weeks after the first day of absence.
As a salaried employee you must apply no later than:
- 8 weeks after the childbirth if you do not receive salary during the leave
- 8 weeks after the payment of salary has stopped if you receive pay during part of the leave.
As an unemployed person, you must do as follows:
- If you are unemployed and get unemployment benefits from an unemployment insurance fund, you must tell your unemployment insurance fund about your childbirth no later than 8 weeks after the childbirth.
- When your unemployment insurance fund has told Udbetaling Danmark about your childbirth, you receive a letter by Digital Post about what you must do and about access to apply for maternity benefits. The unemployment insurance fund cannot inform them of your childbirth until on the first day of your leave. You cannot apply in advance.
- You must apply for maternity benefits no later than 8 weeks after receipt of the letter.
If you apply later, you cannot get unemployment benefits until the day when Udbetaling Danmark has received your application.
In special circumstances you can get an exemption from the deadline for application.
