State Pension

State Pension is paid by the Danish government to people who have reached state pension age

State pension

The Danish pension system is designed so that you can receive a pension from multiple sources. Normally, you will qualify for a state pension when you reach the state retirement age. If you are a wage earner, your employer will also generally ensure that some of your salary is contributed to a pension savings account, and you can also set up your own individual pension scheme.

Therefore, one typically divides the Danish pension system into three different kinds of pensions: the statutory pensions, the labour market pensions and the individual pensions.

The statutory pensions are those pensions that the public sector controls, such as state pensions and disability pensions. There are also other pension schemes, such as ATP Livslang Pension (Lifelong Pension) which covers almost everyone.

The labour market pensions are the pensions that are set up as part of your employment contract.

The individual pensions are the schemes that you set up yourself via a pension company or bank.

All three kinds of pensions are there to ensure that you and your family have a decent standard of living when you leave the labour market, whether you leave due to old age, sickness or death. This means that your pension is a kind of insurance product.

The State Pension is a regular income paid by the Danish Government to people who have reached state pension age. However, how much you receive depends on a range of factors including age, marital status, work status and history and where in the world you live or have lived. 

State pension is called 'Folkepension' in Danish.

You can receive State Pension when you reach state pension age, and you meet several conditions. The state pension has been gradually raised between 2019 and 2022, by six months on each 1 January and 1 July.

See your state pension age

Date of birth  Public retirement age
31 December 1953 or earlier 65
1 January 1954 - 30 June 1954 65½
1 July 1954 - 31 December 1954 66 
1 January 1955 - 30 June 1955   66½
1 July 1955 - 31 December 1962 67
1 January 1963 - 31 December 1966 68
1 January 1967 or later 69 (depending on future indexations) 

Which conditions do you need to meet? 

The general rule for receiving Danish State Pension is that you are a Danish citizen.

However, that rule does not apply if you meet one or more of following conditions:

  • You are a citizen of another EU/EEA country, Switzerland or the United Kingdom and have had a total of at least 3 years of earned entitlement to pension from an EU/EEA country, Switzerland or the United Kingdom, of which at least 1 year was earned in Denmark.
  • You have lived in Denmark for at least ten years during the period, from the age of 15 until you reach the retirement age. Please note that you must have lived in Denmark for at least five years until you receive your pension.
  • You are a refugee. You must be a refugee and have been granted a residence permit in accordance with section 7 or section 8 of the Immigration Act. Please note that other rules apply if you have arrived in Denmark after 1 September 2015. 

You could also be entitled to receive pension from another country if you have lived or worked there before you came to Denmark. 

If you no longer live in Denmark but have accumulated pension rights in Denmark, then you might be entitled to receive Danish State Pension abroad.

To read more, please go to:

The Danish state pension is a life-long benefit. How much you will receive in state pension is based on your economic situation, a basic amount, supplement and supplementary pension benefits. 

If you have income from work - such as wage income - it affects neither your basic amount nor your pension supplement. You can therefore work as much as you want without it affecting your state pension.

If you have income in addition to your state pension, besides work income, your pension supplement may be reduced or withdrawn. This applies, for example, if you have share income, capital income or private labor market pensions that exceeds a certain amount.

State pension per month before tax 

The basic amount is the same for single people and cohabiting people, while the size of the pension supplement depends on whether you are single or married/cohabiting.

Your economic situation also affects what you will receive in state pension. Income from wages, interests, individual pensions or labor market pensions does not affect the basic amount.

 The monthly amount for state pension in DKK, before taxes (2025)
  Single  Married/cohabiting
Basic amount  DKK 7,198  DKK 7,198
Pension supplement DKK 8,329 DKK 4,262
Total: DKK 15,527 DKK 11,460

In the table below, you can see how much you can earn per year before your earnings impact your pension supplement:

 Income in DKK per year, before taxes (2025)
  Your pension supplement will be reduced to an annual income of: You cannot receive the supplement if your annual income exceeds: 
If you are single  DKK 95,800 DKK 419,300
Married/cohabiting with a pensioner DKK 192,000 DKK 511,700
Married/cohabiting with a non-pensioner DKK 192,000 DKK 351,900

Find out your likely retirement income

In a few easy steps, our pension calculator can give you an estimate of the income you will receive when you retire.

How is it paid out?

Your state pension is paid directly into your NemKonto account. NemKonto is a normal bank account, that you assign at your bank. All citizens in Denmark are required to have a NemKonto if they receive payments from public institutions. 

You will not get your state pension automatically – you have to claim it. You can make your claim if you are within 6 months of reaching state pension age. 

You can claim your Danish State Pension online or by post. 

To claim online, go to:

If you are unable to claim your State Pension online you can request a paper version of the claim form by contacting Udbetaling Danmark, Pension:

Claiming by post will take more time than claiming online. 

Once a year Udbetaling Danmark readjusts your state pension to ensure that you have received the right amount to which you were entitled for the year. The readjustment leads to one of three possible outcomes:

  • You received the right amount of pension to which you were entitled last year.
  • You received too much pension last year, and you will have to pay back some of the pension which you have received. Please note that you will only have to pay back pension if you have received more than DKK 249 too much last year.
  • You received less pension than you were entitled to last year, and you will be paid the outstanding pension.

Why should I pay back pension or have more pension paid out?

Udbetaling Danmark uses your tax assessment notice from Skattestyrelsen (Danish Tax and Customs Administration), as well as the information provided by you about the income received by you and your spouse/cohabitant which is not taxed in Denmark.

You must pay back some of your pension if your tax assessment notice shows that your total income was higher than the income on which your pension was based. You will have extra pension paid to you if your total income was lower than the income on which your pension was based last year. Your spouse/cohabitant’s income is also included in the calculation of your pension.

How do I pay back pension?

If you live in Denmark and must pay back pension you will get a letter with a payment form in your Digital Post late in June or in the beginning of July.

If you live outside of Denmark and you must pay back pension you can transfer money to Udbetaling Danmarks bank:

  • Danske Bank
  • Reg. nr. 0216
  • Konto nr. 4069046312
  • SWIFT-adresse: DABADKKK
  • IBAN nr.: DK7102164069046312
  • Remember to type in your CPR number.

How do I make sure that I am paid the right pension during the year?

Make sure to always inform Udbetaling Danmark about any changes to your and your spouse’s or cohabitant’s income. 

If your additional income is taxed in Denmark, you do not have to inform Udbetaling Danmark. All you must do is change your preliminary income assessment.

If you have additional income which is not taxed in Denmark or if your spouse/cohabitant has such income, for example foreign income, then you must inform Udbetaling Danmark.

In most cases, Udbetaling Danmark uses your preliminary income assessment to calculate your pension. However, Udbetaling Danmark cannot use your preliminary income assessment if you were not a pensioner for the whole year, or if your spouse/cohabitant was not a pensioner throughout the year, or if you started cohabiting with somebody new in the course of the year. In such cases, you must inform Udbetaling Danmark about any changes to your income.

Supplements to State Pension

In Denmark, when you reach state pension age, you can apply for a supplement that can cover some of your expenses, such as heating costs, dental care and medicine. You may also qualify for a supplementary pension benefit.

Please note that heating supplements, health supplements and personal supplements cannot be paid out retroactively. This means that if you apply for the supplements, you can only receive them from that point on.

Your personal supplement percentage and liquid assets as of 1 January is the deciding factor in whether you qualify for and how much you will receive in a supplementary pension benefit for the coming year.

General conditions for receiving the supplementary pension benefit

You can receive the supplementary pension benefit if:

  • you qualify for a State Pension by at least December of the year before
  • you have a personal supplement percentage higher than zero
  • your liquid assets as of 1 January amount to less than DKK 103,100 (2025) 
  • you are an EU/EEA, Swiss or a British citizen. 

Your liquid assets as of 1 January can consist of:

  • deposits in banks, etc. including reverse mortgages and overdrafts backed by mortgaged property
  • market value of bonds
  • mortgage deeds in custody account
  • the market value of owned listed equities
  • the market value of investment fund certificates
  • cash and cash equivalents
  • other securities, including foreign securities.

Please note:

  • home equity is not considered to be part of your liquid assets
  • the incomes that you received at the end of December and which are calculated as covering your costs of living (for example, state pension and ATP) are not considered to be part of your liquid assets
  • your spouse/common-law partner’s liquid assets as of 1 January are included in the calculation
  • it is not certain that you qualify for a supplementary pension benefit if you live outside of Denmark - it will depend on which country you live in.

Health supplements

You can apply to your municipality for a health supplement if you have reached state pension age. 

Your personal supplement percentage and assets at the time of applying are decisive factors in whether you qualify for a health benefit. Please note that you must state what you and, if relevant, your spouse/cohabitant has in liquid assets at the time of applying. You cannot receive a health benefit if your liquid assets exceed DKK 103,100 (2025). 

When calculating liquid assets, we include:

  • deposits in banks, etc. in including reverse mortgages and overdrafts backed by mortgaged property
  • market value of bonds
  • mortgage deeds in custody account
  • the market value of owned listed equities
  • the market value of investment fund certificates
  • cash and cash equivalents
  • other securities, including foreign securities.

Home equity is not considered to be part of your liquid assets.

If you are married or cohabitating, your spouse/cohabitants assets are included in the total.

The asset limit applies both to the time of application and the annual statement of assets.

The size of your health supplement depends on your personal supplement percentage. If the supplement percentage is less than 100, you will be paid a proportionally smaller health supplement. You cannot receive a health supplement if your personal supplement percentage is zero.

Read more below in "How your personal supplement percentage is calculated". 

You can apply for a health supplement if you need help while you are temporarily visiting Denmark. There must be an unforeseen situation where you have to pay for medication, glasses, foot or dental treatment, physiotherapy, chiropractor treatment or psychology help. These must all be expenses that the public health insurance grants.

Health supplements can only be paid to pensioners who are citizens of an EU/EEA country, Switzerland or the United Kingdom. In addition, you must meet the same conditions as those citizens, who live in Denmark. 

Read more about the qualifying conditions above in 'Do I qualify for a health supplement?'.

With a regular health supplement, you can receive a supplement for medication, dental work, hearing aids, physiotherapy, foot therapy, psychological assistance and chiropractor treatments if the Danish Health Act allows for supplements to be given for such treatments.

If you meet the conditions for receiving a health supplement, you will always be entitled to receive a supplement for what you pay for yourself which is not covered by the Danish Health Act.

The expanded health supplement for dental prostheses, glasses and foot therapy

With an expanded health supplement, you can get a supplement for dental prostheses, glasses and foot therapy that you cannot get a supplement for under the Danish Health Act. You will receive the supplement as a lump sum, and you must apply for it before you order and receive the treatment.

The municipality will decide whether you qualify for a supplement

The municipality can enter into so-called 'price agreements' with certain stores or practitioners such as, for example, dentists, opticians or foot therapists. You will have to pay any potential price differences if you choose to be treated by someone who your municipality has not entered into a price agreement with.

Do you have any questions?

If you have questions about a regular or expanded health supplement, you must contact your municipality.

It is important that you apply for a supplement before you have the treatment if you need an expanded health supplement for dental prostheses, glasses or foot therapy.

If you live outside of Denmark, you must contact Udbetaling Danmark in order to apply for a health supplement. 

The size of your health supplement depends on your personal supplement percentage. The supplement percentage is calculated based on the size of your and, if relevant, your spouse/cohabitants incomes. The higher your supplement percentage, the more you can receive in supplements.

A health supplement covers up to 85 % of your own expenses. If you are getting an expanded health supplement for dental prostheses, glasses or foot therapy, you can have 85 per cent of the price covered. However, if your municipality has entered into a price agreement for the treatment that you are applying for, you can only get covered 85 per cent of the price that has been specified by the price agreement.

You can apply for a personal supplement to cover the part of the cost that you are paying for yourself.

Your health supplement is then calculated based on your personal supplement percentage. If the supplement percentage is less than 100, you will be paid a proportionally smaller health supplement. You cannot receive a health supplement if your personal supplement percentage is zero.

You can see the size of your personal supplement percentage in your letters from Udbetaling Danmark.

You do not pay taxes on health supplements.

Read more below in 'How your personal supplement percentage is calculated'.

It has no impact on your health supplement if your assets change during the year and end up exceeding the asset limit of DKK 103,100 (2025). However, if your assets are above this limit once your assets are calculated in the annual statement, then you are no longer entitled to health supplements.

If your personal supplement percentage changes, then there may, however, be changes made to the ongoing payments of the health supplement. Your personal supplement percentage is recalculated on an ongoing basis if, for example, your incomes change, and the change is not strictly temporary. A recalculation during a year does not result in your assets being reassessed before the end of the year.

Personal supplements

You must apply to your municipality for a personal supplement.

If you live outside of Denmark, you must apply for the supplement by contacting the local health insurance found or the social authorities in the country where you live. 

If you receive a refusal from your local social authority, please contact Udbetaling Danmark, who will help you apply for personal supplement in Denmark. 

 You can apply to the municipality for a personal supplement if you have reached state pension age and receive State Pension. You must be in a particularly difficult financial situation to be able to receive a personal supplement.

The municipality will perform a specific assessment of your overall financial circumstances when determining whether you are eligible for personal supplement. The assessment of your case will include examining your assets, your state pension and other incomes.

The municipality will evaluate your assets and incomes in the context of the expense that you wish to cover with the personal supplement.

The municipality can use guidelines for asset limits and disposable spending amounts when it evaluates whether you are in a difficult financial situation.

If you live outside of Denmark, you must contact Udbetaling Danmark and apply for a personal supplement. Please be aware, that you will only receive the basic amount, if you live outside of Denmark. 

There are no fixed rules for what a personal supplement can be spent on. A personal supplement can cover expenses that the municipality evaluates as being reasonable and necessary. This may, for example, be paying for glasses, dental treatments and dietary requirements that you cannot get covered by other kinds of supplements.

If you have not lived in Denmark your whole life, you may be receiving a lower pension – a so-called fractional pension. You can apply for a personal supplement to cover an additional need for assistance.

You are not taxed on the personal supplement.

You will receive the full supplement if your supplement percentage is 100

Your supplement percentage is 100 if:

  • you are single and your income beyond your state pension or disability pension does not exceed DKK 35,200 per year (2025) 
  • you are married or cohabiting, and together your incomes beyond your state pensions or disability pensions do not exceed DKK 69,700 per year (2025)

You cannot receive a health supplement if you have liquid assets, even if your supplement percentage is 100.

You cannot receive supplements if your supplement percentage is zero

Your supplement percentage is zero if:

  • you are single and you have income of more than DKK 95,800 per year (2025) on top of your state pension or disability pension.
  • you are married or cohabiting and have income more than DKK 192,000 per year (2025) on top of your state pension or disability pensions.

If your supplement is between 0 and 100

If your supplement percentage is lower than 100, the supplement will also be reduced. Your supplement percentage will be reduced by one percent

  • for each DKK 606 (2025) you have an income above DKK 35,200 (2025) if you are single
  • for each DKK 1,223 (2025) you have a combined income above DKK 69,700 (2025) if you are married/cohabiting

What impacts the calculation of my personal supplement percentage?

If your spouse/cohabitant has an income on top of their pension, this may impact your personal supplement percentage.

Income can be:

  • income from personal work, i.e. salaries, fees, etc. exceeding the special minimum deduction for state pensioners or early retirement pension payments that are paid and taxed after transitioning to a state pension.
  • payments from labour market pensions and individual pensions, such as fixed-term annuity pensions
  • alimony payments and other ongoing benefits, such as compensation pay-outs
  • other incomes on top of the state pension that are taxable
  • capital gains.

The supplementary percentage may change over the course of the year if the income basis that your pension is calculated from changes.

If your spouse/cohabitant has an income on top of their pension, this may impact your personal supplement percentage.

Income can be:

  • income from personal work, i.e. salaries, fees, etc. exceeding the special minimum deduction for state pensioners or early retirement pension payments that are paid and taxed after transitioning to a state pension.
  • payments from labour market pensions and individual pensions, such as fixed-term annuity pensions
  • alimony payments and other ongoing benefits, such as compensation pay-outs
  • other incomes on top of the state pension that are taxable
  • capital gains.

The supplementary percentage may change over the course of the year if the income basis that your pension is calculated from changes.

As a state pensioner, you will receive the supplementary pension benefit (elderly cheque) automatically if you meet the conditions and have previously disclosed your assets to Udbetaling Danmark in connection with receiving the supplementary pension benefit (elderly cheque). If you have not previously disclosed your assets to Udbetaling Danmark in connection with receiving a supplementary pension benefit (elderly cheque), you must do so before you can receive it.

If your assets have changed as of 1 January or if your income has changed, you may be entitled to a supplementary pension benefit (elderly cheque). You must notify Udbetaling Danmark by no later than 31 July if your assets have changed. If you have not previously provided information to Udbetaling Danmark about your assets, it is important that you do so if you wish to receive a supplementary pension benefit (elderly cheque). 

Update your preliminary tax assessment by no later than the first week of January

If your income has changed, you must update your preliminary tax assessment from the Danish Tax Agency by no later than the first week of January.

If you change your preliminary tax assessment after that date, it may impact your supplementary pension benefit  (elderly cheque) for the year in question. This is because the supplementary pension benefit (elderly cheque) is paid out once per year – on the last working day of January. If you change your preliminary tax assessment later, the changes will not be included in the calculation of your supplementary pension benefit (elderly cheque) – it will only be included when your pension is calculated in the following year.

As an old-age pensioner, you can receive up to DKK 25,700 per year (2025) in the supplementary pension benefit (elderly cheque). The entire amount is taxed.

What impacts the amount I get from the supplementary pension benefit (elderly cheque)?

You can receive a supplementary pension benefit (elderly cheque) if your total assets do not exceed DKK 103,100 (2025). The size of your supplementary pension benefit (elderly cheque) depends on your personal supplement percentage.

If the supplement percentage is 100, you will receive the full supplement. If it is less than 100, you will be paid a correspondingly smaller supplementary pension benefit (elderly cheque). Please note there is a minimum limit for receiving a supplementary pension benefit (elderly cheque), and therefore amounts below DKK 200 are not paid out.

If you have not always lived in Denmark, you may receive a smaller state pension, a so-called ‘fractional pension’. If that applies to you, your supplementary pension benefit (elderly cheque) will also be reduced proportionally.

How the supplementary pension benefit is paid

The supplementary pension benefit (elderly cheque) is paid once per year to your NemKonto. The money is paid out as part of your state pension on the last working day of January.

On 27 April 2023 the Danish Parliament decided that there should be paid additional financial aid totalling DKK 5,000 to old-age pensioners who have been granted and received a supplementary pension benefit for 2023. The support was tax free.

The support was given as a amount of DKK 5,000 from May 8. 2023. The additional financial aid was given due to the extraordinary situation with high inflation.

If you have been granted additional financial aid for 2023, but haven't recieved the additional financial aid, you have the opportunity to apply for the additional financial aid for 2023 in the period from 1 November 2024 to 31 December 2025. You can apply for the additional financial aid by contacting Udbetaling Danmark – Pension at tel.: 70 12 80 61.

On 8 September 2022, the Danish Parliament decided that there should be paid additional financial aid totalling DKK 5,000 to state pensioners who have been granted and received a supplementary pension benefit (elderly cheque) for 2022.

The additional financial aid was tax free. The additional financial aid was given due to the extraordinary situation with high energy prices.

Its no longer possible to apply for additional financial aid for 2022. The deadline was December 31, 2024. 

Heating supplement

A heating supplement is a supplement to your heating expenses, for example, your expenses for electricity, gas, oil and other forms of fuel.

You can apply for a heating supplement if you are an old-age pensioner or a disability pensioner (granted before 2003). 

Please note that only one person per household can get the heating supplement. 

To qualify for the heating supplement, you must also have:

  • Heating expenses that exceed DKK 6,000 per year (2025) as single and DKK 9,000 per year (2025) when cohabiting.
  • Have a supplement percentage above 0.

When applying for a heating supplement, you must document you heating expenses for the past three years. In the heating bills/accounts it will state what your heating expenses have been and for which periods.

If you do not have documentation of heating expenses for the past three years, you must send the ones that you do have or state the heating expenses you expect yo have for the next year. 

If you live abroad, Udbetaling Danmark will assess once per year around late December/early January if you are still entitled to receive a heating supplement. You will therefore get a form that you need to fill out and return so that it can be included in the calculations.

When you already receive a heating supplement, you only need to send the latest documentation to Udbetaling Danmark.

You should only send new documentation of your heating expenses to Udbetaling Danmark: 

  • If the average of your heating expenses for the past three years changes by 10 per cent or more in relation to the basis of which we calculate your heating supplement.
  • If Udbetaling Danmark requests it. 
  • If your heating expenses on account increase by 10 per cent or more, e.g. due to rising energy prices. Here you must send an on-account bill.

If the average of your heating expenses for the past three years changes by 10 per cent or more, you must send three heating bills/heating statements and then Udbetaling Danmark will make a new calculation for how much you can receive in heating supplement.

If your heating expenses increase by 10 per cent or more in a certain year, you can ask for a calculation of whether you may be entitled to receive a larger heating supplement for that year. For example, your heating expenses may increase by 10 per cent or more if it has been a particularly cold winter. If that is the case, you should contact Udbetaling Danmark.

What should I do if I do not have documentation of my heating expenses?

It will depend on which utility company you use. Udbetaling Danmark recommends that you look for the information on the utility company’s website.

If your documents are not in digital form, you can:

  • Scan the documents, save them on your computer and then attach them to your application.
  • Take a picture of the documents with your smartphone, send it to your email, save it on your computer, and then attach them to your application.

You can also send the documents by regular post to:

Udbetaling Danmark, Pension
Kongens Vænge 8
DK-3400 Hillerød

If you are sending your documentation of your heating expenses by regular post, please remember to write your civil registration no. (CPR no.) on all of the documents.

Udbetaling Danmark calculates how much you can receive in heating supplements based on your heating expenses for the past three years and your personal supplement percentage.

You can receive a heating supplement for the part of your heating expenses that exceed:

  • DKK 6,000 per year (2025) if you are single
  • DKK 9,000 per year (2025) if you are married/cohabiting. 

You can, however, at most get DKK 30,400 per year (2025) in heating supplements. If you are more than two adults in your household, the maximum is increased by DKK 9,100 (2025) per person besides the two of you who is over the age of 18.

Are there several people over the age of 18 in your household or do you have lodgers living with you?

If, besides you and your potential spouse/common-law partner, there are more people in the household over the age of 18, the heating expenses will be shared between you. This means that you will receive a smaller heating supplement.

If you have a lodger living in your home, the part of the heating expenses that concern the lodger will be deducted from your total heat consumption. This also results in you receiving less heating supplement.

Are you using district heating or some other form of collective heating?

If you are using district heating or some other form of collective heating, you cannot get a heating supplement for the full amount of the heating expenses. This is because you can only get the heating supplement for the actual heating expenses, and if you are using a collective form of heating, Udbetaling Danmark automatically deducts 10 per cent for the operation and maintenance of the heating plant. If, for example, your heating expenses total DKK 10,000, then you can only get a heating supplement based on DKK 9,000 in costs.

If you are receiving housing benefits and use district heating or another form of collective heating, you will get a supplement via the housing benefits for your heating expenses. Udbetaling Danmark deducts that supplement when it is calculated how much you can receive in heating supplement.

Are you using electricity or gas for heating and for your household?

If you are using electricity for both heating and general household purposes, your heating supplement will be reduced by:

  • DKK 4,900 per year (2025) for singles
  • DKK 6,500 per year (2025) for those who are married or cohabiting.

If you are using gas for heating and general household purposes, your heating supplement will be reduced by:

  • DKK 1,000 per year (2025) for singles
  • DKK 1,100 per year (2025) for those who are married or cohabiting. 

Your personal supplement percentage shows how much you can get in supplements

Your heating supplement also depends on the size of your personal supplement percentage. If the supplement percentage is less than 100, you will be paid a proportionally smaller heating supplement.

Your assets have no impact on the size of your heating supplement, and you are not taxed on the heating supplement.

At the earliest, you can get a heating supplement from the 1st of a month after Udbetaling Danmark has received your application.

If you are receiving heating supplement, it will be paid out on the last working day of each month together with your state pension or disability pension.

You must notify Udbetaling Danmark if:

  • the average of your heating expenses for the past three years changes by 10 per cent or more in relation to the basis of calculation
  • you change heating types (i.e., from oil to electricity)
  • people move to your address, for example, a new partner or a lodger.

If changes occur, Udbetaling Danmark will make a new calculation of what you can receive in heating supplement. We will send you a letter where you can see your new heating supplement.

You can notify of changes here:

Are you single or cohabiting?

When you are receiving a state pension, it matters whether you are single or cohabiting. As a rule, you will receive a higher pension if you are single instead of cohabiting.

Therefore, as a pensioner, you have what is called the duty to disclose information. In other words, you must notify Udbetaling Danmark if you for example, change your civil status from single to cohabiting or vice versa.

As a rule, you are single if you live alone, while you are cohabiting if you live together with another person at a shared address. What determines whether you are considered as cohabiting is, as mentioned, whether you have a joint household.

However, you would not be considered cohabiting if you were living with a sibling or a parent, even though you might share household expenses. In order to be considered as cohabiting, you must be eligible for marriage under Danish law.

In the event of death

When you pass away, your relatives will not receive your state pension unless you are cohabiting with a spouse/cohabitant who also receives a state pension.

If your spouse/cohabitant also receives a state pension, he or she will automatically receive your state pension for up to three months after your death. This is called survivor benefits. Your spouse/cohabitant will receive a letter from Udbetaling Danmark about survivor benefits no later than a week after the death is registered in the Civil Registration System (CPR).

Read more about survivor benefits:

Once the three months have passed, your cohabitant or partner will be paid a state pension as single.

Your relatives do not have to do anything about your state pension when you pass away. Udbetaling Danmark will be notified of the death by the Civil Registration Office unless you live abroad. If you live outside of Denmark, your relatives must contact Udbetaling Danmark themselves.

Your relatives may be entitled to funeral assistance when you pass away:

If both you and your cohabitant or partner receive state pension, you will automatically be paid your spouse’/cohabitants state pension for up to three months after he or she has passed away. This is called survivor benefits. You will receive a letter from Udbetaling Danmark about survivor benefits no later than a week after the death has been registered in the Danish National Register.

After the three months have passed, you will automatically be paid a state pension as single.

You do not have to do anything about your state pension when your partner passes away. Udbetaling Danmark will be notified of the death by the Danish National Register unless you live abroad. If you live outside of Denmark, you yourself must contact Udbetaling Danmark. As a relative, you may be entitled to survivor benefits and funeral assistance when your spouse/cohabitant passes away:

There may have been paid too much or too little in pension when you pass away, as the state pension is paid for one month at a time.

Your civil status will have an impact on whether your spouse/cohabitant or your estate gets paid the pension if too little has been paid out. In some cases, the estate will have to pay back the part of the pension that was paid out if, for example, you are single when you pass away and you have been paid your pension in advance.

Other subjects

If you need to help someone else

If you need to help someone else with communicating with Udbetaling Danmark, you must provide a power of attorney. This even applies if you live together, and you just need to talk to Udbetaling Danmark about the other person’s case.

If someone else is going to help you

If you need someone else to help you communicating with Udbetaling Danmark, you must first give that person power of attorney. This even applies if you live together, and the other person just need to talk to Udbetaling Danmark about your case.

How to give a power of attorney

If you want to give a power of attorney, you can do so with MitID or by signing a written power of attorney.

In the chart below you can see the case processing time limits:

Social benefit Case processing time limits Average processing time 
Apply for state pension 2 weeks 1 week
Apply for heating supplement 5 weeks  3 weeks 

The case processing time limit period begins the same day Udbetaling Danmark receives your application. 

You can help ensure that your application is processed as soon as possible by:

  • Attaching the required documentation
  • Ensuring that your information in the Civil Registration System (CPR) is correct.

If you are not satisfied with how Udbetaling Danmark has dealt with your case, you are welcome to contact Udbetaling Danmark, Pension. Sometimes misunderstandings can occur and can easily be resolved with a verbal explanation.

If you disagree with a decision

You may file a complaint about a decision from Udbetaling Danmark if you disagree with it. A decision can for example be classified as the amount you receive in pension – or any other decision that Udbetaling Denmark makes in your case. You will always receive a letter from Udbetaling Denmark, in which the decision will be stated along with a complaint guide. 

Udbetaling Danmark must receive your complaint no later than four weeks after your receipt of the decision. They will then assess the matter again.

If Udbetaling Danmark reject your complaint, they will forward it to the National Social Appeals Board. The National Social Appeals Board is an independent state institution and the highest complaint board for Udbetaling Danmark amongst others. 

Complaints about other matters

Udbetaling Danmark will also consider complaints received about other matters in your case and investigate whether there is anything that should have been done differently. You will always receive an answer to your complaint. 

How to file a complaint

You can file a complaint by calling Udbetaling Danmark or filling in the form below. 

You can also choose to send your complaint to Udbetaling Danmark, Pension, preferably marked ‘Klage over Pension’.

Written by Udbetaling Danmark

Contact Udbetaling Danmark, Pension

Last updated: 04 April 2025

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