Employer is not bankrupt, has not ceased operations and is not undergoing restructuring

If the wages owed to you are more than six months overdue counted from the reference date, you must actively have tried to recover the money from your employer before LG will pay the wages etc. Read more about the reference date:

• What is the reference date in the event of bankruptcy, restructuring, cessation of operations and insolvency?

You do something actively if you – immediately after you discover that your wages have not been paid – write a letter to your employer with a reminder that your wages are overdue.

You must do this at short intervals, and if your employer still does not pay, you must immediately bring the case before the courts.

Remember to save any documentation for use in LG's processing of your case.

You can contact your trade union if you need help recovering your money from your employer.

You can also contact the legal aid office in your municipality.

Finally, you can contact a lawyer who can also help you with your case.

Has your employer not yet been declared bankrupt or is not under restructuring, and have you tried unsuccessfully to recover your money?

Then you can have your employer declared bankrupt in the bankruptcy court, so you can get help from LG. It will cost you a minimum of DKK 750 if you file a bankruptcy petition for your employer. Please note that the amount may be higher depending on the corporate form.

Read more about bankruptcy at the Courts of Denmark:

• The Danish judicial system (in Danish)

You can get help from LG if your employer has ceased operations and cannot pay its debt (insolvent).

See if your employer has ceased operations at Virk.dk:

• Search CVR number on Virk

If your employer has ceased having a CVR number, you must attempt yourself to obtain your money from your employer. You can do so by sending a payment demand for the enforcement court.

You can find a form for payment demands at Danmarks Domstole (Courts of Denmark):

• The Danish judicial system (in Danish - new window)

Also read more about insolvency at the website of Danmarks Domstole.

You can file a claim for pay etc. to LG if the enforcement court declares your employer insolvent, and these two matters have been met:

• Your employer must be incapable of paying your wages.
• If you are employed in a sole proprietorship or a partnership (I/S), you must have a declaration of insolvency which must not be older than 6 months. The 6 months are calculated from the date when LG receives your claim.

You cannot get help from LG until your employer has been compulsorily dissolved. It does not suffice that your employer in compulsory dissolution.

If your employer is in compulsory dissolution, you may ask the bankruptcy court for assistance:

• Send a message to the bankruptcy court
• State that you have a claim for e.g. pay, holiday pay, pension etc. owed by the enterprise.

The bankruptcy court will possibly handle the compulsory dissolution quicker.

Find the correct bankruptcy court

First, you must find the address of the enterprise. You can find it by searching for:

• CVR at Virk

Then you must find the bankruptcy court at Danmarks Domstole:

• Find the judicial district at Danmarks Domstole (in Danish)

Address in the Greater Copenhagen area

Please note that if your employer has its address in the Greater Copenhagen area, you must write to Sø- og Handelsretten i København (the Copenhagen Maritime and Commercial Court), which deals with compulsory dissolution cases for the Greater Copenhagen area.

You cannot submit claims for salary, etc. if your employer is in the midst of a restructuring process. 

Contact your employer and the restructuring agent for more information. 

Read about reconstruction at The Courts of Denmark:

• The Danish judicial system (in Danish)

If your employer has died, LG pays the wages etc. owed to you. This requires, however, that the estate of your deceased employer is treated as an insolvent estate, and that you have filed the claim to the decedent estate before the time after which claims are barred.

If you are in doubt as to whether the estate is insolvent, you must contact the administrator. In the Danish Official Gazette, you can see who the administrator is and the deadline for advertisements for outstanding claims.

See if an advertisement for outstanding claims has been posted in the Danish Official Gazette:

• Danish Official Gazette (in Danish)

Important deadlines

You must report your claim to the administrator before the expiry of the deadline for advertisements. If you do not report your claim for wages etc. to the estate of your deceased employer before the deadline, your claim will be forfeited.

The deadline for advertisements for outstanding claims is 8 weeks from the date on which an advertisement has been posted in the Danish Official Gazette.

The Employees' Guarantee Fund (LG) ensures that employees receive wages etc. when their employer is declared bankrupt, ceases operations or under restructuring. If your employer undergoes restructuring, LG can help employees who have been terminated and released from their duties. LG can also help the employer to pay wages to employees working for the company, while it is subject to financial reconstruction. 

If you do not agree with LG's decision 

The legislation to which LG is subject falls within the Danish Ministry of Employment, but you cannot complain about the decision to the Ministry. 

If you do not agree with LG's decision, you are welcome to contact us and possibly send further documentation supporting your claim. LG will review your case and send you a new decision. 

If you still do not believe that our decision is correct, you will have to initiate legal proceedings against LG at the courts. LG has no appeals board, and therefore the case can only continue at the courts. In this case, you must contact the court in Hillerød. 

Contact the customer ambassador 

If you are dissatisfied with the service you received from LG, you can contact ATP's customer ambassador: 

• ATP's customer ambassador

LG was established in 1972 and is part of the Danish social safety net. 

LG is an independent institution, managed by the social partners and governed by a special legal statute.

• View laws and executive orders