Plan parental leave under the Danish Parental Leave Act (barselsloven) for children born from 2 August 2022, or under your Danish collective agreement: earmarked and shared weeks, the split between parents and dates for every period.
Danish rules
This calculator applies Danish law and Danish collective agreements. It is for employment in Denmark and does not reflect the rules of other countries.
Weeks under the Danish Parental Leave Act (barselsloven) for children born on or after 2 August 2022: 24 weeks for each parent after the birth, 11 of them earmarked (øremærkede). The mother’s 8 weeks after the first 2 can also be transferred — they are shown under the mother.
The parental leave calculator plans the mother’s and the father’s or co-mother’s (medmor) leave from the due date, under Danish rules. Choose the Danish Parental Leave Act (barselsloven) to see the weeks under the rules in force since 2 August 2022, or a collective agreement (overenskomst) to see the weeks with full pay. Split the transferable weeks with the slider and get the start and end date of every period in a table and a chart.
If you work in Denmark and your child is born on or after 2 August 2022, each parent is entitled to 24 weeks of leave after the birth under the Danish Parental Leave Act (barselsloven). 11 of those weeks are earmarked (øremærkede) and are lost if that parent does not take them. The other 13 can be transferred to the other parent. The mother also has 4 weeks of pregnancy leave (graviditetsorlov) before the birth.
| Period | Who | Weeks | Transferable? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pregnancy leave before the birth (section 6) | Mother | 4 | No |
| The first 2 weeks after the birth — a right and a duty (section 7(1)) | Mother | 2 | No |
| 2 weeks in connection with the birth (section 7(3)) | Father/co-mother | 2 | No |
| Earmarked weeks (section 21(3)) | Each parent | 9 | No |
| The mother’s other weeks after the birth (section 7 a) | Mother | 8 | Yes |
| Other weeks after the birth (section 21) | Mother / father/co-mother | 5 / 13 | Yes |
Source: barselsloven (Danish text). The earmarking of the 9 weeks applies to employees in work. In the calculator, the mother’s 8 transferable weeks after the birth stay with the mother, and the slider splits the other 18 transferable weeks (5 + 13).
The calculator shows one continuous sequence: the father’s or co-mother’s 2 weeks are always placed right after the birth, and the mother’s 8 weeks after the first 2 (section 7 a) always stay with the mother — the calculator cannot move them to the father or co-mother. You can also take leave at the same time, place the 2 weeks later within the first 10 weeks, split the weeks up or postpone some of them. The calculator cannot show that; you agree it with your employer and give notice under the rules below.
The Danish Parental Leave Act gives you the right to be absent. Whether you are also paid depends on your collective agreement (overenskomst) or employment contract. The collective agreement for salaried employees in Commerce, Knowledge and Service (Funktionæroverenskomsten for Handel, Viden og Service, 2025–2028) gives full pay in these weeks for children born or placed on or after 1 June 2025, provided you have 9 months’ seniority at the expected date of birth:
| Period with full pay | Who | Weeks |
|---|---|---|
| Pregnancy leave before the birth | Mother | 4 |
| After the birth | Mother | 10 |
| In connection with the birth | Father/co-mother | 2 |
| Parental leave, reserved | Mother | 9 |
| Parental leave, reserved | Father/co-mother | 10 |
| Parental leave, can be shared | Mother or father/co-mother | 7 |
The 26 weeks of parental leave (forældreorlov) must be taken within 52 weeks of the birth. If the reserved weeks are not taken, the pay for them is lost. Fewer weeks apply to children born before 1 June 2025.
Due date: 1 March 2026
Due date: 1 August 2025, Funktionæroverenskomsten HVS
The notice periods are set out in section 15 of the Parental Leave Act (barselsloven): the mother gives notice of the expected birth and her pregnancy leave no later than 3 months before, the father/co-mother gives notice of their 2 weeks no later than 4 weeks before the expected birth, and the remaining leave is notified within 6 weeks of the birth. You can work out the deadlines with the date calculator.
Dismissal during pregnancy and parental leave is subject to enhanced protection: the employer must prove that the dismissal is not due to the pregnancy or the leave. You can find the notice period with the notice period calculator.
The calculator is for guidance only. Ask your trade union (fagforening) to review your plan — especially for adoption, twins, single parents or special agreements.
Take your earmarked weeks — they are lost if you do not use them. If you want to take holiday right after your leave, you can add it in the holiday planner.
Content last reviewed October 2026.