Working Time Rules: Denmark
Denmark: working hours, holiday calendars and annual leave rules for practical workforce planning.
This is a general overview, not legal advice. Limits, reference periods, exceptions, and record-keeping duties vary by sector and contract and change over time. Confirm the current rules with the official source and a qualified adviser.
Working week used in calculations40 hours per week8 hours a day over 5 days
Minimum annual leave25 daysEmployees accrue paid holiday at 2.08 days for each month of employment, corresponding to five weeks across a full holiday year. The Danish holiday year runs from September to August. Additional contractual days and holiday pay should be checked separately; annual leave is not deducted automatically from the calendar table.Source
Statutory working time
Danish normal working hours are agreed in contracts or collective agreements, commonly 37 hours per week. The general adult framework limits weekly hours to 48 on average including overtime, subject to applicable exceptions. This calculator starts with an editable 40-hour planning scenario; use 7.4 hours per day for an evenly spread 37-hour five-day week.
What to check before you rely on this
- The current statutory limits, reference periods, and any opt-outs.
- Sector or collective-agreement rules that may override the defaults.
- How overtime is authorised, recorded, and compensated.
- What working-time records you must keep and for how long.