On 1 September 2020, the new Danish Holiday Act will enter into force, and all employees will switch to concurrent holiday which means that holiday is earned on an ongoing basis and can also be taken on an ongoing basis. The transition to the new holiday act means that the period from 1 May to 31 August 2020 will be a so-called mini holiday year in which you will have 16.64 days of holiday and five special days of holiday available.

2020.02.25 | Signe Opstrup

Photo: Colourbox

As of 1 September 2019 and until 31 August 2020, the holiday you earn will be frozen and saved in the fund Lønmodtagernes fond for tilgodehavende feriemidler (the employees’ fund for outstanding holiday pay). This is to prevent you having a double entitlement when you switch to concurrent holiday on 1 September 2020. The frozen holiday pay will be paid out to you when you reach state pension age or leave the labour market.

Source: www.borger.dk (only in Danish)

A short holiday year

The period from 1 May to 31 August 2020 will be a so-called mini holiday year in which you will have 16.64 days of holiday available. This is the holiday you earned in the period from 1 January to 31 August 2019 before the period in which the holiday you earn will be frozen began. In addition, you will have five special days of holiday available, if they have been accrued. This means that you can take summer holiday in the mini holiday year. 

Source: www.borger.dk (only in Danish)

It is a good idea to consider now how much holiday you wish to take in the autumn 2020 and for Christmas 2020 in order to make sure that you have accrued enough holidays for the holiday periods you wish to take in all of 2020 and forward.

If you do not take all of your days of holiday (16.64) in the mini holiday year, they will automatically be transferred to the new holiday year and can be taken in accordance with the new holiday act as of 1 September 2020. You will be able to take your special days of holiday as usual in the period from 1 May 2020 to 30 April 2021.

Facts about the new holiday act

After the transition to the new holiday act on 1 September 2020, you will earn 2.08 days of holiday each month which you can take on an ongoing basis. You will continue to accrue 25 days of holiday in a holiday year from 1 September to 31 August, but, in future, you will have to plan your holiday based on the number of days of holiday you have earned on an ongoing basis (your holiday balance).

In addition, the period in which you can take holiday will be extended to 16 months which means that you will be able to take the holiday, which you have earned in the holiday year, in the period from 1 September to 31 December (the following year). During the transition to the new holiday act, an overview of your ongoing holiday balance and special days of holiday as well as the number of days of holiday you are expected to accrue every month of the holiday year will be available at mit.au.dk.

Source: www.borger.dk (only in Danish)

Special days of holiday will continue to follow current rules and will therefore continue to be accrued during the calendar year and made available every 1 May to be taken in the period 1 May – 30 April.

Please note that the new holiday act on concurrent holiday also applies to non-Danish citizens. There will be certain changes, for example in relation to the period in which holiday can be taken which will be a 16 month period from 1 September to 31 December the following year under the new holiday act.

• Read more about the new holiday act

Additional information

• If you have any questions, please contact your local HR partner.
• You can also find answers to the most frequently asked questions about the new holiday act on the website.