Self-employed people or private entrepreneurs
Read about the rules for when self-employed people or private entrepreneurs need to take maternity/paternity leave. When applying for maternity/paternity benefits as a self-employed person or private entrepreneur, it matters what kind of company you have and how much you work.
Plan your leave
Self-employed/private entrepreneur with a central business registration number
If your company has a central business registration number, you can find all relevant information on lifeindenmark.dk.
Plan your leave and see if you qualify for receiving maternity/paternity benefits:
Maternity/paternity benefits (link to lifeindenmark)
Self-employed/private entrepreneur without a central business registration number
If you are a self-employed person or a private entrepreneur without a central business registration number, you must contact Udbetaling Danmark to apply for maternity/paternity benefits.
If you are employed in your own company
If you are employed in your own ApS or A/S, you are a salaried employee and not self-employed. Read more about the rules that apply to you on lifeindenmark.dk:
Salaried employees on maternity/paternity leave (link to lifeindenmark)
Report your leave
As a self-employed person or private entrepreneur with a central business registration number, you must report your leave via NemRefusion. You apply for maternity/paternity benefits when you report the leave.
Apply within 8 weeks
You must report and apply for maternity/paternity benefits via NemRefusion no later than 8 weeks after the child is born. If you start your leave after the childbirth, you must apply for maternity/paternity benefits no later than 8 weeks after the first day of leave.
What happens if I apply too late?
If you only apply 8 weeks after the birth or the start of your leave, you will only receive maternity/paternity benefits from the day that Udbetaling Danmark has received your application. In special cases, however, you can get dispensation: Dispensation from the deadline for application (in Danish)
Partial leave
As a self-employed person or private entrepreneur, you can take partial leave, i.e. work a few hours or days per week while on leave. Your leave will be calculated as a percentage of your ordinary working hours. You can work up to 50 per cent of your ordinary working hours per week and still get maternity/paternity benefits. On the website lifeindenmark, you can read more about how much you can work during your leave and how you must notify of this:
Maternity/paternity benefits (link to lifeindenmark)
Illness
If you become ill during pregnancy, you have the opportunity to go on leave earlier. The leave can also be extended if the child is admitted to a hospital. On the website lifeindenmark, you can read more about being ill during pregnancy or maternity/paternity leave:
Maternity/paternity benefits (link to lifeindenmark)
Grief leave
If you lose your child during pregnancy or before its 18-years birthday, you are entitled to take leave. This is called grief leave - read more about this on borger.dk:
Grief leave (in Danish)
Legislation, etc.
Here you can find information on legislation, how to complain and information about how we process your personal data.
