A guide to holiday allowance when you have a student job

Contents

• What is the Danish Holiday Act?
• How do you get holiday allowance in a student job?
• How to request holiday in a student job
• How do you get the holiday allowance paid out?
• 5 tips for your holiday allowance and rights
• What about the SU?
• Change jobs or leaving the country?
• What if you get sick?
• What can IDA do for you?

Here’s what you need to know especially if you’re an international student who’s new to the Danish work culture and rules.

You’ve landed a student job in a Danish company – congrats! But how do you make sure you get the holiday allowance you’re entitled to? How do you notify your employer when you want time off, and what are your actual rights as a student worker when it comes to holidays?

This guide breaks it all down in a clear and simple way, so you can claim the money you’ve earned and make the most of your holiday rights.
Holiday allowance can make a real difference to your personal finances and your overall budget. So it is important that you know your rights. As a student with a part-time job, you are entitled to paid holiday allowance, and you can use it when you schedule a trip or break from work.

Please note: the information in this guide covers the general rules. Your specific rights will depend on your employment contract and any applicable collective agreements.

Under Danish law, you earn 2.08 days of paid holiday for every month you work, and you can take these days as you go.

This adds up to five weeks (25 days) of holiday per year. Of these, you’re entitled to take three consecutive weeks as your ‘main holiday’ during the holiday year to be held between May 1 and September 30, while the remaining two weeks can be taken separately and all year round.

Be sure to also read our rights guide to international students.

Your right to a paid holiday depends on how you are employed. Most student jobs in Denmark are hourly paid positions – meaning you don’t receive your regular salary while on holiday, but instead earn holiday allowance (feriegodtgørelse) alongside your wages.
Holiday allowance is money you accumulate as you work – typically 12.5% of your taxable income. You start earning it from your first day at work.

Your employer is responsible for depositing the holiday allowance into a specific holiday account. If you’re unsure whether you’re receiving holiday allowance, you can check your records at borger.dk. For example, if you’re paid before the 15th of the month, your holiday allowance should be visible around the 5th day of the following month.

Please note, that tax has already been deducted from the amount you see at borger.dk. So if the amount on your payslip and borger.dk do not match, it is not necessarily a discrepancy.

In practical terms the Danish holiday year runs from 1 September to 31 August. However, you have 16 months to use your earned holiday – meaning you can take holiday up until 31 December the following year.

Always request time off as early as possible. Many students underestimate how far in advance you need to ask – but your employer has the final say when it comes to approving holidays. You’re not automatically entitled to holiday at a specific time if it conflicts with business needs.

Keep this in mind when planning your time during the exam period, so that you and your employer can find good solutions for your task management when you are on study leave or taking your exams.

Check your employment contract or staff handbook for notice rules. As an example, your main holiday (three consecutive weeks) must usually be requested at least one month in advance.

So, if you’re planning a summer festival like Roskilde or a trip home – and you’ve already bought the ticket – make sure to get your time off approved early!

Send your request in writing (email is fine). For shorter holidays – like autumn break or exams – aim to notify your manager at least 14 days in advance, unless your contract says otherwise.

It’s your own responsibility to request your holiday pay. You do this through borger.dk.

You’ll need to:

1. Select the days you’re taking off.
2. Confirm you’re actually on holiday from your job.
3. Submit your request.

Your holiday allowance will then be transferred to your bank account no earlier than one month before your holiday begins.

Hot tip: If you receive SU, you can receive SU while also receiving holiday allowance.

Yes – and no.

You can receive SU while earning and receiving holiday allowance. But holiday allowance counts as income and is therefore included in the total amount you’re allowed to earn without affecting your SU (this is called your SU income limit or fribeløb).

If your income – including holiday allowance – exceeds your limit, you may be required to repay part of your SU. So be sure to keep track and adjust your income expectations accordingly.

If you leave your job before taking all your holiday, you can still request to have your earned holiday allowance paid out – even if you’re not actually taking time off.

However, please note that if you are a recent graduate and are about to start a unemployment benefit program, you may not be eligble for holiday allowance. If you are in doubt, contact your unemployment insurance fund for more information.

Main takeaway: Contact your employer if you get sick, and follow the workplace guide.

If you get sick before or during a planned holiday, you do have rights to postpone it.

You’ll need to report your illness to your employer as soon as possible and this might require you to provide a doctor’s note. That way, you won’t lose your hard-earned holidays due to sickness.

Other valid reasons to postpone a holiday include maternity/paternity leave. Always inform your employer promptly so a new agreement can be made.
If you get sick during your holiday, there are other rules – you are only entitled to compensation for holiday days after five days of sickness. This means that in a regular student job, you seldom earn a compensatory holiday. But always check with your employer.

Many international students experience a lack of transparency in the labor market regarding rights when they arrive to Denmark. It can be confusing to figure out what is applicable to your situation. This is no different, when you are in a student job.

But did you know that you can contact IDA when you need to sort this out. We offer counselling for student members just as we do employed members. And we have expert legal counselling, that can guide you to the right solution. This can be anything from a phone call to us contacting your employer – but never doing anything without your consent.