Maternity leave

Maternity leave is the part of the leave taken the first 14 weeks immediately after the child is born. The maternity leave is reserved for the mother and must be taken immediately after the child is born.

Duration of leave
The mother is entitled to 14 weeks’ maternity leave. The 14 weeks are calculated from the day the child is born. The mother must take the first two weeks while the rest is voluntary.

Pay
The maternity leave is with pay, and holiday with pay is earned during the maternity leave.

Notification of the leave
When notifying of the pregnancy and the expected birth date, the Faculty is informed when the maternity leave is expected to start. Before eight weeks after giving birth, the mother must inform the Faculty of when she expects to resume work within the maternity leave period. At the same time, the mother must inform the Faculty of her intention (if any) of taking parental leave.

Postponement of the leave
Upon expiry of the two weeks of mandatory leave, the mother can, subject to agreement with the department, partially resume her work and choose whether or not to extend her leave.

More information
For more information about the different types of leave, see the Staff Handbook under the relevant keyword. Furthermore, HR offers a dedicated maternity/paternity page where you can find all relevant information and the necessary forms.

If you still have questions after having read the relevant sections of the Staff Handbook, you can read more in the Danish State Employer’s Authority’s ‘Barselsvejledning’ (PDF – maternity/paternity guidelines – in Danish) which provides a detailed explanation of rules and options.

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