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FAMILY

What benefits are you entitled to if you have children in Denmark?

Having children is a costly business but luckily in Denmark, there is help. As well as affordable childcare there are other benefits you can claim if you have children in Denmark. Here are the details.

a child
Having children is not a cheap business in Denmark. Luckily, help is available. Photo by Tanaphong Toochinda on Unsplash

When you have children in Denmark, there are various family benefits you could qualify for, depending on your circumstances. These are administered by Udbetaling Danmark.

The main one is:

Child and youth benefits (børne- og ungeydelsen), also known as børnepenge.

This is a tax-free payment that you receive for each of your children until they reach the age of 18.

The amount you receive depends on the age of your child, how long you have been earning the right to Danish family benefits, your income and the income of any spouse.

Child benefits are paid quarterly in advance from the first quarter after you have become a parent. So for example you receive money in January, for January, February and March.

When your child reaches the age of 15, you will receive a youth benefit instead of a child benefit, which is paid every month in arrears.

Payments used to be paid into the mother’s Nemkonto (designated current account) but from January 2022, that changed. Now half the payment is automatically made into each parent’s Nemkonto, unless parents share a Nemkonto.

How much can I receive in child and youth benefit?

This depends on the age of your child and the amount is slightly adjusted each year. The amount below is for 2022:

0-2 years: 4,653 kroner per quarter (2,327 kroner to each parent)

3-6 years: 3,681 kroner per quarter (1,841 kroner to each parent)

7-14 years: 2,898 kroner per quarter (1,449 kroner to each parent)

15-17 years:  966 kroner per month (483 kroner to each parent)

You receive the full benefit if you and your spouse each separately earn less than 828,100 kroner (2022), otherwise the amount is reduced.

You apply for child and youth benefit by completing a form, which can be found on borger.dk, under Family and Children. You need a copy of your contract of employment from your Danish employer and your children’s birth certificate.

What are the conditions to apply?

If you are a foreigner and work in Denmark, you may apply for child benefits if you:

  • share custody of the child
  • can document that you are related to the child
  • are a citizen in an EU/EEA country or Switzerland, if your child does not live in Denmark.

You must also have worked or lived in Denmark for a certain period within the past 10 years.

This is where it gets tricky.

You can only receive the full amount of benefit, after living in Denmark for 6 out of the past 10 years. Before this, it is a percentage of the benefit. It starts at 8.3% of the benefit amount and it increases every six months:

6 months: 8.3 percent, 1 year: 16.7 percent, 1.5 year: 25 percent, 2 years: 33.3 percent, 2.5 years: 41.7 percent, 3 years: 50 percent, 3.5 years: 58.3 percent, 4 years: 66.7 percent, 4.5 years: 75 percent, 5 years: 83.3 percent, 5.5 years: 91.7 percent, 6 years: 100 percent.

If you have received Danish family benefits before 1st January 2018 and are still entitled to it, you are covered by a two-year qualification requirement.

This means that you must have lived or worked in Denmark for at least 2 years within the past 10 years to get the full benefit amount. It starts at 25 percent at six months, 50 percent after 1 year, 75 percent after 1.5 years and 100 percent after two years.

If you are a citizen of an EU/EEA country or Switzerland, you can include the time you have received family benefits by living or working in another EU/EEA country or Switzerland.

So for example, if you move to Denmark with a 5 year old and you have 5 years of receiving benefits in the EU country you have come from, you will start receiving 83.3 percent of the total benefit amount for that child. This will increase to 91.7 percent six months later and 100 percent six months after that.

Udbetaling Danmark will verify this with the authorities in the country in which you have lived or worked, before the periods can be included.

Working in Denmark but your family lives somewhere else

If you live in another EU/EEA country or Switzerland and work exclusively in Denmark, you will in general be covered by the Danish social security system. This means that you will have the right to family benefits from Denmark if you meet the other conditions listed above.  

If Danish family benefits are higher than the benefits in the country where you live, Denmark will pay the difference. If the Danish benefit is lower than in the country where you are living, you will not receive family benefits from Denmark.

If you have any questions, you can contact Udbetaling Danmark or send a digital mail under ‘Familieydelser.’ The processing time for child and youth benefits is 30 weeks, so apply as soon as you can.

Remember to tell Udbetaling Danmark when your situation changes, otherwise you risk having to pay money back.

Child allowance (Børnetilskud)

Child allowance is a payment paid in special circumstances, on top of child/youth benefit if:

  • you are single
  • you have twins, triples, quadruplets 
  • you are a pensioner
  • you are in education
  • the father of your child is unknown
  • one or both parents are not alive
  • you have adopted a child 

The size of the child allowance depends on your situation. In 2022, the child allowance for a single parent  is 1,517 kroner per child each quarter.

Child support (Børnebidrag)

Child support is a contribution that one parent pays to the other if you do not live together.

Child support will not normally be used if you have a sharing arrangement and also share expenses for the child between the two of you.

Normal support amounts to DKK 1,460 per month (2022) and is adjusted annually on 1st January.

If you are unable to agree on the support, you can ask the Agency of Family Law (familieretshuset.dk) to reach a decision for you. 

Daycare discounts

The government subsidises 75 percent of all public daycare, so the cost of nursery (vuggestue) and kindergarten (børnehave) is low compared to many countries. Vuggestue (0-3 years) costs around  4,264 kroner per month, which includes lunch. Børnehave (3-6 years) costs around 2,738 kroner per month with lunch.

However, if your household income is below a certain threshold, you could be entitled to a discounted rate, which is called an income-based allowance.

Siblings daycare discount 

When you have more than one child, your pay half the amount of the cheapest place you have for any siblings in daycare.

Income for not using daycare

Some municipalities (kommuner) pay you money if you choose to look after your own child at home after maternity leave, so it’s worth ringing your municipality to find out.

Frederiksberg Kommune for example pay 8,141 kroner per child per month for looking after children under 3 and 4,198 kroner per month for children over 3. If you’re not from the EU, you qualify for this after living in Denmark for 7 years.

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FAMILY

Ten great (and free) playgrounds to take your kids in Copenhagen

With more than 140 different playgrounds in Copenhagen, families are spoilt for choice when it comes to free play areas for their children. Here are ten of our favourite options.

Ten great (and free) playgrounds to take your kids in Copenhagen

Nørrebroparken 

One of the unique elements of playgrounds in Copenhagen is that some of them are staffed. This means they have a little indoor area full of activities, led by adults, as is the case at Nørrberoparken. There are tricycles and games for the children to use, areas to grow vegetables and special events held throughout the year.

The playground is easily identified by the big aeroplane in the middle, designed for children to climb on. There’s also a sandpit, slide, swings and large ship to explore.

During the summer, Nørrebroparken is one of the places in the city that have a soppebassin. This is an area filled with water, so that a giant paddling pool is created for children to enjoy. 

Add in the fact the playground is on the trendy Stefansgade with plenty of options to grab good food and coffee, it’s a win-win choice for parents and children.

 
 
 
 
 
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Remiseparken, Sundby

This park includes a farm where children can feed the animals including chickens, rabbits, ponies, pigs and a paddock with lots of goats. Free activities are also run by the staff at the playground such as building insect houses and making birds’ nests. 

The playground opposite includes a large castle with a dragon slide, play houses, bonfire area, ball field, table tennis and much more.

Another highlight is the Thomas Dambo creation of the pacifier troll called Sanka. Similar to the pacifier tree (suttetræ), toddlers can take their pacifiers here when they are ready to stop using them. Thomas Dambo is a Danish artist who creates sculptures from recycled materials, including the Six Forgotten Giants.

 
 
 
 
 
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De Skæve Huse, Østerbro

Hidden away in the district of Østerbro is this creative playground designed by architect group Monstrum.

The Brumleby playground consists of three houses, a baker’s shop, and an ice-cream booth. Described as the ‘dizzy playground’, it is full of quirky fixtures to turn the world upside down and let children’s imaginations run free.

 
 
 
 
 
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Trafiklegepladsen, Østerbro

The Traffic Playground in Fælledparken, Østerbro is where many little Danes learn to ride a bike.

There are traffic lights, road signs, road markers, bike paths and pavements for children to practice their cycling skills. On weekdays you can hire bikes but at the weekend you need to bring your own.

There’s even staff on hand if you want your child to have a cycling lesson, or you need some advice about bikes.

Next to the Traffic Playground is a play area with swings, slide and sandpit. There are toilets, benches and plenty of trees providing shade. Afterwards, you can explore the rest of Fælledparken, Copenhagen’s largest park, where there are a further two playgrounds, flower gardens, lake and plenty of space to run and cycle.

 
 
 
 
 
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Enghaveparken, Vesterbro

Dating back to 1929, this park was designed to be a green space of calm in the middle of a busy Copenhagen. The well known Danish architect Arne Jacobsen was involved in its design, which has undergone a recent renovation in 2019. Part of the renovation includes a closed underground reservoir, where the equivalent of 10 Olympic-sized swimming pools of water can be retained. 

This playground is staffed at week days so children can freely borrow toys, balls, play cars and bikes. There’s a small ball court, a large spider web to climb, trampolines and a tunnel tube. There is also a fire pit and small bike lanes that wind around the playground.

There are also ongoing theatre shows and musical performances in the playground which can be found through the playground Facebook group.

Naturlegepladsen in Valbyparken

This is Denmark’s largest natural playground at 25,000 m2. The area is used by schools and parents alike and is staffed, with plenty of opportunities to learn and explore through nature.

The circular walkway connects the playground’s hilled landscape, with five towers representing the themes of light, wind, birds, change and green. Around the playground there are green paths, climbing trees and caves to explore. There’s a sandpit, tennis courts, beach volleyball court, hockey and table tennis, and it is possible to borrow tricycles, balls and other equipment from the playground staff, who also hold various activities. 

 
 
 
 
 
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Konditaget Lüders

It’s not where you’d naturally look for a playground but this one is worth climbing to the top of a multi-storey car park for. 

24-metres high lies a recreational space with trampolines, a climbing spiral, swings and an area of adults to exercise. With views across the city and harbour, this is a unique playground to experience.

The area of Nordhavn has undergone a huge transformation over recent years, from an industrial port area to an independent neighbourhood with a Metro line, new Scandinavian architecture, modern apartments and amenities.

 
 
 
 
 
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Christianshavns Vold, Christianshavn

A visit to this playground can be combined with a scenic walk around this historic area, where you can enjoy views of the Church of Our Saviour. The vold is a former rampart which was part of the old fortification that surrounded Copenhagen.

The staffed playground has plenty for all ages: Swings, a playhouse, slide and sand pit for younger children and a zip wire and climbing frame for older children, where there is a nice view of the rampart.

There are fields to play football, badminton, hockey, basketball, table tennis and you can borrow balls, bats, rackets, hockey sticks and bikes when staff are on site. 

The playground also has a focus on nature and biodiversity, so there are on-going staff-led activities around this topic.

Toddling around Christianshavns Vold. Photo: Michael Barrett

Skydebanehaven, Vesterbro

Also called the Parrot playground, this is a little green gem in the middle of urban Vesterbro. It’s been on of Vesterbro’s most popular playgrounds since it opened in 1946.

The playground is staffed so there are often creative and fun activities inside and outside. Every Friday for example they hold football training. There are also bikes and tricycles that can be used. Inside there is table tennis toys, games and books.

There’s also a large sandpit, nature corner, playhouses, climbing net, see-saws, zip wire, swings and an area for ball games. In the summer they have a paddling area (soppebassin).

 
 
 
 
 
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Guldberg School Playground, Nørrebro

This playground on Prinsesse Charlottes Gade in Nørrebro is actually part of Guldberg School. But as is the case in Denmark, it is free for the public to use outside of school hours and is a good example of being able to find playgrounds around almost every corner in Copenhagen.

Here children can enjoy the huge slide and trampolines while parents hang out on benches in the square in front of Simeons Church and also take in the view of Assistens Kirkegård, the cemetery where famous Danes like Hans Christian Andersen, are buried. 

 
 
 
 
 
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