Illness &
maternity leave

Maternity leave

Artists' opportunities and rights in the parental leave system are very individual and depend on how they have organised their working life and how they actually work right up to the day when parental leave is due to begin.

 

Am I entitled to parental leave with parental benefit?

Maybe you are. All new parents are entitled to leave, but the right to leave does not automatically entitle you to parental benefit. The right to parental benefit during leave depends on whether you fulfil certain requirements prior to the start of the leave.

If you are an employee, you may be entitled to pay during maternity leave.

Read more about the requirements at borger.dk: Maternity and leave.

 

I am not in an unemployment fund, am I not entitled to maternity benefits?

Unemployment benefit, which you can receive if you are unemployed, is different from parental benefit. Therefore, you may be entitled to parental benefit as either a self-employed person or an employee, even if you are not a member of an unemployment insurance fund.

If you are unemployed, a member of an unemployment insurance fund and receive unemployment benefits, the path to parental benefits is straightforward. On the other hand, there is less flexibility when you are on parental leave as an unemployed person. For example, you cannot postpone leave.

 

I've heard that artists and musicians can find it difficult to qualify for parental benefits

It's true that it can be difficult, but fortunately, most people succeed.

It is usually most difficult for those who combine self-employment with salaried work or who only have short-term fee-paying jobs. The best thing to do is to seek information and advice well in advance. "Good time" is six months before the leave is due to begin, i.e. when the pregnancy is new.

Some may need to adapt a little differently, or it may be necessary to take out insurance.

It is Udbetaling Danmark that decides whether you fulfil the requirements to receive parental benefit and how much - and they can only do this when the leave is due to begin. Our recommendations therefore depend on the individual artist's situation, i.e. what they can do to fulfil the requirements at the start of their leave.

 

Start early - get guidance from us

Contact us, we advise all members who have questions or need help with maternity matters.
Send your questions directly to labour market consultant Dorthe Korfitzen dk@artisten.dk

You can also contact the relevant authority: Udbetaling Danmark.

They answer questions on tel: 7012 8064