Danish disability pension

You may be entitled to Danish disability pension if your ability to work is permanently and significantly reduced and you cannot work in a normal job or flexi-job. It is usually your municipality that will assess whether you can receive a disability pension if you live in Denmark. If you live abroad, you must usually apply through the pension authority in the country where you live.

Do you have the right to Danish disability pension?

You may have the right to disability pension if you are aged over 40 and your capacity to work has been reduced permanently and to such an extent that you are unable to work in a normal job or flexi-job. If you are under 40, you will only receive disability pension in exceptional circumstances.

You do not have the right to disability pension if your working capacity is only temporarily reduced, or if it can be improved by a back-to-work scheme, medical treatment or the like.

Danish disability pension if you live in Denmark

If you live in Denmark, your local municipality will assess whether you have the right to disability pension. The municipality will assess whether your working capacity is permanently and significantly reduced, and whether you can support yourself through work, including flexi-jobs. In the assessment, the municipality will examine a number of factors, such as your education, your experience in the labour market, your state of health and the efforts that have already been tried or assessed as relevant for you.

In order to assess your ability to work, the municipality will prepare a comprehensive description of your prerequisites for a working life, describing amongst other things your resources, limitations and possibilities in relation to the requirements of the labour market.

Contact your local municipality if you wish to know more about disability pension.

Danish disability pension if you live in another Nordic country

If you live outside Denmark, Udbetaling Danmark will assess whether you have the right to disability pension. To apply for Danish disability pension, contact the pensions authority in the country in which you live.

In order to assess your capacity for work, Udbetaling Danmark will draw up a resource profile based on information on your circumstances provided by you and by the pensions authority in the country where you live. Udbetaling Danmark will undertake an assessment of your resources and potential opportunities for work in the labour market under Danish rules and as if you were living in Denmark.

Contact Udbetaling Danmark if you wish to know more about Danish disability pension.

How do you earn the right to a Danish disability pension?

As a general rule, you earn the right to a Danish pension by living and working in Denmark.

If you live in Denmark and work in another Nordic country, you will usually earn pension rights in the country where you work.

If you work in two or more countries, or if you are posted to another Nordic country, special rules may apply. Contact the authorities if you are in doubt about where you are earning the right to a pension. In Denmark, you should contact the office for international social security at Udbetaling Danmark.

You may qualify for a full disability pension if you have lived in Denmark for at least four-fifths of the time from age 15 until you receive the pension. This only applies if you have not earned the right to a social pension from another country during the same period. If you do not qualify for full disability pension, the amount you receive will be calculated on the basis of how long you have lived in Denmark since you reached the age of 15. If you were born on 1 July 1958 or later, you must have lived in Denmark for nine-tenths of the time from the age of 15 until you are granted a disability pension in order to be entitled to a full disability pension. 

You do not have the right to any form of Danish disability pension if you have spent less than one year in the country.

See borger.dk for more information and a sample pension calculation.

How do you apply for disability pension?

If you live in Denmark and wish to apply for a disability pension, contact your municipality. The municipality will process your case and assess whether you meet the conditions.

If you have earned the right to disability pension in one or more of the other Nordic countries, Udbetaling Danmark will forward your application to the appropriate other country or countries. You can read about how to apply and what documentation you will need at borger.dk.

If you live in another Nordic country and have earned the right to a pension in Denmark, you will generally need to apply for it to the authorities in the country where you live.

What if you are applying for disability pension from several countries?

If you have worked or lived in more than one Nordic country, it is important to note that the conditions for disability pension may vary. You can contact the authorities in the countries in which you have lived and worked for more details.

If you live in Denmark, you may also have the right to supplementary financial assistance if your disability pension is not enough to live on. If you live abroad, you will not normally be able to receive supplementary financial assistance from Denmark. You should apply for assistance in the country where you live.

Can you receive a pension supplement or financial help?

If you receive Danish disability pension under the rules that applied until 1 January 2003, you may have the right to heating allowance, health allowance or personal allowance. You can read more at borger.dk.

If you receive disability pension under the rules that have applied since 1 January 2003, and you live in Denmark, you can apply to your local municipality for additional financial assistance for items such as medicine or unforeseen one-off expenses, if you are unable to pay for them yourself.

Housing allowance

You may have the right to housing allowance. This depends, amongst other things, on your rent, your income, the size of your home and how many people live there. You can read more at borger.dk.

Can you take your Danish disability pension with you to another Nordic country?

If you are a Danish citizen or a citizen of an EU or EEA country, you can generally take your pension with you to another Nordic country. You must apply to Udbetaling Danmark to take your pension abroad.

You cannot take your Danish disability pension with you to the Faroe Islands or Greenland. Instead, you should apply for a Faroese or Greenlandic pension.

You can read more at borger.dk.

Can you work while receiving disability pension?

You and your spouse or partner may work while you are receiving disability pension. However, the income from your work may have an impact on how much you can receive in disability pension and pension supplement.

You must inform Udbetaling Danmark if your financial circumstances change – for example if you start work.

If you are in work, Udbetaling Danmark may review your case. This may mean that your disability pension could be paused or suspended.

See the rules (in Danish) at borger.dk under the heading “Må jeg eller min ægtefælle/samlever arbejde, mens jeg får førtidspension?” (May I or my spouse/partner work while I am receiving disability pension?).

How is disability pension paid out in the event of my death?

If you live with a spouse, civil partner or cohabiting partner who is also in receipt of either a disability pension, senior pension or state retirement pension, your pension can continue to be paid for up to three months after your death. This is known as a survivor’s pension. When the three months are up, the pension of your spouse, civil partner or cohabiting partner will be adjusted to the rates and rules that apply to a single person.

Your next of kin do not need to do anything about your disability pension, senior pension or retirement pension in the event of your death. The National Registration Office will notify Udbetaling Danmark and your local authority, and an automatic decision will be made about what will happen to your pension. However, if you live abroad, your family should contact Udbetaling Danmark.

Supplementary labour market pension

If you are receiving disability pension you may choose to contribute to the supplementary labour market pension (SUPP). If you contribute to SUPP, you will receive an extra payment every month when you retire.

If you receive a disability pension, the state automatically pays a pension contribution for you. The contribution depends on your benefit amount, and will rise every year until 2030. You can see the current percentage rates at borger.dk.

You do not need to pay anything yourself to the obligatory pension, as the state will automatically pay the contributions into your pension scheme. The contribution is not deducted from your disability pension.

You can read more at borger.dk.

Who should you contact if you have questions?

If you live in Denmark and have questions about the Danish disability pension, contact your local municipality. If you have questions about the calculation or payment of your disability pension, contact Udbetaling Danmark.

If you live abroad and have questions about Danish disability pension, contact Udbetaling Danmark, international pensions office.

If you live in Denmark and have questions about disability pension abroad, contact Udbetaling Danmark, pensions abroad.

Where do you pay tax if you receive Danish disability pension abroad?

If you are receiving Danish disability pension and live in another Nordic country, there may be special rules concerning where you have to pay tax. See the Nordic tax portal, Nordic eTax, for more information about taxation of pensions in the Nordic Region.

Further information