Danish senior pension

Senior pension is a Danish pension scheme for those who are approaching retirement age and can no longer work more than 15 hours a week in their present job. You must also have had a long-term connection to the labour market.

Are you entitled to a Danish senior pension?

You may be entitled to a senior pension if you:

• Are no more than six years from retirement age
• Have had a long-term connection to the labour market
• Have been employed for at least 20-25 years
• Can no longer work more than 15 hours a week in your present job.

You are not entitled to a senior pension if your working capacity is only temporarily reduced.

If you live in Denmark, Seniorpensionsenheden (the Senior Pension Authority) will assess whether you have the right to a senior pension.

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

How do you earn the right to a Danish senior 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 in which you work. If you work in two or more countries or are posted to another Nordic country and are unsure about where you are earning the right to a pension, you should contact the authorities for information. In Denmark, you should contact the office for international social security at Udbetaling Danmark.

If you are entitled to a senior pension, the size of the pension will depend, amongst other things, on how long you have lived in Denmark.

• If you do not reach the age of retirement before 1 July 2025, you are entitled to a full senior pension if you have lived in Denmark for at least nine-tenths of the time from age 15 until you receive the senior pension, and you have not earned a social pension from another country during the same period.
• If you reach retirement age before 1 July 2025, a four-fifths rule applies. This means that you have the right to a full senior pension if you have lived in Denmark for at least four-fifths of the time from age 15 until you are awarded the pension, and you have not earned the right to a social pension from another country during the same period.
• If you do not meet the conditions for a full senior pension, your senior pension will be calculated according to your earning period.

If you live in an EU or EEA country, Switzerland or the United Kingdom, you must as a rule have been earning the right to a pension for at least three years in total, of which at least one year must have been in Denmark. Special rules may apply depending on your citizenship, country of residence and the countries in which you have lived or worked.

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

If you live in Denmark, Seniorpensionsenheden (the Senior Pension Authority) will process your application for a senior pension.

If you have earned the right to a senior pension from one or more other Nordic countries, Seniorpensionsenheden will send your application to Udbetaling Danmark, who will forward the application to the other Nordic countries for processing. You can read about how to apply at borger.dk.

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

If you have worked or lived in more than one Nordic country, it is important to note that the conditions for senior 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 senior 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.

If you receive senior pension and live in Denmark, you can apply to your local authority for additional financial assistance for items such as medicine or unforeseen one-off expenses, if you are unable pay for them yourself.

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

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.

You and your spouse or partner may work while you receive a senior pension. However, your joint income may have an impact on the size of the payments you can receive.

You must notify Udbetaling Danmark if your financial circumstances change, for example if you start working.

If you are in work, your case may be reviewed, which could result in your senior pension being suspended.

If you live with a spouse, civil partner or cohabiting partner who is also in receipt of either a disability pension, senior pension or 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 will not generally need to do anything in relation to your pension when you die. The National Registration Office will notify your municipality and Udbetaling Danmark of the death, and an automatic assessment will be made concerning what will happen to your pension.

If you live abroad, your relatives must themselves contact Udbetaling Danmark.

You can read about pension taxes in the Nordic region on the Nordic tax portal, Nordisk eTax.

The supplementary labour market pension (SUPP) is a pension that you can choose to pay into if you are are awarded a senior pension. If you contribute to SUPP, you will receive an extra payment every month when you retire.

If you are granted a senior pension, contributions will be paid to the obligatory pension scheme. The state pays the contribution for persons receiving senior pension.

You can read more about the obligatory pension scheme at borger.dk.

If you live in Denmark and have questions about Danish senior pension, contact Seniorpensionsenheden (the Senior Pension Authority).

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

If you live Denmark and have questions about foreign disability pension or senior pension, contact Udbetaling Danmark, foreign pensions office.

The contact details are in the blue box at the top right-hand corner of this page.