Child’s illness

Child’s sick days  

As an employee, you may, following an individual assessment, be granted full or partial leave with pay to care for a sick child on the child's first, second and third sick day, provided that:

• The child's condition makes it necessary
• Operational requirements at the workplace allow for it
• The child is under 18 years of age
• The child lives at home

If your child becomes ill after you have arrived at work and you are called home to care for the child, you may be granted leave with pay for the remainder of the working day (the day of being sent home), provided that the above conditions are met.

Whether a child's illness justifies leave from work depends on a specific assessment of the nature of the illness in relation to the child's age. In all cases, it is essential that there is a genuine need for care.

The day of being sent home and the first, second and third sick days are counted as consecutive calendar days during the child's illness.

This means that the first sick day is the first calendar day following the day of being sent home or, if there has been no such day, the first day of the child's illness. The second sick day is the day after the first sick day, and the third sick day is the day after the second sick day, regardless of whether the days are working days, weekends or public holidays.

Consequently, the entitlement does not consist of three optional days that may be taken at any point during a child's illness. Rather, it relates to a continuous period during the illness.

The day of being sent home and the first, second and third sick day may be taken independently of one another. For example, you may take leave on the child's second sick day even if you did not take leave on the day of being sent home or on the first sick day. Parents may also share the days between them. One parent may, for example, take leave on the day of being sent home and on the first sick day, while the other parent takes leave on the second and third sick day.

In some cases, an alternative arrangement may be agreed with your manager, such as working from home or organising your working hours more flexibly. This requires that such arrangements are compatible with your duties and the operational needs of the workplace.

Read more about when you are entitled to child’s sick day leave  (Borger.dk – only in Danish)