Maximum working time in Denmark (2026)

Last reviewed: 30 October 2026

In short: The average working week may not exceed 48 hours including overtime, calculated over 4 months. Employees are entitled to 11 hours of rest in every 24 hours and a rest day in every 7 days. Individual agreement to work more than 48 hours is possible only in areas where social partners have agreed it.

RuleWhat applies
Maximum average weekly working timeEmployees (adults) in general employment48 hours [1]
Maximum daily working timeEmployees (adults) in general employment⚠ Not yet verified
Minimum daily restEmployees (adults) in general employment11 hours [2]
Minimum weekly restEmployees (adults) in general employmentA rest day (fridøgn) in every period of 7 days, placed directly next to a daily rest period; normally a continuous rest of 35 hours every seventh day. [3]
Normal full-time working weekEmployees (adults) in general employment⚠ Not yet verified
Individual opt-out from the weekly maximumEmployees (adults) in general employmentPossible only where the most representative social partners have agreed it for a collective-agreement area: individual consent, limited to employees covered by stand-by duty provisions who perform socially critical functions. The average may not exceed 60 hours over 4 months (the agreement can set a reference period of up to 12 months, and can allow more than 60 hours), and consent can be withdrawn at any time with reasonable notice. [1]

Notes

  • Holiday and sick leave periods are left out of the average. Collective agreements giving equivalent protection can displace the Act's rules (section 1(2)-(3)); mobile workers and some managers are treated separately.
  • No fixed maximum number of hours per day was found in the sources read; daily rest of 11 hours is shown instead.
  • The rest period can be reduced to no less than 8 hours in listed cases, such as shift changes in multi-shift operations.
  • The Act sets no normal working week; the normal week is set in collective agreements, which were not read.

Sources

  1. Beskæftigelses- og Ligestillingsministeriet (Retsinformation): Bekendtgørelse af lov om gennemførelse af dele af arbejdstidsdirektivet (LBK nr. 982 af 12. august 2024) (consulted 30 October 2026) · all sources
  2. Arbejdstilsynet (Retsinformation): Daglig hvileperiode (AT-meddelelse 5.01.1-1, VEJ nr. 9666 af 5. september 2024) (consulted 30 October 2026) · all sources
  3. Arbejdstilsynet (Retsinformation): Ugentlig fridøgn (AT-meddelelse 5.01.2-1, VEJ nr. 9667 af 5. september 2024) (consulted 30 October 2026) · all sources

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General information, not legal advice. Rules change: check the official source before you fly or ride.