Working-time rules for staff schedules in Denmark

When scheduling adult employees in Denmark, the length of a shift is only one part of the check. The central rules cover breaks, average weekly working time, rest between shifts, weekly rest and separate limits for night workers.

This page provides the overview. Use the dedicated guides when you need the detail on Denmark's 11-hour rest rule or publishing and changing a work schedule.

This guide provides general information, not legal advice. Collective agreements, sector-specific legislation, the employee's age and the nature of the work may change the applicable rules. Always check the specific legal and contractual basis before approving a schedule.

The main working-time rules at a glance

For an ordinary adult employee, the starting points are:

Area	Main rule
Break	An employee working more than 6 hours in a day is entitled to a break that fulfils the purpose of a break.
Weekly working time	Average working time must generally not exceed 48 hours per week, including overtime, calculated over 4 months.
Daily rest	At least 11 consecutive hours of rest in every 24-hour period.
Weekly rest	One weekly rest day in every 7-day period, normally immediately following the daily rest period.
Night work	A night worker's normal working time must generally not exceed an average of 8 hours in each 24-hour period, calculated over 4 months.
Recording	The employer must have an objective, reliable and accessible system that measures each employee's daily working time.

This table is a starting point, not a complete assessment. Special rules and limited derogations exist.

How many hours can an employee work in a day?

There is no single general rule setting the same maximum number of hours in a calendar day for every adult employee in Denmark. Several rules limit the schedule together.

The requirement for 11 consecutive hours of rest means that an ordinary working period cannot in practice occupy more than 13 hours in a rolling 24-hour period if the main rule is to be met. That is not a general permission to schedule 13-hour shifts. Breaks, split working periods, on-call duty and other work for the employer may affect the calculation, and the general requirement to organise work safely still applies.

The scheduler must also check:

• More than 6 hours of work: The employee is entitled to a break. The Act does not set one break length for every job; the break must fulfil its purpose, and a collective agreement may contain more specific terms.
• An average of 48 hours per week: Overtime counts. The average is generally calculated over 4 months, so one busy week cannot be assessed in isolation.
• Night work: Night workers have a separate average limit of 8 hours in each 24-hour period. A night worker performing particularly hazardous work or work involving heavy physical or mental strain may work no more than 8 hours in any 24-hour period in which night work is performed.

A collective agreement may define normal working time, overtime and breaks more precisely. A check against only “13 hours” or “48 hours” is therefore not enough for a particular shift.

How many days can an employee work in a row?

The main rule is that an adult employee must receive one weekly rest day in every 7-day period. Danish Working Environment Authority guidance explains this as no more than 6 days between two weekly rest days.

The weekly rest day must normally follow immediately after the daily rest period. Combined with 11 hours of daily rest, this generally produces 35 consecutive hours free from work in every 7-day period.

The short answer is therefore normally no more than 6 working days between two weekly rest days. It is not a requirement that every employee has the same weekday off, and counting shifts alone may give the wrong result. The actual periods free from work must be checked in rolling periods.

Limited exceptions exist. Under special rules for certain on-call arrangements and agricultural work, the weekly rest day may be rearranged, and in those cases there may be no more than 12 days between two rest days. Unforeseen events and a specific exemption may also permit a derogation. These exceptions require a valid basis and normally compensatory weekly rest. They should not be used as the standard scheduling model.

Workers under 18 are subject to different, stricter rules and must be assessed separately.

Eleven hours of rest between shifts

As a general rule, an adult employee must have at least 11 consecutive hours of rest in every 24-hour period. The check uses a rolling 24-hour window, not only the gap between two calendar dates.

A closing shift ending at 23:00 followed by another shift at 07:00 will therefore generally fail the main rule. The employee's voluntary consent does not by itself make the schedule lawful.

The rules on derogations and compensatory rest are detailed. Read the full guide to Denmark's 11-hour rest rule between shifts before relying on a possible derogation.

The 48-hour limit is an average

Average working time in each seven-day period must generally not exceed 48 hours, including overtime, calculated over 4 months. Paid annual leave and sick leave are excluded or treated as neutral under the statutory calculation.

One week above 48 hours is therefore not automatically a breach. Conversely, one week below 48 hours does not prove that the average is compliant. The employer must be able to follow daily working time and calculate the average across the full reference period. Read the dedicated guide to working-time recording requirements in Denmark for the rules on systems, employee access and retention.

The Working Time Act contains a narrow route for individual agreements to exceed a 48-hour average in specified collective-agreement areas involving on-call duty and critical public functions. It is not a general opt-out for service businesses.

Legislation, collective agreements and contracts work together

The three layers serve different purposes:

Source	What should the scheduler identify?
Legislation and executive orders	Minimum protection, scope and the boundaries for derogations.
Collective agreement	Rules on normal hours, breaks, overtime, notice and any agreed derogations.
Employment contract and local agreement	The agreed hours, placement and terms applying to the individual employee.

An employment contract may provide better terms but cannot freely set aside statutory minimum protection. On the other hand, a collective agreement may implement the Working Time Directive's rights in place of provisions in the Danish Working Time Act. The first step is therefore to identify the applicable collective agreement and any local agreements.

Schedule notice is a separate issue. Denmark has no single publication deadline for every work schedule. Read the guide to work-schedule notice in Denmark when planning publication and later changes.

A check before publishing the schedule

1. Identify the collective agreement, employment contract, local agreements and any sector-specific rules.
2. Check 11 hours of rest in rolling 24-hour periods.
3. Check the weekly rest day and consecutive time off in every 7-day period.
4. Calculate weekly working time, including overtime, across the relevant reference period.
5. Review breaks and night work separately.
6. Assess workers under 18 under their own rules.
7. Record changes, actual hours and the basis for any derogation.
8. Repeat the check after a shift swap, sickness cover or an extended shift.

Monoplan's employee scheduling keeps shifts, availability and approved absence together and shows working-time warnings while the schedule is being built. The manager must still assess the specific schedule and ensure that the employer is applying the correct rules.

Sources and source check

The sources were checked on 25.08.2026:

• The Danish Working Time Act, Consolidated Act no. 982 of 12 August 2024, particularly sections 1–5 and 4 b.
• The current Danish Working Environment Act, particularly sections 50–51 and 56.
• Executive Order on rest periods and weekly rest, no. 606 of 29 June 2026, particularly sections 1–4, 7, 12 and 27.
• Danish Working Environment Authority guidance on weekly rest, updated September 2024.
• Danish Working Environment Authority guidance on daily rest, updated September 2024.
• Danish Working Environment Authority questions and answers on working time and rest.

Executive Order no. 606 took effect on 01.07.2026 and repealed Executive Order no. 324 of 23.05.2002. This source check therefore uses the 2026 version.