Minding your own child

2024

You can get DKK 7,431 before tax per month per child. A maximum of 3 subsidies can be paid to the same household. The subsidy is taxed as A income, but as it is not wage income, you do not have to pay ATP nor labour market contribution of the subsidy. The subsidy is paid in arrears.

2025

You can get DKK 7,683 before tax per month per child. A maximum of 3 subsidies can be paid to the same household. The subsidy is taxed as A income, but as it is not wage income, you do not have to pay ATP nor labour market contribution of the subsidy. The subsidy is paid in arrears.

Yes, depending on your situation, there are different application deadlines.

• If you already are minding your child at home: 
  The earliest you can get the subsidy is from the day we receive your application, provided you meet the conditions for receiving the subsidy. You can expect a case processing time of up to 2 weeks. You can apply no earlier than 3 months before you want to start.

  If your child is on the waiting list for a day nursery or public childminder and has a current date of need, Pladsanvisningen will postpone your child's date of need 8 weeks from the date you start receiving the subsidy for looking after your own child. We make this shift of the date of need at the same time as we approve your application and grant your subsidy. 

• If your child has a future enrolment in day nursery or public childminder:
   You must apply for the subsidy at least 8 weeks before your child is enrolled in the childcare. In this situation, Pladsanvisningen will automatically stop the subsidy the day before the enrolment date in the childcare.
   

• If your child is already enrolled in day nursery or with a public childminder:
  You must send your application at least 1 month before you want to start. Please be aware that Pladsanvisningen automatically announces your child from the current daycare when we register the approval of a subsidy for looking after your own child.
   

   

You can get the subsidy for a period of a minimum of 8 weeks and a maximum of 1 year. It is possible to divide the subsidy period into two periods.

The total subsidy period can be shared between parents, if you are both entitled to the benefit. You can either have each of your periods in continuation of each other or with a break in between, or one parent can have two periods with a break in between. Each period must be a minimum of 8 weeks. The entire period must not, put together, exceed the stipulated maximum period.

A maximum of 3 subsidies can paid to the same household. The total subsidy per month cannot exceed the amount for maximum daily allowance.

You cannot get a subsidy if:

• Your child is on leave from day nursery or public childminder
• Relief measures have been initiated in accordance with §52 of the Social Service Act
• Your child is less than 1 year old or has turned 3 years old.
  In some special cases, you can apply for a dispensation to receive the subsidy before your child is 1 year old. It is, e.g. multiple births or special needs of your child, which means that professional health personnel have recommended that you take maternity at the same time, and the maternity period has thus been shortened.

You can send a copy of your agreement with your employer that you have leave without pay or that you have quit your job. Another type of documentation can be from the SU agency that you have put your SU on hold or from your unemployment fund that you have deregistered your unemployment benefits.

If you cannot provide any documentation, you must fill in this form, which is a solemn declaration that you have no other income during the period in which you receive subsidy.

Please be aware that income from e.g. board work, participation as a judge and election representative are also income. It is therefore not permitted to receive these while you receive subsidy for minding your own child. If you are in doubt, we recommend you contact us to get it clarified.

You must have passed the 9th grade final exam, Test in Danish 2/3 or equivalent. You must attach documentation of your knowledge of Danish when you send your application. It is the Pedagogical Inspectorate that assesses your knowledge of Danish during their inspection visit and this is based on a concrete individual assessment.

If you are a Danish citizen or a citizen of a country outside the EU/EEA, you MUST send documentation of knowledge of Danish with your application.

EU/EEA citizens are exempt from the requirement for knowledge of Danish, all others must send documentation.

Yes, you are free to take a regular holiday up to five weeks in both Denmark and abroad, provided that you look after your child yourself during the holiday period. Please note that you may not receive any form of income while you are receiving subsidy for looking after your own child.

However, you may receive holiday allowance. If you receive paid holiday allowance, you must send us documentation of this to ensure that it is not work income.

You will be offered a supervised visit no later than 8 weeks after the start of the scheme. The inspection visit lasts approximately 1 hour. You will also be offered a voluntary inspection visit 6 months after the start of the scheme.

The City of Copenhagen can also choose to carry out more supervision in cases where the supervision concretely assesses that there is a need for it for the sake of your child.

Purpose of inspection visits are to:

• Provide guidance on safety at home 
• Investigate whether consideration for your child's development is normal and if the child is better off in a day nursery or with a public childminder

The subsidy stops if:

• You or the child move to another municipality
• You deliberately evade prosecution or enforcement in Denmark
• You have received the subsidy for one year
• Your child turns 3 years old
• You agree to a place in day nursery, with a public childminder or kindergarten
• You must send us an e-mail if you no longer wish to receive the subsidy, e.g. due to work or starting a course of study where you can receive SU. You will find our contact information at the bottom of this page
• The subsidy can be stopped at the earliest from the day we have received your e-mail and at the earliest after you have received the subsidy for at least 8 weeks.

Yes, and you are welcome to keep your CVR number while you receive the subsidy, but you must not have an income at the same time.

You must complete a solemn declaration that you have no other income during the period in which you receive the subsidy.

Yes, you can extend your subsidy period if the criteria are still met.

Please note that you must remember to apply for an extension before your current subsidy period expires. You can either send a new application or write to us via secure post.

You can expect to receive a written response to your application no later than two weeks after it has been received.