Income protection – answers to the 52 most searched questions

Income protection insurance is an insurance that pays a monthly amount on top of your unemployment benefits if you become involuntarily unemployed. The aim is to close the gap between the unemployment benefits (max. DKK 22,041/month before tax in 2026) and your normal salary, typically up to 80-90% of the wage for 3-12 months. Income protection insurance is also called income protection insurance or private supplementary insurance.

Sources: Ase: Unemployment benefit rates 2026

You pay a monthly premium while you are in work. If you are dismissed and have had insurance longer than the qualifying period (typically 5-9 months), the insurance will pay a fixed amount each month for a possible waiting period period (0-60 days). Payment will stop when you get a job or when the payment period (3-12 months) is used.

No. The unemployment insurance fund pays unemployment benefits, a public benefit capped at DKK 22,041/month (2026). Income protection is private insurance paid on top of unemployment benefits. Almost all policies require membership of an unemployment insurance fund – often a specific fund.

Yes. Income protection insurance is paid on top of the unemployment benefits and is not set off against it. The insurance typically calculates the payment as a percentage of your salary (e.g. 90%) minus the unemployment benefits you receive.

A collective income protection is included in your union membership, and all members are automatically included - e.g. HK (55 DKK/month), BUPL (27 DKK/month), Socialpædagogerne (50 DKK/month) and TL (105 DKK/month). A private (individual) income protection you buy yourself and choose cover and period. Collective schemes are cheaper because the risk is shared but typically only 80% for a maximum of 6 months.

A private income protection is an income protection that you have bought yourself - typically through your insurance fund, trade union or insurance company - as opposed to a collective scheme that automatically comes with your membership.

Income protection insurance applies when the qualifying period has expired (typically 5-9 months after purchase) and you become involuntarily unemployed with entitlement to benefit. If you are terminated within the qualifying period, you will not be paid out.

Lønsikring and lønforsikring mean the same thing: insurance against income loss during unemployment. Indtægtssikring often refers to cover for illness or incapacity for work; Lederne combines these in its “Løn- og Indtægtssikring” policy.

Sources: Lederne: Income protection insurance

Income protection insurance costs from approx. DKK 24 to several hundred a month. The price depends on how much you insure, your salary, age, job type, residence, waiting period and payout period. Examples from the providers: MA 232.40 DKK/month for maximum coverage of DKK 8,359, Lærernes a-kasse 24-776 DKK/month depending on salary, Det Faglige Hus 49-338 DKK/month and LB Income Protection Insurance EXTRA 27- 546 DKK/month in their examples.

There is no single cheapest income protection policy: the price depends on your salary and chosen coverage. Collective schemes have the lowest cost per member (e.g. BUPL 27 kr./md., HK 55 kr./md.), and Frie Lønsikring Gratis is included in Frie’s combined package. However, they provide less cover than most individual policies.

The best income protection is the one that covers your specific gap between benefit and pay, has a short qualifying period and a waiting period that you can bear. Compare max. cover in DKK, waiting period, qualifying period, payment period and whether it covers unemployment due to illness. Income protection insurance .io does not rank the providers because the price is individual.

It pays if your salary is substantially above approx. 26,600 DKK/month (here the unemployment benefits is the ceiling) if you have fixed expenses that you cannot cut and if you do not have a savings equivalent to 3- 6 months' pay. If you earn less than approx. 26,600 DKK, the unemployment benefits already covers up to 90% of your salary after AM contributions, and income protection insurance gives little or nothing.

Income protection insurance is a good idea for you with high wages, high fixed costs and small savings. It is a bad idea if you earn close to the ceiling, have a big buffer, or if you are already covered by a collective scheme that covers your needs. Also note that you cannot buy it once you know about a future firing.

Yes, several companies raised the price of income protection in 2025, and Tryg abolished its product for the Ase members. Some products also raise the premium at age - for example, Business Danmark by 10% at 55 years and 25% at 60 years.

Sources: Inside Forsikring (26.11.2025) · Business Danmark: Income Protection Insurance FAQ

Yes. Income protection premiums qualify for a general tax deduction, and most providers automatically report them to the Danish Tax Agency. The tax deduction value is approximately 26% (GF Forsikring states 25.6%). Products that also cover incapacity for work, such as Lederne and Business Danmark, allow 95% of the premium to be deducted.

Sources: A&TIL: Tax rules on income protection · GF Insurance: Income protection insurance

Yes. Income protection payments are taxed as ordinary A-income, but no labour market contribution (AM-bidrag) is payable on them. Income protection is therefore not tax-free.

Sources: A&TIL: Tax rules on income protection

The payment of the income protection is indicated before tax - just like the unemployment benefits. So, you must pay tax on the amount. The coverage rate (e.g. 90%) is calculated from your gross wage; at Alka, the wage after the AM contribution.

According to A&TIL, the premium is reported in box 439 of the advance declaration and in box 52 of the annual declaration. Always check that the amount has been included.

Sources: A&TIL: Tax rules on income protection

Most income protection policies cover up to 90% of your salary including unemployment benefits; some (MA, DSA, Lærernes a-kasse and the collective schemes from HK, TL and Socialpædagogerne) cover up to 80%. Maximum supplementary payments range from 3,500 kr./md. (BUPL) to 60,000 kr./md. (IDA, Lederne, A&TIL Flex).

You will typically get: (percentage of cover × your salary) − your unemployment benefits, but not more than the amount you have insured. Example: salary 39,000 DKK, 80% = 31,200 DKK, minus unemployment benefits DKK 22,041 DKK = 9,159 DKK/month from the income protection insurance system (example of Socialpædagogerne).

Sources: Socialpædagogerne: Income protection insurance

Typically 3, 6, 9 or 12 months per period of unemployment, depending on your choice. Several products have a total ceiling of 36 months over the life of insurance. Collective schemes (HK, TL, Socialpædagogerne, Dansk Metal) pay a maximum of 6 months.

The qualifying period is the time you must have had (and paid for) the insurance before you can get paid. It is typically 5-9 months: Frie 5 months, Ase / CA / Krifa / Det Faglige Hus / Lederne / GF 6 months, Djøf / Topdanmark / IDA / Alka / MA 9 months. If you are terminated during the period, you are not covered.

We have not found income protection with a 3-month qualifying period as of 30.09.2026. The shortest verified period is Frie at 5 months. Members of Dansk Metal and Metal A-kasse by 31.12.2026 receive the new collective income protection from 1 January 2027 without a waiting period.

The qualifying period runs from purchasing the policy until cover begins. The waiting period (karens or selvrisiko) is the number of days from becoming unemployed until payments start: for example, 28 days with Ase, 30 with CA and 45 with Djøf. Some providers use “karens” for the qualifying period, so read the terms.

Yes. Det Faglige Hus (0 or 15 days), GF Insurance (0 or 30 days) and the Alka products via Min A-kasse and the Associations (0 or 1 month) allow you to choose 0 days of waiting period against a higher price. The qualifying period after purchase cannot be chosen from.

The highest we have verified is 60,000 DKK/month on top of the unemployment benefits (IDA Income Protection Insurance, Lederne and A&TIL Flex). CA covers up to 45,000 DKK, Djøf, Topdanmark, AKA and Det Faglige Hus up to 40,000 DKK. Overall, benefit + Income Protection Insurance will not normally exceed 90% of your salary.

Income protection insurance typically does not cover: own termination, expulsion, termination you knew about when buying, expiry of a fixed-term contract, termination agreements (Alka), unemployment within the qualifying period and periods without entitlement to unemployment benefits.

No. None of the income protection insurance we've been through covers if you quit. Income protection insurance only covers involuntary unemployment, typically dismissal.

Generally, no: income protection covers unemployment, not illness while employed. Some products also cover incapacity for work: CA (50% of the benefit, tax-free), Lederne (after 30+ sick days), Business Danmark, Det Faglige Hus (certain illnesses), Lærernes a-kasse and DSA (temporary incapacity). Købstædernes Forsikring covers unemployment caused by illness. MA continues paying if you become ill while unemployed, while Krifa, Frie, BUPL and TL do not pay during illness. Illness known at purchase is usually excluded.

You are not usually able to buy an income protection while you are on sick leave or are aware of a future termination. If you are already insured and are fired under sick leave, the coverage of the conditions depends - especially if the disease was known when purchasing (e.g. Ase: no medical visits for the same condition 12 months before purchase).

No, not ordinary income protection insurance, which requires you to be free to receive unemployment benefits. Only products with cover for incapacity for work - e.g. Lederne’s Løn- og Indtægtssikring, which pays when you meet the conditions for sickness benefit - can pay during illness.

Sources: Virksom/Lederne: Fact sheet (PDF)

No, not while on maternity leave - you get paid or maternity benefit, not unemployment benefits. For example, the BUPL's collective income protection insurance explicitly excludes parental leave. If you become unemployed after maternity leave and are entitled to unemployment benefits, your income protection insurance will apply as usual.

Only a few places. Djøf's income protection insurance covers the self-employed with a minimum of 30 hours / week, Lederne requires 130 hours/months as self-employed, Ase requires either 25 hours / week as an employee or that you are self-employed, and Købstædernes Forsikring covers the self-employed by means of suspension of payments, bankruptcy, compulsory auction or closure due to illness. Krifa covers the self-employed over 61 years only by bankruptcy. Topdanmark, IDA and Det Faglige Hus cannot be bought by the self-employed.

Generally no. TL’s collective income protection excludes flexjob workers, for example, and most policies require an ordinary job of at least 16–25 hours/week.

Sources: TL: Income protection insurance

Yes, if you work enough hours: Djøf, IDA, Topdanmark and Alka products (e.g. 3F, FOA, Dansk Metal) require a minimum of 16 hours / week, GF and Ase min. 25 hours / week, CA and Business Danmark min. 80 hours/month HK's collective arrangement has its own limits for part-time (min.-pay 18,588 DKK and max. 780 hours).

Generally not when the contract simply expires. Alka and IDA do not cover contract expiry. MA covers contract expiry for a maximum of 3 months and requires a 24-month qualifying period for fixed-term employment.

Yes, generally: bankruptcy makes you involuntarily unemployed, which income protection covers, provided you are entitled to unemployment benefits and have completed the qualifying period.

If you change your job, your income protection usually continues, but some require a certain period of employment before unemployment (e.g. 12 months at IDA). If you change your unemployment insurance fund, you will cease an income protection insurance that requires membership of a particular unemployment insurance fund and you will start over with the qualifying period. 3F states that previous insurance seniority can be transferred.

Yes, in some places. MA has a half-price diploma-income protection for 12 months (max. 6,000 DKK, 6 months qualification). Teachers' unemployment insurance requires only 6 months of employment for graduates. Remember that the allowance is lower: 15,759 DKK/month without dependants (2026).

It becomes harder. Most require you to be under 55–61 when buying (Topdanmark 55; Djøf, CA, A&TIL and Det Faglige Hus 59; Købstædernes under 60; Ase, IDA and Dansk Metal 60; FOA and 3F before 61). Krifa (under 64) and GF Forsikring (18–63) are more flexible at purchase. Some cover you until the state pension age (Alka, Lærernes a-kasse), while others stop at 63–67.

Almost not. All of the income protection insurance that we have verified require membership of an A-kasse because the payout requires entitlement to unemployment benefits. Also, the insurance companies' own products (Topdanmark, GF and Købstædernes Forsikring) require a Danish A-kasse. CA states that individual companies offer income protection insurance without an A-kasse, and Alm. Brand's conditions from 2018 describe such a product - but we have not been able to confirm that it is sold today (checked 01.10.2026).

Sources: CA: Income protection with or without an unemployment insurance fund

Yes. Many unemployment funds’ income protection policies only require fund membership, for example Ase, CA, Krifa, Det Faglige Hus, Min A-kasse, MA and A&TIL. Topdanmark and GF only require membership of a Danish unemployment fund. Trade union agreements (e.g. Djøf, IDA, 3F, FOA, HK), however, require union membership.

All fully paying members of HK Handel, HK Municipality, HK Private and HK State are automatically included in HK Collective Income Protection Insurance. It costs 55 DKK/month and covers 80% of the salary minus unemployment benefits for a maximum of 6 months, but not more than 38,292 DKK/month You must have 9 months of employment in the HK area.

BUPL has a collective income protection via LB Insurance for members of both BUPL and BUPL-A. It costs 27 DKK/month, covers up to 90% of the salary with 600- 3,500 DKK/month and a maximum of 24,000 DKK per payout period. You are covered after 6 months of membership. You want more, you can buy LB Income Protection Insurance EXTRA (1,000- 20,000 DKK/month) above.

Yes, from 1 January 2027. Fully paying members of the Dansk Metal and Metal Unemployment insurance fund will automatically receive a free income protection of up to 4,000 DKK/month on top of the unemployment benefits for up to 6 months (first month of unemployment without payment). The quota will be reduced by DKK 100/month from December 2026. If you are a member by 31.12.2026, there is no waiting time; if you enter from 1.1.2027, you will have to wait 9 months.

Sources: Dansk Metal: Reduced membership fees and free income protection

Academics can choose Djøf Income Protection Insurance (Topdanmark, up to 40,000 DKK), IDA Income Protection Insurance (Topdanmark, up to 60,000 DKK, also for AKA members), AKA Income Protection Insurance (Topdanmark), DM Income Protection Insurance (Alm. Brand) and MA Income Protection Insurance (AmTrust, up to 30,000 DKK).

Members of Din Sundhedsfaglige A-kasse (DSA) can buy DSA Income Protection through Bauta Forsikring, with up to 20,000 kr./md. on top of unemployment benefits for 6 or 12 months. We have not found separate income protection from Dansk Sygeplejeråd (checked 01.10.2026).

Members of Dansk Socialrådgiverforening, Farmakonomforeningen, Konstruktørforeningen and Finansforbundet use A&TIL as their unemployment insurance fund and can buy A&TIL income protection: Basis (150 kr./md., up to 7,500 kr./md. for a maximum of 6 months) or Flex (up to 60,000 kr./md. for a maximum of 12 months). The insurer is Gjensidige Forsikring.

Sources: Dansk Socialrådgiverforening: Benefits as a member of the Unemployment insurance fund · Farmakonomforeningen: Unemployment insurance fund and unemployment · Konstruktørforeningen: Income protection insurance · Finansforbundet: Income protection insurance

Income protection is sold mainly through unemployment funds (e.g. Ase, CA, Krifa, Det Faglige Hus, Frie, A&TIL, Min A-kasse, MA, DSA, Lærernes a-kasse), trade union group agreements (Djøf, IDA, DM, Lederne, 3F, FOA, Dansk Metal) and directly by insurers (Topdanmark, GF Forsikring, Købstædernes Forsikring, Privatsikring). Insurers behind the products include Alka, Topdanmark/If, AmTrust, Gjensidige, FF Forsikring, LB Forsikring, Bauta and Alm. Brand.

The maximum benefit rate in 2026 is 22,041 DKK/month before tax for full-time insured persons. For the first 3 months you can get up to 26,198 DKK/month if you have 4 years of continuous membership and have worked equivalent to 2 years of full-time in the last 3 years.

Sources: Ase: Unemployment benefit rates 2026

At a gross salary of about DKK 26,600/month. Unemployment benefits are 90% of your salary after the labour market contribution (8%), and DKK 22,041 ÷ 0.9 ÷ 0.92 ≈ DKK 26,620. Above this salary, benefits cover a smaller share of your salary – this is the gap income protection fills.

If you receive the increased rate of up to DKK 26,198 for the first 3 months, the payment from the Income Protection Insurance will typically be reduced during that period because it is calculated as a percentage of the wage minus the daily wage. Topdanmark therefore requires a higher minimum wage (DKK 34,057) if you receive an employment allowance.