Child Benefit in Denmark (Børnepenge): Expat Guide 2026

In Denmark, child and youth benefit (børne- og ungeydelse) — colloquially børnepenge, the "child cheque" or family allowance — is a tax-free payment you receive for each child until the child turns 18. For most families living in Denmark it arrives automatically in your NemKonto once you meet the residence and tax conditions, and the amount depends on the age of the child, how long you have earned the right to Danish family benefits, and your income.

The catch for newcomers is that "automatic" only applies once you are properly settled and CPR-registered. If you are moving to Denmark, working across borders, or arriving from another EU/EEA country, you usually have to apply yourself. This guide covers who qualifies, the 2026 amounts, how payment works, and how expats actually claim it through Udbetaling Danmark.

What Børnepenge Is (and What It Isn't)

Child and youth benefit is the broad payment made to almost every family raising a child in Denmark. It is tax-free and paid per child until the child's 18th birthday.

It is not the same as child allowance (børnetilskud) or child support. Child allowance is a separate, additional payment only for families in special circumstances — covered further down. Both benefits are administered by Udbetaling Danmark (Familieydelser, the Public Benefits Administration).

Who Qualifies

To be entitled to child and youth benefit, you must meet all of these conditions:

• The child is under 18 and lives in Denmark
• You live in Denmark
• The custody holder is fully liable to Danish tax
• The child is not in foster care or a ward of the state

On top of that, you need a qualifying connection to Denmark. You qualify if any one of the following is true:

• You have lived or worked in Denmark, the Faroe Islands or Greenland for at least six of the last 10 years
• You have earned the right to family benefits in another EU/EEA country or Switzerland
• You reside in Denmark under the Greencard scheme

How Much You Get in 2026

The amount depends on the child's age. As of 2026 (always check the official borger.dk page for current figures, as amounts are adjusted), the full amounts per child are:

With split (joint) custody, the benefit is generally divided and each parent receives half into their own NemKonto.

Two things reduce this. First, newcomers earn the full amount gradually rather than immediately (see below). Second, a high personal income tapers the benefit.

When It's Paid

Payment frequency depends on the child's age:

• Under 15 — child benefit (børneydelse): paid quarterly in advance, landing on 20 January, 20 April, 20 July and 20 October.
• Aged 15–17 — youth benefit (ungeydelse): paid every month in arrears, on the 20th of each month.

Everything is paid to your NemKonto, the Danish bank account you register as your official payout account. This is why a CPR number and a NemKonto have to be in place before any money can reach you — if you have not sorted those yet, see the guides on getting a CPR number and on how NemKonto works in English.

Is It Automatic, or Do You Have to Apply?

For most families already resident in Denmark, the benefit is paid automatically with no application — provided you have custody of the child, the child is under 18 and lives in Denmark, and you meet the tax and residence conditions. The money simply appears in your NemKonto.

You must actively apply (it is not automatic) if you are in any of these situations:

• You work in another EU/EEA country
• You live abroad while working in Denmark
• You are moving to Denmark
• You are a Dane returning home
• You are in a special situation, such as having a foster permission before being registered as the child's parent

In practice, this means most expats need to apply at least the first time. Payment often becomes automatic once you are fully CPR-registered and clearly resident, but new arrivals and cross-border EU/EEA workers typically have to make the first claim themselves.

How to Apply as an Expat

Applications go to Udbetaling Danmark, and the route depends on your nationality.

EU/EEA citizens:

• With MitID: apply online and attach the relevant documentation. If you have not set up your digital ID yet, see the MitID guide.
• Without MitID: complete a declaration-and-consent form (print it, sign it, scan it), attach your employment contract and the children's birth certificates, and submit it.

Non-EU/EEA citizens:

• Contact Udbetaling Danmark by phone on +45 70 12 80 62.
• Do not email sensitive data such as CPR numbers. You can instead post documents to: Udbetaling Danmark, Kongens Vænge 8, DK-3400 Hillerød.

Processing takes on average several weeks, with a statutory maximum case-processing time of 21 weeks (as of 2026 — check the official page). Because your tax status matters, it is worth having your tax card (skattekort) sorted in parallel.

Newcomers: Earning the Full Amount Over Time

New arrivals rarely get the full benefit on day one. Denmark applies an accrual principle (the optjeningsprincippet): you earn the right to a partial amount that scales up to the full amount as your residence or work in Denmark, the Faroe Islands or Greenland builds toward the six-of-the-last-10-years threshold. In short, the longer your qualifying connection to Denmark, the closer you get to 100% — with the exact scaling set out on the official borger.dk pages.

How Your Income Can Reduce the Benefit

Since 1 January 2022, the benefit is reduced for higher earners. It is cut by 2 percent of the amount by which your own income basis exceeds an annual threshold — around 961,000 kr for 2026 (verify the exact figure on borger.dk, as it is indexed each year).

The key detail for couples: the reduction is based only on your own income, not your spouse's. Each parent is assessed separately against the threshold.

Child Benefit vs. Child Allowance (Børnetilskud)

It is easy to confuse the two, but they are different payments. Child allowance (børnetilskud) is a separate tax-free payment made only in special circumstances, including:

• Single parents
• Multiple births
• Students on SU
• Certain pensioners
• Unknown paternity
• A deceased parent
• Single adoptive parents

It is also administered by Udbetaling Danmark. As of 2026 (check the official page for current rates), example amounts include, for single parents, 1,741 kr per quarter per child plus an extra allowance of 1,774 kr per quarter; a multiple-birth allowance (twins or more) of 2,874 kr per quarter, paid each quarter up to and including the quarter the children turn 7; and a special child allowance of 5,025 kr per quarter.

Unlike the main child benefit, child allowance is time-sensitive: applications must arrive by the quarter deadlines — 31 December, 31 March, 30 June and 30 September — to be paid from the following quarter. If you think you qualify on top of the standard child benefit, apply through Udbetaling Danmark and mind those cut-off dates.