COPY LINK

ENERGY

Denmark to offer heating subsidies to low income households

Around 500,000 households in various parts of Denmark can apply for assistance paying sky-high heating bills this winter.

Published: 15 November 2021 16:13 CET

A file photo of a Danish energy metre. The government is to release funds for low income households to apply for subsidies to help pay rising heating bills. Photo: Henning Bagger/Ritzau Scanpix

Homes in areas heated by gas boilers or district heating with high gas consumption could see increases in monthly bills of up to 1,000 kroner, the Ministry of Employment said in a press statement.

The government has announced funds of 100 million kroner to be earmarked to help low-income households in affected areas to pay the high bills. Municipalities will be able to apply for the funding. Local authorities would then use the money to directly subsidise residents, the ministry said. Individual residents can already apply for the subsidies through their municipalities, minister for climate, energy and critical supplies Dan Jørgensen told broadcaster DR.

The announcement comes with high oil prices pushing up energy costs for consumers globally.

READ ALSO:

Under the proposed government initiative, the money could be used to offer subsidies to people receiving the basic state pension (folkepension) and welfare benefits (kontanthjælp) who are impacted by the price rises.

The government has also agreed with industry representative organisation Dansk Fjernvarme to spread escalating bills incrementally, according to the ministry statement. This will mean price increases will not be added to a single bill but be spread over the year. Bills are normally highest during the winter months.

“We are in an extraordinary situation whereby the price of gas for heating has increased so much that large bills can result in some areas. Not everyone can afford such an unseen expense, which is why the government has prepared a heating package that can help ease the blow from some of the price increases,” Jørgensen said in the government statement.

Member comments

Become a Member to leave a comment.

What salary can you expect to earn in Denmark?

What is my salary after tax?

The Danish average income is 45,500 kroner per month (see below for a breakdown of variations according to age and sector). This is your grundløn, which is the basic wage before supplements are added and before tax, which is paid monthly, månedslønnet. The average full-time job is typically 160.33 hours per month, your timetal. What you take home after deductions is called your netto pay.

Broadly, your salary will include the following deductions: Labour market tax (AM-bidrag 8%), State tax (bundskat 12%), Municipality tax (kommuneskat 25%), State pension contribution (ATP-bidrag 94.65 kroner), Holiday pay (Feriepenge potentially 12.5 percent claimed back later in the year).

If you have an income of 45,500 kroner per month, that means around 45.1 percent will be taxed, and 94.65 will go towards the state pension, giving you a total of 24,884.85 kroner per month (3,340 euros per month) after deductions. Holiday pay may be deducted and later reimbursed, depending on your employer.

It should also be noted that various tax deductions can result in the overall tax contribution being reduced.

How does salary vary by age and profession?

The average employee in Denmark earns 45,545.60 kroner (6,111 euros) per month before taxes, according to Statistics Denmark.

The older you are and more experience you have, the more you earn. So when broken down into age categories, the figures are slightly different.

Under 20 year olds: 19,264.35 kroner per month.

20-24 year olds: 26,996.14 kroner per month

25-29 year olds: 36,120.13 kroner per month

30-34 year olds: 41,606.29 kroner per month

35-39 year olds: 45,287.62 kroner per mont

40-44 year olds: 48,227.51 kroner per month

45-49 year olds: 49,852.91 kroner per month

50-54 year olds: 49,817.97 kroner per month

55-59 year olds: 48,471.48 kroner per month

60 and over: 47,138.48 kroner per month

Job sectors also have an impact on salary. On the Statistics Denmark website, you can select your field of work to find the average salary for your role.

Here is a sample of various professions in Denmark and their average monthly salaries in 2021:

Software developers: 59,904.51 kroner

Science and engineering professionals: 59,092.83 kroner

Architects, planners, surveyors and designers: 49,013.29 kroner

Accountants: 60,526.45 kroner

University and higher education teachers: 50,452.46 kroner

Secondary education teachers: 51,013.67 kroner

Primary school teachers: 45,427.32 kroner

Early childhood educators: 38,708.66 kroner

Medical doctors: 73,551.49 kroner

Physiotherapists: 39,998.38 kroner

Nursing and midwifery professionals: 44,130.79 kroner

Advertisers and PR managers 82,871.18 kroner.

Public relations professionals: 51,349.93 kroner

Advertising and marketing professionals: 51,768.53 kroner

Shop sales: 27,894.29 kroner

Restaurant managers: 44,294.49 kroner

Waiters and bartenders: 27,566.83 kroner

What comes out of your salary?

Income tax in Denmark is divided into a number of components. The most important are the two state taxes, basic and top tax (bundskat and topskat); municipal tax and labour market tax (AM-bidrag).

AM-bidrag

AM-bidrag or arbejdsmarkedsbidrag, literally ‘labour market contribution’ is a tax of 8 percent of your wages. It is paid directly to the Danish Tax Agency (Skat) by your employer (for those who are not self-employed or freelance).

Bundskat

State or basic tax (bundskat) comprises 12.10 percent of your income after tax deductible income has been subtracted.

Kommuneskat

Municipal tax is the personal income tax which covers municipal services. The amount you pay depends on the municipality you live in but on average it is 24 percent.

Topskat

The top-end Danish income tax bracket, topskat, is based on the political principle that those who earn the most, must contribute more to the Danish state. Political debate on tax policy often revolves around the extent to which topskat should be applied.

Topskat is 15 percent (2022). This means that you have to pay 15 percent extra in tax if you earn more than 600,543 kroner. After AM-bidrag deduction, this is 552,500 kroner so you pay this extra 15 percent on the amount of money you earn over 552,500 kroner.

Kirkeskat

Denmark has a small church tax (kirkeskat). The exact rate depends on the municipality but averages at 0.661 percent. Only members of the Church of Denmark (Folkekirken) pay this tax, so foreigners who have moved to the country in adulthood (as well as people of other religions) generally won’t see it on their pay slips. Danes can opt out of paying the tax if you they do not wish to be a member of the church.

Skrå skatteloft

There is a tax ceiling (skrå skatteloft), which in 2022 was 52.07 percent. This means that you can never be taxed more than this amount. If your total tax rate ends up exceeding the tax ceiling, your topskat is reduced so that the total tax rate ends up at the maximum 52.07 percent.

Fradrag

Literally ‘(tax) deduction’, fradrag is the part of your income which can be exempted from taxation. This can be up to 46,000 kroner (37,300 kroner for people under 18).

Things that can be exempt from tax include membership to trade unions and A-kasse, employment expenses, charitable contributions, child support maintenance and the cost of commuting. You can check what you are entitled to here (in Danish).

ATP-bidrag

ATP stands for Arbejdsmarkedets Tillægspension. This is a pension into which you are legally obliged to pay and which supplements the state pension (folkepension). Your employer pays two-thirds of the ATP contribution, one third comes from your wage. This is the amount you will see on your payslip.

If you are paid monthly it will be 94.65 kroner (2023). Your employer contributes 189.35 kroner, adding up to 284 kroner per month.

AM-Pension

Arbejdsmarkedspension and other pension contributions will be recorded on your payslip. You may see the terms AM-pension firma or AM-pension egen, depending on the type of pension you may pay into.

READ ALSO:

Feriepenge

‘Holiday money’ or feriepenge is a monthly contribution paid out of your salary into a special fund, depending on how much you earn. You can claim back the money once per year, provided you actually take holiday from work. It is earned at the rate of 2.08 vacation days per month.

There are two sub-types of feriepenge. These are ferie med løn, whereby you are paid while on holiday – in this case you are entitled to a supplement of about 1 percent to your wages.

If you are not paid while on holiday, you will receive feriegodtgørelse as part of your wages and will see this on your payslip. This means that your employer is obliged by law to pay 12.5 percent of your wages in holiday money into the national pool for you to claim back each year, equivalent to five weeks’ holiday.

SHOW COMMENTS

Url copied to clipboard!