Denmark updates the pay benchmarks for work permits from 1 October

Work-permit applications submitted in Denmark from 1 October 2026 are judged against new income statistics, while the Pay Limit Scheme's floor stays at DKK 552,000 a year until 1 January, according to the Danish Agency for International Recruitment and Integration.

The Danish Agency for International Recruitment and Integration (SIRI) announced on 17 September 2026 that updated income statistics apply to work-permit applications submitted from 1 October 2026. The statistics are the yardstick SIRI uses to check that the salary and conditions in a job offer are in line with what is usual in Denmark for the same kind of work. That test applies to every employment-based permit, whatever the salary.

The figures come from the Confederation of Danish Employers (Dansk Arbejdsgiverforening). According to The Local Denmark, applications submitted from 1 October are assessed against statistics for the second quarter of 2026, and the benchmark for some occupations has moved down rather than up. An application submitted on 30 September and one submitted on 1 October can therefore be measured against different figures.

What does not change on 1 October

The Pay Limit Scheme, the route for anyone offered a high salary, keeps its 2026 floor of DKK 552,000 a year, or DKK 46,000 a month, for applications submitted since 1 January 2026. In 2025 it was DKK 514,000. SIRI adjusts the amount every year on 1 January. Only the base salary, fixed supplements, pension contributions and holiday allowance count towards it, and the salary must be paid into a Danish bank account in your own name.

The practical terms are also unchanged. SIRI puts the processing time at one month, or up to three months if it needs more information, and the fee at DKK 6,810. A permit for a job of at least four years is normally granted for four years. When you extend a permit, you may use the minimum amount that applied on the date of your original application.

What it means if you are moving to Denmark

If your employer is preparing an application now, check the salary in the contract against the new benchmark for your occupation before it is submitted, not after. If you are close to the Pay Limit Scheme floor, remember that the amount changes again on 1 January 2027 and that applications are judged by the date they are submitted.

Our guide Work permits in Denmark – EU residence, the Pay Limit Scheme, the Fast-Track Scheme and the positive lists explains every route and what each one requires.

Sources: New to Denmark (SIRI), The Pay Limit Scheme, updated 22 September 2026, and the Pay Limit Scheme's minimum amount; SIRI, updated income statistics for applications submitted from 1 October 2026, announced 17 September 2026; The Local Denmark, "Denmark updates salary levels for work permits from October 1st", 17 September 2026; read 27 September 2026.

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