Worth knowing before you employ a private childminder
You may employ a private childminder under a private childcare arrangement. A private childminder looks after your child in your home. As a general rule, a private childminder looks after only your child. As a parent, you may apply for a subsidy to cover part of your private childminder’s wages.
As parents, you are responsible for finding your own private childminder and entering into a written agreement regarding pay and working hours. There is no collective agreement in this area and therefore no official guidelines on the level of pay for a private childminder.
The childminder’s wages consist of both the municipal subsidy and your own contribution. Most parents pay an amount equivalent to a full-time municipal childcare place.
The agreement must be approved by both the Placement Service (Pladsanvisning) and the Department of Education, Teaching and Leisure (Pædagogik, Undervisning og Fritid).
Useful information before employing a private childminder
When you employ a private childminder, you act as the employer. You alone are therefore responsible for fulfilling all employer obligations.
As an employer, you must:
- register with a separate CVR number with the Danish Business Authority (Erhvervs- og selskabsstyrelsen)
- take out the statutory insurances: industrial injury insurance (arbejdsskadeforsikring) and occupational disease insurance (erhvervssygdomsdækning) (AES)*
- pay both your own and the childminder’s contributions to the Labour Market Supplementary Pension (Arbejdsmarkedets Tillægspension - ATP)
- pay contributions to “Barsel.dk”
- comply with the Danish Holiday Act (Lov om ferie)
- comply with the Working Environment Act (arbejdsmiljøloven), which is of particular importance if your private childminder is under 18 years of age
*The insurance obligation applies regardless of the place of work. Industrial injury insurance is not required if the employment amounts to less than 400 hours in total.
We have a number of requirements for the person you employ to look after your child.
Please note that your private childminder must:
- be at least 17 years old
- have a good command of Danish
- hold a valid work and residence permit if they come from a country outside the EU (documentation must be submitted)
- be able to provide a criminal record certificate and a child protection certificate free from offences that would make them unsuitable to care for children*
- have completed a valid first aid course (first aid for adults with special responsibility for children) lasting 7 hours. The course must be renewed every two years.
If you have an au pair, that person cannot be employed under a private childcare arrangement.
*The Placement Service obtains the certificates. This is done digitally, and your private childminder will receive an email as Digital Post requesting consent for us to obtain the certificates.
You may pay a private payroll administration company to manage the salary payments for your private childminder.
When you and your private childminder enter into an agreement, you must agree together which duties are to be performed. You must state the tasks and the time allocated to them in the standard agreement (Appendix 2A).
Please note that the subsidy is granted solely for childcare and not for other tasks such as cleaning, shopping, caring for siblings or similar.
If you agree that your private childminder is to carry out other duties, your subsidy will be reduced proportionately in the calculation.
There is no alternative childcare provided if your private childminder is ill or on holiday. You must therefore arrange care for your child yourself.
If your private childminder is ill, you must continue to pay wages, as sickness benefits are not paid by the municipality.
If your private childminder takes holiday, you are not obliged to pay wages in accordance with the Danish Holiday Act (Lov om ferie)
If you take holiday yourself, wage payment will depend on the agreement you have made with your private childminder.
Yes. You must always be able to document that you have paid wages to your private childminder. Each month, you must therefore complete a form (Appendix 4A) together with your private childminder.
If your childcare agreement ends during a calendar year, you must submit the form (Appendix 4A) once the final salary has been paid.
If your agreement continues into a new calendar year, you must submit the form once the December salary has been paid. If you fail to submit the form, we will require repayment of the subsidy paid in accordance with Sections 92 and 93 of the Daycare Act (Dagtilbudsloven).
Salary documentation Form for A Private Childminder (Appendix 4A) In Danish.
The Placement Service (Pladsanvisning)
Telephone hours
Monday - Tuesday: 9.00 - 11.00
Thursday: 9.00 - 11.00
Grøndalsvej 2, 8260 Viby J
Phone: 89 40 22 22