October 14, 2026
Housing benefit calculator Denmark: how to work out your boligsikring in 2026
Housing benefit (boligsikring) is a monthly grant towards the rent for tenants in Denmark who are not old-age pensioners. The amount depends on your rent, income, assets, the size of the home and how many adults and children live there, and you can work out the exact figure with the official housing benefit calculator. If you are still looking for a place, you can search rental waitlists on Waitly and check the rent.
Last updated: 13 October 2026.
In short
Housing benefit is calculated as 60% of your yearly rent excluding utilities, minus 18% of household income above a threshold that is DKK 170,300 in 2026. You must pay at least DKK 28,700 a year yourself. Without children, the benefit cannot exceed 15% of the rent, in practice at most DKK 1,194 a month. With children the cap is DKK 4,201, or DKK 5,251 with four or more children. You apply online through Udbetaling Danmark.
Who can get housing benefit?
You can get housing benefit if you rent your home, live there permanently, and the home has its own kitchen. Under the Danish Housing Benefit Act, the grant is called boligsikring for everyone who is not a pensioner, and it requires a kitchen with running water and drainage.
If several people live together, only one person can receive housing benefit, and that person must be named on the lease. The other adults sign a declaration of joint liability, so they are also liable if too much is paid out.
If you own your home or hold a share in a housing cooperative (andelsbolig), you generally cannot get boligsikring. The exceptions include people on disability pension and people with severely reduced mobility.
Students follow the same rules, and our comparison of student housing in Denmark covers the housing types most students choose between. Old-age pensioners and people granted disability pension before 1 January 2003 get a different grant, boligydelse, which is calculated on more generous terms. Disability pension granted after 2003 and senior pension fall under boligsikring, without the cap for childless households.
How housing benefit is calculated
Housing benefit is the difference between two figures: 60% of the yearly housing cost and 18% of the part of household income that is above the income threshold. The housing cost is the rent without payments for heating, water, electricity, internet and similar. Income is the household's personal income plus positive capital income, and assets above a certain level are added on top.
Floor area counts too. Only the rent for 65 m² for the first person and 20 m² for each additional person is included. If you live alone in 80 m², only 65/80 of the rent goes into the calculation.
Housing benefit limits for 2026
The 2026 rates are set out in guidance no. 9336 of 24 March 2026, which replaced the first set of 2026 rates:
Income threshold: DKK 170,300 a year, plus DKK 44,900 for the 2nd, 3rd and 4th child
Minimum own payment: DKK 28,700 a year
Maximum housing benefit: DKK 50,412 a year (DKK 4,201 a month), 25% more with four or more children
Maximum rent included: DKK 95,500 a year, plus 5% per child up to 20%
Households without children: at most 15% of the housing cost
If you are two adults who are both under 30, the income threshold is raised further for each child up to three children. The rule is in section 22 of the Housing Benefit Act.
Worked examples with the 2026 rates
The examples are simplified. Only the calculator or the decision from Udbetaling Danmark gives the binding amount.
Example 1: single person without children
You live alone in 50 m² and pay DKK 6,000 a month excluding utilities, which is DKK 72,000 a year. Your income is DKK 200,000 a year.
60% of DKK 72,000 is DKK 43,200.
Income above the threshold is DKK 29,700, and 18% of that is DKK 5,346.
The basic calculation gives DKK 43,200 minus DKK 5,346, which is DKK 37,854.
Without children the cap is 15% of the rent: DKK 10,800 a year.
The result is DKK 900 a month. For many households without children it is the 15% cap that decides the amount, not the income. A lower rent can matter more than a lower income, so budget with the 30 percent rent rule in mind.
Example 2: single parent with two children
You live with two children in 85 m², which is below the 105 m² limit for three people. The rent is DKK 8,000 a month, DKK 96,000 a year, and your income is DKK 250,000.
60% of DKK 96,000 is DKK 57,600.
The income threshold is DKK 170,300 plus DKK 44,900 for the second child, DKK 215,200 in total.
18% of the DKK 34,800 above the threshold is DKK 6,264, so the basic calculation gives DKK 51,336.
That exceeds the cap, so you receive DKK 50,412 a year.
The result is DKK 4,201 a month, the maximum for a family with one to three children. Families looking in the capital can compare rent levels among Copenhagen rentals with a balcony.
How do your assets affect housing benefit?
There is no upper asset limit, but assets above a certain level are added to your income and can reduce or remove the grant. In 2026 the following applies, according to borger.dk (in Danish):
DKK 0 to 896,400: assets do not count
DKK 896,400 to 1,793,000: 10% of the assets is added to yearly income
Above DKK 1,793,000: 20% of the assets is added to yearly income
Udbetaling Danmark collects registered assets such as bank deposits, securities and debt itself. You must declare unregistered assets, such as cash, a car or a cooperative share.
Housing benefit only covers the ongoing rent. In some cases your municipality can support a tenant contribution or deposit, and that application goes to the municipality, not Udbetaling Danmark. Never pay a deposit before you have a signed lease, and learn how to avoid rental scams.
Where do you find the official housing benefit calculator?
The official calculator is on borger.dk and lifeindenmark.dk and is run by Udbetaling Danmark. You can calculate without logging in, or log in with MitID and reuse the details in the application.
Have your rent excluding utilities, floor area, household income and any unregistered assets ready. The 2026 rates changed on 24 March 2026, so unofficial calculators may use outdated figures.
How to apply for housing benefit
You apply online, and only one person in the household applies. The steps are:
Register your change of address with the Civil Registration System, at the earliest four weeks before you move in. Our moving-in checklist covers the other practical steps.
Have your lease ready as a file if you rent privately. Without a written lease, you can attach the latest rent invoice.
Apply no later than 30 days after moving in. You then get the benefit backdated to the day you moved in.
Wait for the decision. The deadline is 7 weeks, and the average processing time has been 5 weeks.
According to lifeindenmark.dk, housing benefit is paid on the first working day of the month to your NemKonto or to the housing organisation. If your income, rent or household changes, you must tell Udbetaling Danmark, otherwise you may have to pay money back at the yearly adjustment.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I get housing benefit for a room without its own kitchen?
As a rule, no. The home must have a kitchen with running water and drainage, and the exceptions include shared housing communities and certain homes for older people and care homes.
What happens if I apply more than 30 days after moving in?
You then get housing benefit from the first of the month after Udbetaling Danmark receives your application, and nothing for the period before, so apply straight away.
Can I appeal my housing benefit decision?
Yes. Udbetaling Danmark must receive your appeal no later than 4 weeks after you received the decision. First check that your rent, floor area and income are registered correctly, because the amount is built directly on those figures.
Find a home you can afford
Housing benefit makes rent easier to carry, but it does not find you a home. Use Waitly's lists and options to find properties with interest lists and waitlists in the areas you can afford. Creating a profile is free, and each landlord may charge a fee for their list. Signing up improves your chances, but it does not guarantee a home.
