All about early retirement

Get an overview of your early retirement options at Min A-kasse. We guide you through the rules for early retirement, how you earn the right to early retirement and what it means for your finances. Read more and get answers to your questions about early retirement.

The early retirement scheme

If you are a member of an unemployment insurance fund and have signed up for early retirement and paid contributions, you have a financial opportunity to leave the labor market earlier than retirement age. In this way, the early retirement scheme can help create greater flexibility in your working life as you approach retirement age. 

When can you take early retirement?

When you can start early retirement depends on when you were born, as does the length of the period you can receive early retirement.

What is early retirement?

Early retirement is a labor market policy scheme that allows you to fully or partially retire from the labor market when you meet the conditions. The early retirement scheme is a voluntary, insurance-based scheme that you can choose to join or opt out of. The rules for early retirement are set by the state and are the same in all unemployment insurance funds.

Read more about the rules for early retirement in our guide on early retirement.

Applying for early retirement

You must apply for early retirement. You apply by filling out the form: "Application for early retirement (AR283)". You can find the form in our Self Service. You are also welcome to contact us for advice on the pros and cons of early retirement or book a counseling session at a branch of Min A-kasse near you.

Please note that you can apply for early retirement at the earliest six months before your early retirement age, and you must have applied no later than the day before you wish to take early retirement. If you meet the conditions for early retirement, we as an unemployment insurance fund will issue you with an early retirement certificate.

Read more about early retirement certificates.

The most important conditions for early retirement:

• You have been a member of an unemployment insurance fund and paid early retirement contributions for at least 30 years.
• You meet the conditions for entitlement to unemployment benefits.
• You meet an income requirement of at least DKK 273,504 (2025) within three years. 
• You have reached retirement age.
• You are healthy and available for work.
• You are resident in Denmark, Greenland, the Faroe Islands or another EEA country.

The early retirement certificate is your guarantee from the unemployment insurance fund that you can take early retirement, even if you fall ill at a later date. Read more about the early retirement certificate.

Prices on early retirement contributions

If you are a member of Min A-kasse, you already pay unemployment insurance contributions. If you want to join the early retirement scheme - and you meet the conditions - you have to pay an additional contribution, known as an early retirement contribution. The amount depends on whether you want to be insured full-time or part-time.

• If you choose to be fully insured in the early retirement scheme, you pay DKK 568 (2025) per month.
• If you choose to be insured part-time, you will have to pay DKK 379 (2025) per month.

From the time you are issued your early retirement certificate or when you transfer to early retirement, you no longer have to pay early retirement contributions.

Remember that you can deduct both unemployment insurance contributions and early retirement contributions from your taxes.

Early retirement rates

The early retirement rate will be the same throughout your early retirement period. However, the amount will depend on factors such as when you start early retirement, your pension situation, whether you work and how much you work. 

The rule is that you can receive a maximum amount corresponding to the unemployment benefit rate you would be entitled to if you were unemployed instead. In 2025, this means that you can receive up to DKK 21,092 per month if you are fully insured and DKK 14,061 per month if you are part-time insured.

However, if you were born before July 1, 1959, you can receive a maximum of 91% of the highest amount of unemployment benefits if you choose to take early retirement before you meet the so-called deferral rule. This corresponds to a maximum of DKK 19,194 (2025) per month if you are fully insured and DKK 12,796 (2025) if you are part-time insured.

Get the full overview of rates and calculations.

Trade union and early retirement

You do not need to be a member of a trade union to sign up for the early retirement scheme. But you do need to be a member of an unemployment insurance fund, and you must have been a member continuously for 30 years. If you change unemployment insurance funds, you must therefore ensure that your seniority is transferred to the new unemployment insurance fund so that there are no "gaps" in your membership of an unemployment insurance fund.

As a general rule, you must also have paid early retirement contributions for at least 30 years. However, there is a transitional arrangement that ensures that everyone who could fulfill the requirement under the original early retirement rules will be able to take early retirement under the current rules. 

Cancellation policy

There is also a withdrawal scheme. If you have previously been enrolled in the early retirement scheme but have subsequently opted out, it is possible to undo this choice and enroll again. You can read more about the withdrawal scheme.