Employment contract template: free and correct

What is an employment contract template?

An employment contract template is a ready-made document that you fill in with the specific terms of a particular employment relationship. A good template ensures that you do not overlook mandatory points, and saves you the time and cost involved in drawing up a contract from scratch.

In Denmark it is mandatory to hand over an employment certificate to all employees who work more than 3 hours a week on average. An up-to-date template that reflects the requirements of the 2023 employment-certificate law is therefore not just practical, it is necessary.

When should you use an employment contract template?

You need an employment contract template when you:

• Hire your first employee and do not have an existing standard contract
• Update older contracts, the employment-certificate law was significantly changed on 1 July 2023
• Hire in new types of position, for example hourly, part-time or home-working employees
• Quickly need a contract ready and do not have time to contact a lawyer

With the right template you can issue a mandatory employment contract in under 15 minutes.

What must the template contain?

The employment-certificate law (updated 2023) requires that an employment contract contains at least the following:

Information to be delivered within 7 days

• The parties' names and addresses, employer and employee
• The location of the workplace, or confirmation that the employee works from changing locations
• Job title and job description, what the employee is expected to do
• Start date and duration of employment, open-ended or fixed-term
• Basic salary and supplements, specified separately with a payment term
• Daily or weekly working hours, including rules for overtime

Information to be delivered within 1 month

• Holiday and holiday allowance, according to the Holiday Act
• Sick pay, whether the employee is entitled, and if so for how long
• Notice period, for both parties, possibly with a reference to the Salaried Employees Act
• Pension, whether pension is paid, and to which scheme
• Any collective agreement, a reference to the applicable collective agreement

Recommended additions

Although the following is not mandatory, a good template should offer:

• Probation period, max 3 months for salaried employees, must be agreed in writing
• The 120-day rule, allows termination with 1 month's notice in case of long-term illness
• Non-compete clause, limits the employee's ability to take work with competitors
• Confidentiality clause, protects the company's trade secrets

Step by step: filling in your employment contract template

Step 1: Identify the type of employment

Is the employee a salaried employee (office and commercial staff, IT staff, technicians, etc.) or a non-salaried employee (hourly staff in certain industries)? The type of employment is decisive for the notice period and probation.

Step 2: Set the salary correctly

State specifically:

• Basic salary per month
• Any supplements (for example evening and weekend supplements)
• Pension contribution, employer and employee separately
• Any bonus or commission and the terms that trigger these

Step 3: Determine working hours and place

For full-time employees, 37 hours a week is the norm. For part-time employees, state the actual number of hours. If you allow home working, describe the terms explicitly in the template.

Step 4: State holiday correctly

Under the Holiday Act, employees are entitled to 5 weeks of paid holiday. If the employee is a salaried employee, extra holiday days beyond the statutory minimum can be agreed.

Step 5: Meet the delivery deadline

You have:

• 7 calendar days to deliver information about salary, workplace and position
• 1 month to deliver the full contract

Missing or delayed delivery can trigger a claim for compensation from the employee.

Free template vs. lawyer, when is which the right choice?

	Template (e.g. LegalDock)	Lawyer
Price	Free to a few hundred kroner	DKK 3,000-15,000
Time	15-30 minutes	1-2 weeks
Mandatory terms	Covered	Covered
Custom adaptation	Standard terms	Full flexibility
Best for	Standard employment	Complex agreements

For the great majority of employments, from shop assistants to software developers, a professional template is fully sufficient. A lawyer is recommended for special terms such as complex bonus schemes, international mobility or employment in regulated industries.

The 4 mistakes you must avoid

1. Using an outdated template

The employment-certificate law was significantly changed in 2023. A template from before that point does not meet the new requirements, and can expose you to compensation claims.

2. No specification of salary supplements

"Market-conforming salary" or a reference to "internal salary policy" is not sufficient. State specific amounts and payment terms.

3. Probation without a written agreement

Probation is not automatic. Unless it is agreed in writing in the contract, no probation applies, even if both parties orally agree.

4. Incorrect classification as a salaried employee

Misclassification can have major consequences for the notice period and claims for salaried-employee rights. Check the Salaried Employees Act's definition before you choose the template type.

Create your employment contract with LegalDock

With LegalDock you create a legally up-to-date employment contract in under 15 minutes. Our solution guides you through each field, explains the requirements of the employment-certificate law and ensures that you do not overlook any mandatory points.

You can sign the contract digitally, share it with the employee and store it securely in the cloud. No paper chaos, no lawyer's rates, just a mandatory contract that is ready immediately.

See the employment contract template