Subsidies for necessary additional expenses for adults

If you have a permanent disability and you are between 18 and the state pension age, you can apply for a subsidy for the additional expenses you have in your daily life as a result of your disability.

You need to document your disability and how it will cost you extra.

Who can apply for subsidies for additional expenses?

You can be reimbursed for additional expenses as a result of a permanent physical or mental disability if you are between 18 and the state pension age.

Disability can range from difficulty walking and impaired hearing to memory and concentration disorders and can be a consequence of a disability or a chronic illness as well as of a traumatized past.

There must be a permanently reduced functional capacity, which has far-reaching consequences in everyday life, and which means that significant remedial measures must be taken in order to achieve an approximately normal life.

Persons receiving a pension and early retirement pension, etc., are not entitled to benefits.

You cannot be reimbursed for additional expenses if you have been granted an early retirement pension before 1 January 2003 - unless you have been granted an assistance scheme pursuant to section 96 of the Service Act.

If you suffer from celiac disease and have a large expenditure on diet, it is no longer possible to get additional expenditure for this, unless the diet is vital.

What expenses may be necessary additional expenses?

The purpose of covering necessary additional expenses for you with permanent physical or mental disability is to help you and your family.

Common to all the expenses is that they must be a result of your disability. This means that these are extra expenses that your disability has caused you.

• Deductible for medicine
• Diet - if this is vital
• Wear on clothes
• Tailoring
• Help with window cleaning, snow removal, gardening, etc.
• Transport in leisure time and to and from work / education
• Disability-related courses
• Deposits in rental housing designated by the municipality as a result of your disability - if you have been refused a deposit loan by "financial security"
• Expenses for larger housing

On the other hand, no grants are given for the acquisition of "things" that can help you in your daily life.

What amount can I get in grants?

Your additional expense benefit is measured on the basis of the size of the probable or documented necessary additional expenses you have as a result of your disability.

In order for you to enter the scheme, you must prove necessary additional expenses of at least DKK 556 per. month (2020). It is called the minimum limit. This applies to both current and individual expenses. If you meet the conditions, the amount of the grant is determined on the basis of the following intervals: 

• If the probable additional expenses per. month is between DKK 556 and DKK 1.561, you get a standard amount of DKK 1.040. 
• If the probable additional expenses per. month is between DKK 1.562 and DKK 2.601, you get a standard amount of DKK 2.081. 
• If you can document additional expenses of more than DKK 2.602 per month, you will receive an amount equal to the actual additional expenses. 

At most once a year, you can have the amount of the current expenses adjusted if you can prove that you have increasing additional expenses. You will receive compensation retroactively if your additional expenses are approved by the municipality. If you receive a single additional expense during the year, you can apply to the municipality for compensation. 

Your income has no bearing on whether you can receive subsidies for additional expenses. The subsidy is tax-free. 

How long can I get support for additional expenses?

You will be paid the amount as an ongoing benefit.

In some cases, a one-time subsidy can also be granted when a given expense does not occur every year - for example, the expense of a holiday trip (within Denmark).

On the other hand, you cannot apply for a one-time expense covered if you are not entitled to a current benefit.

When do the payments stop?

The municipality can set a date for when the amount must be re-evaluated and possibly adjusted up or down, but not an end date for payment of the amount, as long as you meet the conditions.

You have a duty to point out changes in one direction or the other.

If you no longer meet the conditions, the payment will stop and you will not receive the grant the month after the follow-up meeting.

What happens when I retire?

You cannot receive support for additional expenses when you retire. Instead, you can apply for a supplement to the pension.