For salaried employees, at most 3 months. A longer period in the contract may be reduced. For other groups: see the collective agreement or individual contract. Agree the length in writing before the person starts.
Probation
Probation and notice periods for employers
Probation from the employer’s side: how long it may last, notice during and after probation, and how to use it fairly. With a link to the matching job-seeker guide.
Step-by-step guide
- 1
Probation is an agreed period — not a free pass
Probation gives both sides shorter notice while you find out whether the match is right. It must be agreed in advance, typically in the contract, and have an end date. Without an agreement there is no probation. Probation does not mean you can ignore discrimination, holiday or health and safety. You should still be able to explain a dismissal on objective grounds, even if the bar is lower than after three years.
- 2
Salaried employees: max 3 months and 14 days’ notice
Under the Salaried Employees Act, probation may last at most 3 months. In that period notice is 14 days from both employer and employee, unless you have agreed something more favourable to the employee. Non-salaried staff often follow a collective agreement or an individual contract — the rules can differ. Decide whether the role is a funktionær position before you write the contract. The job-seeker angle is in the guide at /guides/provetid.
- 3
After probation: employer notice rises with seniority
Once probation ends, ordinary notice applies. For salaried employees the employer’s notice increases with length of service (typically 1 month at the start and up to 6 months after 9 years). The employee’s own notice is typically 1 month unless otherwise agreed. Count notice in whole months to the end of a month, as the Act requires. A mistake in the notice can invalidate the dismissal or postpone the leaving date.
- 4
Use probation to assess — not to squeeze
Set goals for the first 30, 60 and 90 days, and hold conversations along the way. Speak up if something is not working while there is still time to fix it. A dismissal on day 89 with no prior feedback is poor management and a poor reputation. Document expectations and meetings. Dismissal during probation must still respect holiday, illness and the ban on unlawful discrimination (for example pregnancy).
- 5
Longer seniority: notice, severance and the 5-year mark
After longer service, salaried employees may be entitled to severance if you dismiss them (the Act’s rules at 12 and 17 years). Five years of seniority is also a point many agreements and practice treat as relevant for notice and protection. Plan dismissals with the calendar and the contract in front of you — not on instinct. Get specialist help for key people, clauses or illness.
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Write it in the contract, and follow your own text
State the length of probation, notice in that period, and what applies afterwards. If a collective agreement says otherwise, it typically prevails if it binds you. Send a written dismissal with date, last day and reason when you terminate. Keep a copy. An oral dismissal is risky for both sides.
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Frequently asked questions
Notice is shorter, but you are not exempt from objectivity and the ban on discrimination. Dismissal because of pregnancy, unlawful handling of illness, or exercise of rights can still be unlawful. Give an objective, documentable reason — also during probation.
Probation usually runs in calendar time unless you have agreed otherwise. Holiday and illness do not automatically pause it. Plan 90 days so you have a real basis, even if there is holiday in the period. Check the contract and any collective agreement.
Yes. The job-seeker guide “Probation and notice period” is at /guides/provetid and explains the rights from the employee’s side. Read the two guides as two angles on the same rules — not as a substitute for legal advice.
The agreement may have different rules on probation, notice and supplements. It often takes precedence over what you have written yourselves if it binds you. Read it before you copy a standard contract.