Boligfritid.dk is a Danish magazine for homeowners. This English version is written for international residents in Denmark. Read the original in Danish.
Updated 23 October 2026. With the håndværkerfradrag (tax deduction for home improvement work) and servicefradrag (tax deduction for household services), you can deduct the labour cost from your taxable income when you get help in and around your home. The deduction was reintroduced on 1 January 2025.
The amounts in 2026
| Deduction | Max. per person in 2026 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| Green home improvements (håndværkerfradrag) | DKK 9,000 | DKK 8,600 |
| Services (e.g. cleaning and gardening) | DKK 18,300 | DKK 17,500 |
| Total, if both are used | DKK 27,300 | DKK 26,100 |
The amounts apply per person aged over 18 in the household. So a couple can together deduct up to DKK 18,000 for green home improvements. The deduction is worth about 26%, so a DKK 9,000 deduction gives about DKK 2,340 less in tax.
What the håndværkerfradrag covers (green home improvements)
- Insulation of roofs and lofts, outer walls including cavity walls, ground floor slabs and crawl spaces.
- New windows and panes, patio doors, secondary glazing and new external doors.
- Installation, servicing and repair of heat pumps (air-to-air, air-to-water and ground source).
- Thermostatic valves, weather compensation, radiators, underfloor heating, district heating units and electric water heaters.
- Solar panels, household wind turbines and ventilation with heat recovery.
What the servicefradrag covers
- Ordinary cleaning and window cleaning.
- Gardening: mowing the lawn, cutting hedges, weeding and pruning shrubs and trees.
- Tree felling, cleaning gutters and paving, and snow clearing.
- Laying a new lawn and paving.
Subscription schemes, e.g. regular garden help or snow clearing on a subscription, do not qualify for the deduction. See what needs doing in the garden in our garden calendar (in Danish).
Conditions
- You only get a deduction for the labour cost, not materials. Ask for an invoice where labour and materials are listed separately.
- You must pay electronically, e.g. by bank transfer, Dankort or MobilePay. Cash payment does not qualify for the deduction.
- The work must be carried out by a VAT-registered business or a person over 18.
- You must report the deduction yourself on skat.dk (you log in with MitID).
- You cannot get both the håndværkerfradrag and a grant from, for example, Energirenoveringspuljen (the energy renovation grant scheme) for the same project.
Example: a new heat pump
A couple have an air-to-water heat pump installed, and the labour cost is DKK 30,000. They can each deduct DKK 9,000, DKK 18,000 in total. That gives about DKK 4,700 less in tax. If they can instead get DKK 27,000 from Varmepumpepuljen (the heat pump grant scheme), the grant is worth far more.
If you are planning energy improvements, also see prices and grants for insulation.
Sources
- Skattestyrelsen (the Danish Tax Agency): Home improvement services deduction
- Skattestyrelsen: Household services deduction
- Den juridiske vejledning (the Tax Agency’s legal guide) C.A.4.3.6 (in Danish)
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