Is commission paid during sick leave?
Yes, if the rep is a salaried employee (funktionær). Salaried employees are entitled to full pay during sickness, and for commission-paid staff that includes commission.
Under section 9(3) of the Danish Salaried Employees Act (funktionærloven), pay for commission-paid salaried employees is calculated on the basis of the commission income the employee would probably have earned had they not been prevented from working. The rule covers sickness, pregnancy and parental leave, and the notice period, including garden leave.
Who is covered?
The Salaried Employees Act covers, among others, staff in sales and office roles who work more than 8 hours a week on average. If the rep is not a salaried employee, the collective agreement or employment contract decides what is paid.
How is the amount calculated?
The Act does not say which period to use. The target is what the rep would probably have earned. In practice you start from average commission in an earlier period and adjust for special circumstances, for example:
- Seasonality: would the rep have earned more or less in that specific period?
- Large one-off orders that pull the average up.
- Changed rates or territory since the reference period.
Example
A rep is on sick leave for all of June. Commission over the last 12 months:
| Period | Commission |
|---|---|
| Last 12 months in total | DKK 216,000 |
| Average per month | DKK 18,000 |
| June last year (seasonal peak) | DKK 26,000 |
A plain average gives DKK 18,000. If June has historically been a strong month, there may be grounds for a higher amount. Base salary is paid as normal either way.
Deals that close during the absence
If a deal the rep worked on closes while they are sick, the agreement should say whether the commission goes to the rep or a colleague. Without a rule it easily ends in a dispute, and the company risks paying twice.
Good practice
- Write the reference period into the commission agreement.
- Use the same method for everyone in the same role.
- Keep commission per month, so the average can be documented.
Absence and commission in Prowi
Prowi keeps each rep's full commission history, so the average is a lookup, not a spreadsheet project, and corrections on deals during the absence run in the same flow.
Prowi is not a law firm. This page describes the general Danish rules; collective agreements and individual contracts can give other rights. Talk to your employers' association or a lawyer when money is at stake.
In Prowi
Every term on this page is a rule you can write into a commission model in Prowi. The model reads the deal from HubSpot the second it closes, applies the rule, and the rep sees the result on their phone before the day is over.