Debt forgiven by the public sector can come back if a crime is committed
Official title (in Danish): Lov om ændring af lov om inddrivelse af gæld til det offentlige (Betinget eftergivelse af gæld til det offentlige m.v.)
In short
Reading time: 1 min- What changes:
- When debt owed to the public sector has been forgiven, it can come back if the debtor is charged with a crime within five years and later convicted.
- Tax fines of at least 50,000 kr. also cause the debt to come back.
- Who: The rules apply to debtors who have received full or partial forgiveness of debt owed to the public sector. However, the debt does not come back when it is revoked because of a charge and conviction for a punishable offence, if the forgiveness was granted under section 13(6) and is justified by the debt arising from circumstances outside the debtor's control.
- When: The Act entered into force on 4 February 2026.
Written by AI from verbatim quotes from the source and checked by code and AI. Dates, tables and the fact box are calculated by fixed rules. Unofficial translation. Always read the original.
Sources and original
Read the official text (in Danish) →
The case at the Danish Parliament (ft.dk)
Source: Retsinformation.dk
Translated from Danish · The Danish version and the original source apply.
Summary by the Danish Parliament (in Danish)
Lovforslaget har til formål at udmønte "Aftale om betinget eftergivelse af gæld til det offentlige" og "Tillæg til aftale om betinget eftergivelse af gæld til det offentlige", der blev indgået af regeringen (Socialdemokratiet, Venstre og Moderaterne) samt Danmarksdemokraterne, Socialistisk Folkeparti, Liberal Alliance, Det Konservative Folkeparti, Enhedslisten, Radikale Venstre og Alternativet henholdsvis den 27. februar 2025 og den 23. juni 2025. Det foreslås, at eftergivet gæld til det offentlige genopstår, hvis en borger begår kriminalitet og sigtes herfor inden for fem år fra eftergivelsestidspunktet, ligesom kriminaliteten skal fastslås ved endelig dom. Tilsvarende foreslås det, at bøder på 50.000 kr. og derover for overtrædelse af skatte- og afgiftslovgivningen også omfattes af ordningen, uanset om straffesagen afsluttes med et vedtaget bødeforelæg eller ved endelig dom. Det foreslås videre, at særligt socialt udsatte under særlige betingelser kan undgå, at gælden genopstår. Det foreslås, at loven skal træde i kraft den 1. februar 2026.
Source: Folketinget (ft.dk). Reproduced unchanged.
Timeline
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- Introduced · 27 November 2025Status in the Danish Parliament: Fremsat
- Passed · 29 January 2026Status in the Danish Parliament: 3.beh./Vedtaget
- Stadfæstet · 3 February 2026Status in the Danish Parliament: Stadfæstet
- In force · 4 February 2026Status in the Danish Parliament: Stadfæstet