Tax minister urges 800,000 commuters to claim higher deduction

Around 800,000 Danish commuters have yet to update their preliminary tax assessments to receive an increased commuting deduction, DR reports. Tax Minister Jakob Engel-Schmidt is urging them to make the change so they can benefit from the money now.

The government temporarily raised the deduction for 2026 to help commuters facing higher petrol and diesel costs. Those who do not update their assessment will instead receive the money through their tax return next year.

About 200,000 people have already updated their assessments to receive the higher deduction month by month. For an average commuter who has not made the change, the amount available is between 2,500 and 3,000 kroner, Engel-Schmidt said. If they update their assessment, the change should appear on their next payslip.

The total allocation for the higher deduction is 2 billion kroner, and payments have been available since August. Engel-Schmidt said the scheme is an effective way to respond to high fuel prices because it targets people with the greatest transport costs. He said the government had also chosen to raise pensions for the least well-off state pensioners and make public transport free for people under 21.

When the proposal was announced in June, tax expert Henning Boye Hansen of BDO Revision told DR he expected most people to leave their assessments unchanged and receive the money the following year.