What is share income (aktieindkomst)?
Share income — in Danish aktieindkomst — is the tax box that gains and dividends from shares and equity funds land in. It is taxed on its own, separately from your salary: 27% of the first 79,400 kr. a year (2026; 158,800 kr. for married couples) and 42% of the rest. The threshold is called the progression limit and is adjusted every year. Losses on shares can only be deducted from other share income — not from salary.
A worked example (2026)
You sell shares with a gain of 100,000 kr. and have received 5,000 kr. in dividends. Your share income is 105,000 kr.
- The first 79,400 kr. × 27% = 21,438 kr.
- The next 25,600 kr. × 42% = 10,752 kr.
- Tax in total: 32,190 kr. — about 30.7% on average.
If you are married, the threshold is shared: couples have 158,800 kr. at 27% between them, regardless of which of you owns the shares. Then the whole amount would have been at 27% = 28,350 kr.
What counts as share income
- Gains on the sale of shares — Danish and foreign (on sale).
- Dividends from shares (dividend tax).
- Gains on ETFs and funds on the Danish positive list — but by the mark-to-market principle.
- Gains on Danish equity-based mutual funds.
Not share income: interest, bonds, ETFs outside the positive list — that is capital income. And everything in an aktiesparekonto, which is taxed separately at 17%.
Losses
Losses on shares can be deducted from gains and dividends on other shares — also in later years, with no time limit. But only there. If you lose 20,000 kr. on shares and earn 400,000 kr. in salary, you get no deduction in the salary. The loss is kept until you have a share gain to offset it against. To use a loss on foreign shares, the purchase must have been reported to the tax authority in time — Danish providers do it automatically, but check.
How to manage it
Because the threshold is per year, you can plan: sell half of a large gain in December and the rest in January, so both years stay under 79,400 kr. And dividends count in the same box — receive 30,000 kr. in dividends and only 49,400 kr. remain at 27%. Kiggo is not a tax adviser; check skat.dk or an accountant before you act on it.
The typical beginner's mistake
Believing the whole gain is taxed at 42% because it is above the threshold. Only the part above 79,400 kr. is hit by 42%. Everything up to the threshold is still taxed at 27%.
How you see it in Kiggo
Kiggo does not calculate your tax — your provider and skat.dk do. But enter your own purchases in Kiggo's portfolio, and it shows gain and loss per stock — and those are the figures that become share income the day you sell. In the app's glossary, share income sits alongside the other Danish tax words.
Related terms
Frequently asked questions
What is the progression limit for share income in 2026?
79,400 kr. for singles and 158,800 kr. for married couples. Up to the limit 27%, above it 42%. The limit is adjusted every year.
Do I have to report share income myself?
Danish providers report purchases, sales and dividends automatically, so it usually appears on the annual tax statement. Foreign providers often do not — then you must. Always check the statement.
Can I deduct share losses from my salary?
No. Losses on shares can only be offset against gains and dividends from other shares — this year or later years. That is the most important difference from capital income.
Kiggo explains — Kiggo does not advise. We never tell you what to buy or sell, and key figures can only be compared between companies in the same industry. The decision is yours. Last updated 2026-09-23.
Written by Claus Frisch, founder of Kiggo. Not an adviser, not a bank — Kiggo explains, you decide.
