Austria is one of the richest and most prosperous European countries. The pension in Austria is 77% of wages. The retirement age in the country is still uneven.
The size of the pension in Austria depends on the following factors:
- Age.
- Work experience.
- Availability of contributions to the insurance fund.
- Salary level.
The average pension is 2,268 thousand euros for men and 1,292 for women.
There are also special allowances. Austrians are entitled to + 2-3% per year.
Living in Austria is quite comfortable for both men and women. They have equal rights, their salary level is approximately the same. There is no gender discrimination in admissions.
Read about salary levels in Austria on our website.
Parental leave can be granted to both the mother and the father. The pension, like wages, is paid 14 times/12 months.
Retirement age for men
Male pensioners retire at age 65. Persons engaged in heavy physical labor end their careers 10 years earlier.
Men retire at age 65
Austrian law provides for a minimum retirement age for men. It is 62 years + 3 months.
If a person wishes to work, he may not retire after age 65. In this case, instead of a pension, he will receive a salary.
If a person decides to retire later, he can count on a higher percentage. The maximum ratio is 80%.
Retirement age for women
Elderly females retire at the age of 60. A person engaged in heavy physical work ends his career at 58 years + 3 months.
A woman who wants to continue working as she wishes, like a man, receives a salary instead of a pension.
The retirement age for women may be increased. This is expected to happen in 2024-2033.
What is the size of pensions?
How do Austrian pensioners live? The amounts of their pensions in 2023 are presented in the table.
| Pension | % of salary | Pension amount |
| Maximum | 80 | 4000 euros |
| Average | 77 | 1400 euros |
| Minimum pension | thirty | 750 euros |
Main nuances
According to the law on Mindestsicherung, which came into force on September 1, 2010, the “minimum wage” is paid even to those who have not worked a day in Austria.
In addition to the social pension, persons who have reached retirement age are entitled to an e-card. This innovation came into force in September 2010.
When receiving a social pension, the following factors are taken into account:
- total family income;
- Lebensversicherung;
- availability of real estate.
Pension benefits are called Dauerleistung. They are paid for life.
To receive the average pension, a person must work in Austria for 15 years.
The experience must be continuous.
If a person worked part-time, his pension is 380 euros. Austrians who want to get the maximum pension start working at the age of 20, while studying at the University.
What allowances are available?
If the amount of pension and other income in the family is less than a certain level, the person has the right to receive compensation. It represents the difference between actual income and the minimum salary.
If a person has dependent minor children, the amount of compensation may be increased.
The general rules are as follows:
- For 12 months, a person has the right to receive a 2% bonus.
- If a person retires before reaching retirement age, 3% is deducted from his benefit for 12 months.
- The largest % deduction is 10.5%.
| Supplement amount | Men | Women | Experience |
| 2% (insurance) | 65 years old | 60 years | 40 years – 80%35 years – 70% |
| 3% | 61 years 5 months | 56 years 5 months | – |
Basic benefits
Poor and temporarily unemployed citizens have the right to receive benefits. Benefits are paid in Austria once every 60 days.
The temporary benefit is called Mindestsicherung. An able-bodied person will not receive such benefits “automatically”.
Family benefit
Child benefit is paid to all parents. The type of their activity and level of income does not play a role.
The amount of the benefit depends on the age of the child. If there is more than 1 child in a family, the benefit amount increases.
| Number of children in the family | How much does the benefit increase (euros/month) |
| 2 | 12.8 |
| 3 | 47.8 |
| 4 | 97.8 |
| 5 or more | 50.0 each |
Family benefit is paid until the person turns 24 years old.
In order to regularly receive family benefits, you must meet the following criteria:
- Permanently reside on Austrian territory.
- Have documents proving your relationship.
- Have documents proving the need to receive benefits.
- Complete all necessary examinations. This applies to both mother and child.
One of the child’s parents or he himself must be an Austrian citizen. The equivalent of citizenship is permanent residence in the country for 36 months before the birth of the child.
Payments to the unemployed
All employees and independent contractors are entitled to unemployment benefits in Austria.
The period for which a person is provided with such benefits depends on how long he worked in his previous place. The age of the applicant is also taken into account.
If a person worked 156 weeks over 5 years, then the period for receiving unemployment benefits is 5 months.
The minimum work experience to receive unemployment benefits is 52 weeks. A person applying for assistance from the state must have unemployment insurance in hand.
The procedure for applying for benefits is as follows:
- make an application;
- contact AMS in person;
- prepare all the documents that are listed on page 6 of the single application form for unemployment benefits.
You must contact AMS within 10 working days after dismissal.
When submitting an application, you must present an e-card.
A person applying for assistance from the state can register online on the official AMS website.
It is recommended to do this in advance, even if there is no threat of dismissal.
The amount of unemployment benefits depends on the size of your last salary. You can clarify the amount of assistance from the state using a special calculator. You can also use it on the AMS website.
Life in Austria
The current figures for Austria are as follows:
- The average annual income for 1 family is 30.0 thousand euros.
- The number of people employed in prestigious jobs is 75%.
- The number of people working overtime is 7%.
- Average life expectancy is 81 years. Many live up to 95 years.
- Quality of life assessment – 7.5 points/10.
Austria has the lowest unemployment rate. Austrian employers prefer to employ their fellow citizens first of all. Highly qualified foreigners with a narrow specialization are also regularly attracted.
Basic taxes
With fairly high salaries, the level of taxes in the country can be called democratic. It depends on the citizen’s income level.
With an annual income of 60.0 thousand euros, an Austrian citizen undertakes to give 50% of the profit to the state. If the annual income is 25.0 thousand euros, the income tax rate is 35%. This size is considered the minimum.
VAT rate is 21%. In 2008, the country’s authorities abolished the inheritance tax.
When selling real estate, the state takes 3.6% of the transaction amount. If the transaction is carried out by persons who are closely related, then the tax is 2%.
Many Austrians are Catholic. For this reason, citizens of the country are obliged to pay church taxes. Its amount depends on monthly earnings and on average varies from 300 to 410 euros per year.
It is not necessary to make contributions to the church, but Austrian society views this negatively.
Features of medical care
There are no over-the-counter medications in Austrian pharmacies. Health insurance does not fully cover the therapeutic process. The amount you have to pay extra yourself depends on the diagnosis and stage of the disease.
Every citizen of the country has “their own” doctor. He diagnoses and prescribes treatment. If necessary, the doctor refers the patient to a specialist.
Pensioners are entitled to benefits. Medicines are dispensed free of charge, but a duty of 3 euros is paid for each package.