Digital Receipt from 2026: What Changes for Customers and Businesses

A cash register package initiated by the government on Wednesday is expected to bring an end to the "paper economy." At the center of this is the digital receipt, which is not intended to completely replace the paper receipt and is also a voluntary measure. The aim of the measure is to relieve companies and create more legal certainty, said Finance State Secretary Barbara Eibinger-Miedl (ÖVP) after the cabinet meeting.

Digital Receipt to Eliminate "Paper Economy"

The cash register package fulfills "long-standing demands of the economy for more practical relevance," it was said. In addition to the digital receipt, which is to apply from October 2026, it also includes the permanent anchoring of the 15-product group regulation and the increase of the cold hands regulation. The sales limit will be increased from 30,000 to 45,000 euros, which is a long-overdue inflation adjustment. This measure will apply from the beginning of 2026.

State Secretary Josef Schellhorn (NEOS), responsible for reducing bureaucracy, also praised the measures and emphasized the freedom of choice with the digital receipt. The Chamber of Commerce (WKÖ), the Economic Association, and the Trade Association also welcomed the package adopted today.

"It strengthens the freedom of choice for customers as well as for the trade, reduces the paper economy, and finally creates clear rules for businesses," said Trade Association Managing Director Rainer Will. However, the digital receipt should not become a "digital compulsion." The digital receipt is also good for the environment and saves waste, said WKÖ Trade Division Chairman Rainer Trefelik. The Economic Association sees the package as a "real digitalization boost for the economy."

The now permanently applicable 15-product group regulation also creates planning security for small retailers, all three organizations emphasized. With the 15-product group regulation, small retail businesses - such as in market, street, or itinerant trade - can list only the product group on the receipt and do not have to use the exact product name.

Receipt Lottery Planned

A receipt lottery is also planned from October 2026. In this context, all natural persons can submit their invoices to the Ministry of Finance - for example, via FinanzOnline - and win money every month. A prize of 2,500 euros is planned for each selected participant. According to the draft law, 100 participants are to be selected each month, with a prize of 2,500 euros for each selected person. The prerequisites for participation are that the receipt has a machine-readable code, the submitting person is of legal age, and has their main residence in Austria. All receipts issued and submitted in the previous month can be submitted.

In a maximum of two months per year, a bonus selection can also be scheduled, in which 250,000 euros can be distributed to two participants. A maximum of 4 million euros per year is available for the lottery. The lottery is intended to provide an incentive to record all cash sales with a cash register. In addition, customers should be motivated to accept the receipt. The law is to be valid until December 31, 2029.

(APA/Red)

This article has been automatically translated, read the original article here.