Social Assistance: Who Is Eligible and What Are the Costs?

The reform of social assistance is a central topic in the government program of ÖVP, SPÖ, and NEOS. The ÖVP focuses on stricter access, especially for immigrants, while the SPÖ prioritizes the care of children. So far, the plans have only been vaguely presented, but this is expected to change with the upcoming negotiations with the states. Here is an overview of the current regulations:

What are the legal foundations of social assistance?

The current nationwide guidelines are regulated in the Social Assistance Basic Law (SH-GG) created in 2019. The federal states must implement these guidelines in more detail (state legislation), with numerous leeways left to them, which sometimes results in different regulations depending on the state. Although created in 2019, a comprehensive implementation of the SH-GG in all federal states has not yet occurred. In Vienna, there is only partial implementation, and in Tyrol, the old minimum security laws still apply.

Who is entitled to social assistance?

Currently, Austrians and persons equated with nationals are entitled to the social benefit. Citizens from EU or EEA states only have an unrestricted entitlement to social assistance if they are residing in Austria as employees - or have been living legally in Austria for more than five years. Third-country nationals, on the other hand, generally only have a claim to social assistance if they have already lived legally in Austria for more than five years.

Asylum seekers are entitled to social assistance or minimum security from the moment they are granted refugee status. Asylum applicants and persons with the status of "displaced" (such as refugees from Ukraine) are not entitled. Instead, they receive benefits from the so-called "basic provision" (significantly lower than social assistance).

How many affected people live solely on social assistance?

Only 27 percent of the need-based communities receive social assistance in full - and thus live solely on it. The rest (73 percent) are so-called "top-ups". They also have other income - such as low work income, low unemployment benefits, or low emergency assistance, alimony, sick pay, and others. However, since this income is at a level that only partially suffices to cover living expenses, social assistance is granted here as a supplement.

According to the Ministry of Social Affairs, 16.5 percent of the top-ups have (low) work income, 36.1 percent receive benefits from the employment service. Another 47.4 percent have other credited income (maintenance, pension, childcare allowance, or others).

Where Do Most Social Assistance Recipients Live?

Divided by federal states, most social assistance recipients live in Vienna: 142,001 eligible recipients (as of 2023) were found in the federal capital according to Statistics Austria, where the highest costs of 807 million euros were also incurred. In second place, with a large gap, was Styria (14,368 recipients, 80 million euros), followed by Lower Austria (11,315, 57 million) and Tyrol (8,920, 49 million). The lowest number of social assistance recipients (1,692, 9 million) was recorded in Burgenland.

How High Are the Expenditures for Social Assistance?

The total expenditures for social assistance or minimum security account for only a fraction of the gross domestic product. In 2023, according to the Ministry of Social Affairs, 1.1 billion euros were spent on this, which corresponds to 0.23 percent of GDP. Measured against all social expenditures in Austria (146 billion euros), the expenditures for social assistance and minimum security account for 0.8 percent.

Is There a Work Obligation for Social Assistance?

Social assistance or minimum security is linked to the willingness to use one's own labor force for employable individuals. Exempt from this are people of retirement age, individuals with caregiving responsibilities for children who have not yet reached the age of three (provided no suitable childcare is available) - and also those affected who care for relatives receiving care allowance of at least level three. There is also no work obligation for recipients who provide end-of-life care or care for severely ill children, or those who are in vocational or school training that began before their 18th birthday - and all those affected by disability. The majority of recipients (55 percent) are not available to the labor market. 36.5 percent are job-seeking and registered with the employment service, 8.5 percent are employed but earn so little that they rely on social assistance. Among those who cannot work, 43 percent are of preschool or compulsory school age or are retired.

Social Assistance: Must Assets Be Utilized?

Before social assistance or minimum security can be claimed, existing assets must be utilized. However, there are exceptions: Items necessary for professional practice or the "satisfaction of reasonable intellectual-cultural needs" do not have to be sold. Also exempt are motor vehicles needed for professional reasons or required due to special circumstances (such as disability or lack of infrastructure). "Reasonable household goods" may also be retained. There is also a so-called "protected assets" (in 2025 at 7,254 euros). Condominiums or houses do not have to be utilized if they serve immediate housing needs.

What Is the Benefit Amount for Social Assistance?

The Social Assistance Basic Law introduced in 2019 provides for maximum amounts instead of minimum levels. For individuals living alone and single parents, the amount in 2025 is a maximum of 1,209 euros. For couples, a maximum amount of around 1,693 euros has been set. Payments are made twelve times a year. In Tyrol, where no social assistance implementation law has yet been enacted, the rates differ from the other states with social assistance (for couples around 1,814 euros minimum security instead of around 1,693 euros social assistance).

For children, there are additional financial benefits. These can be determined freely by the states, as the Constitutional Court in December 2019 annulled the maximum rates for minors set in the Basic Social Assistance Act, which were progressively (decreasing with the increasing number of children) staggered.

According to the Ministry of Social Affairs, the average benefit amount in 2023 was 802 euros per month per needs-based community (this refers to the beneficiaries and can consist of one or more persons, e.g., in a shared household). The highest benefit was in Vorarlberg (921 euros), the lowest in Burgenland (671 euros), with the federal capital Vienna averaging 805 euros among the states.

Social Assistance: How High Are the Child Supplements?

Currently, different regulations apply for children depending on the state. The Basic Social Assistance Act (SH-GG) created in 2019 originally provided for maximum rates for children: The basis was the net equalization supplement reference rate (2025: 1,273.99 euros). According to the law at that time, the maximum rate for the first child was 25 percent of the equalization supplement, for the second child 15 percent, and for the third and each additional child 5 percent. This regulation was overturned by the Constitutional Court in December 2019, as it was considered a disadvantage for families with multiple children and thus unconstitutional.

The child reference rates are therefore currently set by the states themselves, and there is no longer a federal guideline. An equal financial benefit for each child exists in Burgenland, Carinthia, Salzburg, and Vienna. In the other states, the benefits decrease with the increasing number of children, e.g., starting from the second child in Lower Austria and Upper Austria or from the third or fourth child in Tyrol or Vorarlberg. In Vienna, the supplement per child is currently 326.44 euros, the highest, and in Vorarlberg, it is the lowest at 232.13 euros.

Furthermore, the states can grant a supplement for single parents, staggered according to the number of children. The supplement amount ranges between approximately 145 euros (1st child) and approximately 36 euros (from the 4th child) per month and child (= maximum rates, values 2025).

Is There a "Cap" on the Amount of Social Assistance?

According to the Basic Social Assistance Act, there is already a "cap" on the financial benefit for "needs-based communities," which also applies beyond the maximum amounts for single individuals and couples. However, this only applies to adults living in household communities. It must not exceed 175 percent of the so-called net equalization supplement reference rate for single individuals - in 2025, this is approximately 2,116 euros according to the Ministry of Social Affairs. For families with children, this limit does not apply due to the aforementioned decision of the Constitutional Court.

(APA/Red)

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