Tip Regulation Revised: Flat Rates Approved by National Council

On Thursday, the National Council re-regulated the tip allowances against the strong opposition of the Freedom Party. Essentially, it is about the fact that these are now uniformly regulated, after there had previously been various regulations depending on federal states and industries. The coalition, like the Greens, emphasized that there is now greater transparency and more legal certainty.

Uniform Tip Allowances by Industry and Activity

With the new regulation, different monthly flat rates are envisaged depending on the industry, type of activity, and extent of working hours. For example, the social partners in the hotel and catering industry have already agreed on a tiered model, which provides for a monthly tip allowance of 65 euros for 2026, 85 euros for 2027, and 100 euros for 2028 for employees with cash handling.

These are upper limits - those who regularly receive less in tips do not have to claim the allowance, emphasized Social Minister Korinna Schumann (SPÖ). State Secretary Elisabeth Zehetner (ÖVP) spoke of a "reasonable allowance." The new regulation brings more appreciation for the employees, and the tips reach where they belong. For employers, it is advantageous that retroactive audits are now a thing of the past.

NEOS Would Have Preferred to Waive Contributions

The NEOS are not entirely satisfied, as they are not fans of social security contributions on tips. Member of Parliament Michael Bernhard stated that in a perfect world, the service would reach the employee 1:1. However, he can also live with the compromise. Green Party member Elisabeth Götze spoke of a uniformly good solution.

FPÖ social spokesperson Dagmar Belakowitsch, like several of her faction colleagues, was outraged that social security contributions still have to be paid. She sees an enormous bureaucratic and cost burden just so that employees would have a few euros more in their pension in 20, 30 years.

(APA/Red)

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