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Pension contributions in Austria. Am I eligible to receive it, if I don’t work there anymore?
26th Sep 2022
While working in Austria, you pay taxes monthly, including a social security tax. Part of the social security tax is paid to the pension area. Your employer pays 12.55% and your personal contribution is 10.25% each month. To receive pension contributions, the main difference in the process depends on the fact if you are a EU citizen or not.
If you are a citizen of any EU country and have worked in various countries across the EU, you don’t need to apply for pension contributions in each country separately. Under EU law, the pension contributions paid in all EU countries where the person has worked are counted and the amount will be paid in his home country when he reaches retirement age. Basically this means that you will receive your pension in the country where you live, but the amount of the pension will be evolved by pension from other countries, where you worked.
So the question comes, how can I receive my pension contributions if I am not an EU citizen?
If you are a non-EU citizen and didn’t work in Austria for at least 5 previous years, you are eligible to receive pension contributions. However, to receive a state pension you will need to wait until you reach the pension age in your country.
What documents do I need to file a request?
The main document is your work contract from Austria. The Austrian pension system includes contributions to the government segment and private pension. The private pension company is usually mentioned in the working contract, so it will be easy to find its name and send a request later.
Second document is your confirmation of income. It is called Lohnzettel and should be provided annually by your employer. If you worked for several employers, you will need those confirmations for all years and all employers. Your paid taxes are mentioned in this confirmation.
TIP: If you lost your confirmation of income from Austria, you can use our Replacement service and we will obtain that document for you.
The third, but not the least important one, is your ID. You will need to confirm that it is really you, so the pension companies will communicate with you.
The process may seem to be quite easy, but still you can have different questions regarding pension contributions. Do not hesitate to contact our tax advisor.