FAQ
Austria - Child Benefits

Child benefit (Familienbeihilfe) is a financial contribution for the parents of children, which is intended for the upbringing and maintenance of the child / children.

For more information on child allowances - Familienbeihilfe - see the blog article.

The  amount of child benefits depend on the age of the child.

HERE you can find not only the current monthly child benefit rates, but also the rates for previous years.

You can apply for Austrian child benefits (Familienbeihilfe) up to 5 years back.

The basic condition for entitlement to benefits is compulsory social security insurance in Austria, which you automatically get in connection with your employment. This means that if you are working in Austria, you are compulsorily insured and probably entitled to benefits.

You are also entitled to benefits if one parent works in Austria and the children live in their home country or in another EU country with the other parent.

We will be happy to help you with the benefits. Read how it works or fill in the order form straight away.

The following situations may arise:

• if the parents are married, either parent can apply for this benefit; but only one parent at a time,
• if the child's mother is unmarried or divorced, only the mother may apply,
• if the parents are divorced and the child lives in the same household as the father (the father is the sole legal representative), only the father may apply.

Yes, you can receive child benefit in your home country and apply for it in Austria. The Austrian benefit is calculated so that the final sum of the benefits from both countries is equal to the maximum amount in Austria.

The parent who lives with the child in their home country applies for Austrian compensatory allowance.

The other parent working in Austria must provide confirmation of income from employment or payslips with the application; freelancers must provide a trade certificate.

If one parent suspects that the other parent is receiving benefits illegally, the competent Austrian authority, FinanzOnline, should be contacted to investigate.

When the child reaches the age of 18, child benefits will be paid only for:

• studying at university until the age of 24,
• preparation for a future profession up to the age of 24,
• volunteering for an approved organisation up to the age of 25,
• disability up to the age of 25.

No. The parent applies for child benefits after the child turns 18. If the conditions for receiving child benefit are met from the age of 18, the child benefits are paid to the parent. The child can request that the benefits be paid into his / her bank account. However, this requires the written consent of the parent.

The application must be accompanied by:

• E 411 form,
• birth certificate of the child / children,
• work contract,
• marriage certificate / divorce decree / death certificate,
• certificate of school attendance (for school‑age children),
• certificate of studies via E 402 form (for children studying at university).

It takes on average 2 ‑ 6 months to get child benefits.