Administration & Finance

The employee has a duty to report to the employer. This means: If you are pregnant, you must inform your employer about the pregnancy. Therefore, let work know as soon as you know you are pregnant. Give the medical confirmation of the date of birth to your employer.

Important: You can determine the exact time for reporting to the employer yourself.
 

However, please note that the report of pregnancy is also important for you. The Maternity Protection Act applies to you from the time you report your pregnancy: For example, you are then no longer allowed to work overtime. The employer may not dismiss you during pregnancy and until 4 months after the baby is born.

• Here you will find information on how to report your pregnancy to your employer: Chamber of Labour

If you are pregnant, you should register as early as possible in the maternity ward of a hospital or in a birth centre. In case, you should also discuss a planned home birth with your gynaecologist and a midwife early. Very often, families can also visit the maternity ward and all the rooms for the birth beforehand. When you register, you should ask what things you should take with you for your hospital stay.

Here you can find more information about registering a birth and planning a home birth: Austria-wide platform

Pregnant women are not allowed to work 8 weeks before the expected date of birth and 8 weeks after the birth.
Maternity protection applies during this time.

Maternity protection also means: absolute prohibition of employment. Sometimes maternity protection starts earlier: when the mother's health and/or the child's health are at risk. This must be determined and confirmed by a medical specialist.

This is then called: individual employment ban or also early maternity protection.
Sometimes maternity protection ends later: in the case of a caesarean section, a premature birth or a multiple birth.
In these cases, maternity protection is extended to 12 weeks after the birth. Depending on the situation, it can take even longer. This is also decided by a medical specialist.

Some work is prohibited from the beginning of pregnancy and up to 12 weeks after birth, for example:

• lifting and carrying heavy things
• Working with hazardous substances such as mercury
• Piecework

This means that one is not paid according to working hours, but according to work performance.

• Working on an assembly line with a prescribed pace of work
• Work that can almost only be done standing up
   

All maternity protection regulations are in the Maternity Protection Act.

You can find more information on maternity protection here:
Chamber of Labour

As soon as maternity leave begins, you will receive financial support from health insurance.
This is called a weekly allowance.

The pregnant woman receives the weekly allowance

• for the 8 weeks before birth,
• for the day of birth and
• for the first 8 weeks after birth.

During this time, you will not be paid any money by your employer.

The health insurance will check whether you are entitled to weekly allowance.

You get a weekly allowance if you

• have worked before pregnancy,
• have received unemployment assistance or emergency assistance, or
• have received childcare allowance for another child.

The maternity allowance must be applied for at the health insurance.
For this you need

• confirmation of the expected date of birth
• a valid bank account with IBAN
• either a confirmation of work and remuneration. This is a confirmation of your work. Often the employer sends the confirmation to the health insurance himself. Simply ask at your workplace.
• or a confirmation that you receive unemployment benefit, emergency assistance or childcare allowance

If you have the baby earlier than the expected date of birth, these days will be added to the weekly allowance after the birth.

After the birth of the child, the health insurance fund must be informed about the birth.
Then you will continue to receive weekly allowance.

For this you need

• the confirmation of birth or the birth certificate
  The registry office sends the confirmation of birth to the health insurance fund.
• in the case of a hospital birth: a confirmation of hospitalisation
• in the case of a premature birth, multiple birth or caesarean section: a confirmation from the hospital
  Important: Copy all documents.
  Submit the copies to the health insurance and keep the original documents at home.

You can send all documents to the health insurance by post or by e-mail.
Or you can bring them in person.

How much weekly allowance you get depends on this:

• how much you earned in the 3 months before maternity leave.
• how much unemployment benefit or emergency assistance you have received.
• whether you have received childcare allowance for another child.
• whether you were marginally employed and self-insured.

Here you can find more information on the maternity allowance:
Austrian Health Insurance Fund
Chamber of Labour

After birth, some official procedures are necessary so that you can obtain important documents for your child. You also need this to get social and financial support.

Announcement of birth means that the birth of the baby is reported to the competent authority. In this case, the authority is the registry office. 

The hospital notifies the registry office that the child has been born. The hospital has one week to do this. The parents do not have to do anything else in this matter.

If the child is born at home, this is done by a person who was present at the birth:

• the doctor or
• the midwife

The parents receive the birth announcement and must hand it in at the registry office. After that, the registry office can officially issue the birth certificate.

The birth certificate states:

• the name and sex of the child
• the names of the parents
• the date and place of birth

The parents get the birth certificate free of charge from the registry office in the municipality or district where the baby was born. You can apply for the birth certificate directly at the registry office or on the internet. On the internet, this works via a digital baby point. Some hospitals offer a special service: You receive the birth certificate right on the spot.

You must present the following documents no later than 1 week after the birth in order to obtain a birth certificate for the child:

• written declaration of the chosen first name
  This means: You must provide the child's first name in writing.This is already written in the birth announcement.
• if the parents are married: Marriage certificate of the parents
• if the parents are not married: Birth certificate of the mother and, if available, the last marriage certificate of the mother
• Proof of the dissolution or invalidity of the marriage or registered partnership
• Proof of the nationality of the parents
• Proof of the main residence of the parents in case of residence abroad
• the confirmation of birth if there is no birth announcement yet

Helpful links:

• Information and link to the Digital Babypoint
• Information on reissuing a birth certificate or international birth certificate

The child is co-insured with the parents. If the child is ill, he or she is examined by the doctor and receives medical treatment. The doctor needs the child's e-card for this. Each child receives its own e-card with its own national insurance number by post. The registry office informs the insurance company about the birth of the baby. The parents do not need to report anything on their own. General information on the e-card can also be found in chapter 2.1.

In Austria, there is a general obligation to register your place of residence. The parents must announce the child's place of residence within 3 days of the hospitalisation.

This is how you can register the place of residence:

• at the registry office
• at the municipal office
• at the magistrate's office
• via the Digital Babypoint on the Internet

You have to fill in a form to register your residence. You will then receive a registration form for the child.

Tip: 

You can do the birth announcement and the residence registration together. To do this, you fill out the registration form at the hospital. The documents are sent to the registry office. You can then collect the birth certificate and the registration form there after your stay in hospital. Ask at your hospital or the relevant registry office.

Helpful links:

• Residence registration form
• Information on registering the residence of a baby

The Austrian citizenship certificate states that a person is an Austrian. When a baby is born in Austria, it is important which citizenship the mother and father have.

The baby gets Austrian citizenship,

• if the mother is an Austrian citizen,
• if the parents are married and only the father is an Austrian citizen,
• if the parents are not married and only the father is an Austrian citizen.

In this case, however, the father must acknowledge paternity or a judge will determine that he is the father. This must be done within 8 weeks after birth.

The baby does not receive Austrian citizenship, if the mother and father are not Austrian citizens. The baby then gets the citizenship that the mother and/or father has. This depends on the citizenship rules in the parents' countries of origin. For this, the parents have to go to the respective embassy.

Persons without Austrian citizenship may apply for Austrian citizenship if they reside in Austria lawfully and without interruption. For this, a number of requirements must be met.

Here you will find information on how to acquire Austrian citizenship: Award of Austrian citizenship

You can obtain proof of Austrian citizenship for the child at the registry office or online via Digitales Babypoint. You can apply for the certificate free of charge until the child's 2nd birthday.

You will need the following documents:

• Birth certificate of the child
• Registration form of the child
• Photo ID of the parents

Important: Depending on the situation, you may need additional documents.
If the parents are married:

• Marriage certificate
• Proof of Austrian citizenship

If the parents are now divorced.
However, the baby was born when the parents were still married:

• Proof of citizenship of the parent who has custody of the child
• if available: Divorce certificate
• if available: Death certificate of the spouse

If the parents are not married, there are two possibilities:

1.    The mother is an Austrian citizen 

• Birth certificate of the mother
• Proof of Austrian citizenship of the mother

2. The father is an Austrian citizen

• Birth certificate of the father
• Proof of the Austrian citizenship of the father
• Acknowledgement of paternity

This must happen within 8 weeks after birth.

Helpful links:

Requirements for the acquisition of Austrian citizenship

Information on embassies and search for foreign representations

Information on dual citizenship

Further information on citizenship

In these cases, the natural father can acknowledge paternity:

• if the parents are not married.
• if the husband is not the father of the child.

This is called voluntary acknowledgement of paternity. This means that the baby's birth certificate contains the name of the biological father.

The father can acknowledge paternity before the birth or afterwards. For this, he must personally sign a document:

• at the registry office
• in child and youth welfare
• with a notary, or at the district court

The mother is informed about the acknowledgement of paternity.
Within 2 years, the mother can file an objection with the court. That means she has to announce there if she does not want to.

In some cases paternity is established by the court, for example

• if a man suspects that he is the father of the child and wants to have this established,
• if the presumed father does not voluntarily acknowledge paternity.
  In this case an application must be filed with the court.

Acknowledging paternity is the prerequisite for the child to receive maintenance or to inherit something from the father later.

Helpful links:

Voluntary acknowledgement of paternity

Determination of paternity by a court

Objection to the acknowledgement of paternity

Custody means that the parents are responsible for the child.
This means that until the child's 18th birthday they are responsible for

• education
• care
• legal representation
• management of the assets

If the parents are married, they have joint custody. 

If they are not married, the mother has sole custody. However, the unmarried parents can apply for joint custody at the registry office.

If parents divorce or no longer live together, custody remains with both parents. In court, the parents have to agree in which household the child mainly lives. However, the mother or father can also apply for sole custody. Or they can apply for the custody of one parent to be restricted to certain matters.

The court decides on custody,

• if one parent moves out or the parents divorce and do not agree within a certain period,
• if one parent applies for sole custody.

Helpful links:

Brochure on custody and children's rights in different languages

Custody of both parents

sole custody of one parent

Child advocate as a confidant for children

Contact rights, formerly visitation rights

Participation and duties of a stepparent

Family Court Support

Cross-border dispute over the custody of a child

If the family wants to travel abroad, the child needs its own passport.

You can apply for the child's passport at a specific authority: for example, at the district administration. In Vienna, you can do this at the magistrate's office. In some federal states this is also possible with the municipalities. Ask at your municipality office.

The child must be present when you apply for the passport.

You must take the following documents with you:

• Photo ID of one parent
• Birth certificate of the child
• Proof of citizenship of the child
• Passport photo of the child
  It is necessary that you observe the format:
  Passport photo in portrait format, size 35 × 45 mm
  The photo must also not be older than six months.
• Birth certificate, marriage certificate of parents
• Proof of custody

The first passport for your child under the age of 2 is free of charge. The passport will be sent to you within a week. It is only valid for a few years and must then be renewed.

Here you will find information on the passport for children:

Austria-wide platform

After the birth of the child, the mother and the father are entitled to parental leave. That's why they call it parental leave. To take parental leave, you must be employed by a company. During parental leave, one parent does not go to work but looks after the baby. Instead of salary or wages, you get childcare allowance (see chapter 4.5.1).

Mothers and fathers can take parental leave. However, parental leave is not available for the self-employed, students, housewives and househusbands. The parental leave can be changed between mother and father 2 times. This means that a total of 3 parts of parental leave are possible.

For example, it can be divided like this: 1st maternity leave part, 2nd paternity leave part, 3rd maternity leave part

Important: Please note that mother and father cannot be on parental leave for the same child together all the time.

They may only overlap briefly when changing, by being on parental leave together for one month. However, this only works for the first change, and the maximum parental leave is then reduced to 23 months in total.

You have the right to parental leave up to a maximum of one day before the child's second birthday. That is a maximum of 24 months, during which you also cannot be terminated. You can arrange a longer period of parental leave with the employer in writing. Parental leave begins after maternity leave, i.e. 8 weeks after birth. In the case of the mother, parental leave can also begin after a holiday or sick leave. The parental leave must last at least 2 months.

Parental leave must be agreed upon by the mother or father or by both parents with the respective employer. This agreement should be made in writing and be comprehensible. This can be done, for example, by sending a registered letter. This can be tracked and you can find out when it was sent and arrived. In addition, there are reporting deadlines for different situations:

• 1st parental leave part: The mother goes on maternity leave directly after maternity leave. You must report the parental leave to your employer while you are still on parental leave. This is possible up to 8 weeks after the birth of your child.
• 1st parental leave part: The father goes on parental leave directly after maternity leave. You must notify the employer of the parental leave no later than 8 weeks after birth.
• 2nd and 3rd part of parental leave: Mother and father take turns during parental leave. You must notify the employer of any parental leave three months before it begins.

The employer must give you written confirmation. It states the start and duration of parental leave. The confirmation must be signed by the employer and the respective parent. This way the parents can prove that they are not on parental leave at the same time (see above - one month)

The parental leave can also be extended. The mother or father on parental leave must inform the employer of this no later than 3 months before the end of the parental leave. You also must inform how long the parental leave will last. (See above - maximum until the day before the child's 2nd birthday).

During parental leave, the parent on parental leave may work part-time. This is only possible if the earnings per month do not exceed the marginal earnings threshold.

Here you can find more helpful information on parental leave:

• Austria-wide platform
• marginal work during parental leave

Every person who is registered in Austria is entitled to childcare allowance after the birth of his or her own child. This also applies to people who do not work or are not compulsorily insured.

Childcare allowance is paid to the parent who mainly cares for the child and is on parental leave (see chapter 4.4.1).

This parent must fulfil further requirements:

• The parent is entitled to family allowance for the child and receives the family allowance.
• The parent lives with the child in the same household.
• Both have the same main residence.
• The parent and the child live in Austria.
• The parent and the child are legally  residing in Austria.
• All necessary mother-child-passport examinations have been done.
• That is 5 examinations during pregnancy and 5 examinations of the child after birth.
• The additional earnings limit has been complied with.
• If the mother and father do not live together, the parent must have custody of the child and receive family allowance. (For custody, see chapter 4.3.7)

There are 2 types of childcare allowance:

1. fixed childcare allowance

In this case, you have a childcare allowance account. There is a fixed sum for the entire waiting period.

Who gets it?

Fixed childcare allowance can be received by everyone: also women and men who were or are not employed or not compulsorily insured. These are, for example, housewives and househusbands, students or people who work marginally.

How much do you get?

How much is paid per day depends on the duration of the parental leave. In 2022: in the shortest version, the childcare allowance is 33.88 euros per day. In the longest version, it is 14.53 euros per day.

How long do you get it?

You can receive the fixed childcare allowance for 365 days to 851 days from the day of the child's birth. If both parents go on parental leave, it can be up to 1063 days. What if you need further financial help? Families with very low incomes can apply for further allowances. In so-called hardship cases, the duration of the payment of childcare allowance can be extended.

2. income-dependent childcare allowance

In this case, the childcare allowance depends on your income.

Who gets it?

Only the following persons can receive income-dependent childcare allowance: Persons who have worked in Austria in the 182 days before the birth of the child. In addition, they must have been covered by health and pension insurance through work. During these 182 days, they must not have received any benefits from unemployment insurance. This is, for example, unemployment benefit, unemployment assistance or further education benefit. A 2-week break from work is possible during this period. This means that you may not have worked for up to 14 days during this period. If you are working and become ill or go on holiday, this does not count as an interruption.

How much do you get?

How much you are paid depends on the earnings of the parent before the parental leave. In 2022, you will receive a minimum of 33.88 euros per day up to a maximum of 66 euros per day.

How long do you get it?

The income-related childcare allowance can be drawn until the 365th day after the birth of your child. If both parents go on parental leave, it can be up to 426 days.

What else do you need to consider with both types?

Mothers and fathers on parental leave can also earn a marginal amount of extra money in both cases. At this point you should apply for childcare allowance:

• You can apply for childcare allowance from your social insurance company on the day of birth at the earliest.
• Parents of adopted and foster children can only apply for it from the day the child is taken into care.

Important: You can only receive childcare allowance retrospective for up to 182 days.

Therefore, make the application immediately after the birth or when you take over the care.

This is the only way you can also get all the childcare allowance you are entitled to.

In this case, you will receive further financial assistance:

In addition, there is a partnership bonus. Mother and father receive the partnership bonus if they share the care almost equally, for example 50:50 to 60:40. In addition, the parents must have received childcare allowance for at least 124 days. For this, there is a bonus of another 1000 euros on top of the childcare allowance. That is 500 euros per parent. You can apply for the partnership bonus together with the application for childcare allowance. Each parent must submit a separate application to their social security company. This is the office that pays the childcare allowance. You can also apply later. However, you must do this within a certain period of time. Check with your social security company.

Helpful links:

• Information on childcare allowance can be found on the Family Portal of the Federal Chancellery and at the Childcare Allowance Infoline
  telephone: 0800 240 014, Monday to Thursday 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
• Childcare allowance online calculator
• Requirements for the entitlement to childcare allowance
• 2 Types of childcare allowance
• Information on how to apply
• Partnership bonus
  The free childcare allowance info line answers your questions on 0800 240 014.

The family allowance is a financial support for parents. With this money you can buy clothes, diapers, baby food and so on. Parents receive family allowance for each child. Parents always receive family allowance: regardless of whether they work, are unemployed or earn a lot. The family's centre of life must be in Austria.

If the parents live together with the child in the same household, the mother usually receives the family allowance. However, the mother can also waive the family allowance, in which case the father receives it. If the parents do not live in the same household, the parent with whom the child lives receives family allowance.

How much do you get?

The family allowance depends on the age and number of children. In 2022, you will receive 114 euros per month for a child from birth.

Here you can find out how much family allowance you get:

• Austria-wide platform
• Family allowance calculator of the Federal Chancellery
• Family allowance calculator of the Chamber of Labour

Note: The amount of family allowance depends on the age of the child. In addition, parents receive more family allowance if they have several children.
If you receive family allowance for three or more children, you can apply for a supplement:

• Requirements for the multiple-child supplement

How do you apply for family allowance?

When the child is born, you do not have to apply for family allowance separately. The tax office will check all the requirements and inform you of the entitlement. The family allowance is transferred to an account of the parents. In case of missing information, you will be asked for further data.

Note: For births before 1. 5. 2019, an application for family allowance must be submitted. Therefore, you need to fill in a form. The application can also be submitted at any time later. However, you will then only receive back-payment of the family allowance for the last 5 years from the date of application.

You are entitled to family allowance for each child under the age of 18. Under certain conditions, you can receive family assistance until the child's 24th birthday. In exceptional cases, this is also possible until the 25th birthday. For children with disabilities, you receive more family allowance - but only from a degree of disability of 50 per cent.

Helpful links:

• General information on family allowance: Bundeskanzleramt or oesterreich.gv.at
• Family allowance for children with permanent residence in the EU/EEA area or Switzerland
• Increased family allowance for children with disabilities: Bundeskanzleramt or oesterreich.gv.at

Fathers can take family time immediately after the birth. This means that fathers do not work for a maximum of one month after the birth in order to be with the family. During this time, fathers receive the so-called family time bonus instead of earnings.

Family time can last 28, 29, 30 or 31 days. This is called a family month. You can only get the family bonus for the days of family time.

How much money do you get?

The family time bonus is 22.60 euros per day. In total, this is a maximum of 700 euros. If the father later goes on parental leave and receives childcare allowance: Then the childcare allowance is reduced by the family bonus. This means that you will receive less childcare allowance. The duration of the payout does not change.

Fathers can apply for the family time bonus under these conditions:

• The parents receive family allowance for the child.
• The centre of life of both parents and the child is in Austria.
• Both parents and the child live in a common household and have the same main residence.
• They take up family time.
• You have worked continuously in a company for the last 182 days. During this time, you must not have received any benefits from unemployment insurance. This is, for example, unemployment assistance, emergency assistance or further education benefit. A 2-week break from work is possible during this period. This means that you may not have worked for up to 14 days during this period. If you work and become ill or go on holiday during this time, this does not count as an interruption.
• For non-Austrians: You are legally residing in Austria.

How do you apply for financial support?

The father must apply for the family time bonus. To do this, you need to fill in an application form. You then submit the application to your health insurance company. The application must also state how many days of family time you are taking. Here you can enter between 28 and 31 days. This information cannot be changed later.

When do you start receiving the family time bonus?

In the case of a birth in hospital, the family time bonus begins at the earliest when mother and child leave the hospital. If the child is admitted to hospital alone for medical reasons or has to stay in hospital, contact your health insurance company.

Helpful links:

• Information on the family time bonus 
• Information from the Austrian Social Insurance 
• Application form for the family time bonus 
• Online application for family bonus www.meinesv.at or www.finanzonline.at