Work

Contract, salary, unemployment, recognition of qualifications.

Checked on 23 October 2026

Employee in Austria: contract, probation period, collective agreements, 13th and 14th month salaries, working hours, leave and notice

In Austria, there is no statutory minimum wage: your minimum salary, your bonuses and often your working time come from the collective agreement for your sector (Kollektivvertrag), which covers about 95% of employees. Your employer must give you a written contract or a Dienstzettel (written statement of working conditions), the probation period lasts one month at most, and you are entitled to 5 weeks of leave per year. The 13th and 14th month salaries are not provided for by law, but by most agreements, and they are taxed at a reduced rate.

Costs: Free for the employee; Abfertigung neu: 1.53% of gross salary paid by the employer
Timeframes: Dienstzettel handed over without delay after hiring; probation period of one month at most

Steps

Find your collective agreement. Ask your employer which Kollektivvertrag applies (it must appear in the Dienstzettel): it sets your minimum salary according to your classification, your bonuses and often a shorter weekly working time (for example 38.5 hours).
Read your contract or demand your Dienstzettel. The contract can be oral, but in the absence of a written contract containing all the items below, the employer must give you, without delay after hiring, a written document (paper, or electronic if you choose) with at least: the names and addresses of both parties, the start date (and end date if the contract is fixed-term), the notice period, the place of work, the classification, the post, the base salary and its components, leave, the working hours, the applicable agreement, the social security fund and the Abfertigung fund (BV-Kasse), the probation period and the planned training.
Probation period. It must be agreed, lasts one month at most (three months for an apprenticeship) and allows either party to terminate at any time, without reason or notice.
Check your social security registration. The employer registers you: you are insured from day one (see AT-SANTE-TOUS-001 and AT-NIF-TOUS-001).
Working time. Statutory normal working time: 8 hours per day and 40 hours per week. Beyond the limit in your agreement, these are additional hours (Mehrstunden); beyond the statutory limit, overtime (Überstunden). Statutory ceilings (§ 9 AZG): in principle 12 hours per day and 60 hours per week, with a few exceptions provided by law for particular cases; the average must not exceed 48 hours per week over 17 weeks (a collective agreement may extend this reference period up to 26 weeks, or even 52 for technical or organisational reasons).
Leave. 25 working days per year in a five-day week (30 working days in a six-day week), i.e. 5 weeks. After more than 25 years of service with the same employer: 6 weeks (30 working days in a five-day week).
End of the contract. Employee's notice: one month, for the end of a month (a contract or an agreement may extend it up to six months, with the employer then having to observe at least as much). Employer's notice: 6 weeks for the first two years, then 2 months from the 3rd year, 3 months from the 6th, 4 months from the 16th and 5 months from the 26th. Since 1 October 2021, these periods also apply to manual workers (Arbeiter). The possibility for a collective agreement to set shorter periods (§ 1159 ABGB, 2017 version) was abolished with retroactive effect to 01/07/2025 (BGBl. I Nr. 111/2025). Clauses of this type adopted in an agreement between 01/01/2018 and 30/06/2025 remain applicable under conditions: a notice period of less than one week is replaced by one week there, and their scope can no longer be extended. Unless a more favourable agreement applies, the employer can only end the contract at the end of a calendar quarter, or on the 15th or the last day of a month if the parties have agreed so.

Documents

ID and social security number (or application in progress).
Bank details (IBAN, see AT-BANQUE-TOUS-001).
Diplomas and, for a regulated profession, recognition of your qualification (see AT-TRAVAIL-TOUS-002).
Written employment contract or Dienstzettel handed over by the employer.

Costs and timelines

Minimum wage: no statutory minimum; most agreements provide at least €1,700 gross, 14 times a year (Ministry of Social Affairs, 2025). Where there is no agreement, a Mindestlohntarif (minimum rate set by an authority) may apply.
13th and 14th month salaries (Sonderzahlungen, often Urlaubszuschuss and Weihnachtsremuneration): no statutory right; they come from the agreement or the contract. Reduced taxation up to one sixth of the annual salary (Jahressechstel): 0% on the first €620, 6% up to €25,000, 27% up to €50,000, 35.75% up to €83,333; these rates do not apply if this sixth does not exceed €2,615 (2026; €2,675 in 2027). Social security contributions also apply.
Abfertigung neu (end-of-contract savings): for contracts started after 31/12/2002, the employer pays 1.53% of gross salary (bonuses included) from the second month into a fund (Betriebliche Vorsorgekasse). The capital remains yours, but you can only request payment after at least three years of contributions and if the contract ends through dismissal by the employer, termination by mutual agreement, expiry of the term, dismissal through no fault of your own or a justified early departure on your part (ministry list); no payment in case of resignation or dismissal for misconduct.
Timelines: Dienstzettel without delay after hiring; changes notified in writing at the latest on the day they apply.

Common pitfalls

Signing without knowing your collective agreement. It sets your minimum: check your classification (Einstufung), it decides your salary. The chamber of labour (Arbeiterkammer, AK) can review your contract free of charge if you are a member.
Resigning without thinking about unemployment. If you leave of your own accord, unemployment benefit only starts after four weeks (see AT-TRAVAIL-TOUS-002).
Believing that the 13th month is automatic. It is almost always provided for by the agreement, but not by law: check the text that applies to you.
Counting notice from the day of the letter. Notice is counted up to an end date (Kündigungstermin), often the end of a month or a quarter depending on the agreement.
Teleworking from another country. If you work for an Austrian employer while living elsewhere, you pay contributions in principle in your country of residence as soon as you carry out at least 25% of your working time and/or remuneration there (indicative threshold in Article 14 § 8 of Regulation 987/2009, European coordination rules). A European framework agreement, signed by Austria (in force since 01/07/2023), allows you to remain insured in Austria if telework in your country of residence stays below 50% of working time, on joint request with the employer, and only if your country of residence has also signed it. Tax follows the tax treaty between the two countries (see AT-IMPOTS-TOUS-002).

What changes by country of origin

EU and EEA citizens, Swiss nationals: free access to the Austrian labour market, without a work permit; same rights as Austrians.
British nationals (including Scots): since Brexit, you need a residence permit allowing work (for example the Rot-Weiß-Rot-Karte), except for beneficiaries of the Withdrawal Agreement ("Artikel 50 EUV" permit, see AT-SEJOUR-TOUS-001). Employment law is then the same.

Official sources (12) ›

Checked on 23 October 2026

Looking for a job in Austria, getting your diplomas recognised and claiming unemployment benefit (AMS, U1, Arbeitslosengeld)

To look for a job in Austria, the two public entry points are the AMS (Arbeitsmarktservice, the public employment service) and EURES, the European network. If your profession is regulated (health, teaching, nursery school…), you need official recognition of your diploma; otherwise, an assessment by ENIC NARIC AUSTRIA helps the employer understand it. After at least 52 weeks of insured employment over two years, you can receive the Arbeitslosengeld (unemployment benefit), about 55% of your net salary, for at least 20 weeks.

Costs: AMS registration and advice from the AST contact points are free; ENIC NARIC assessment: €150 for one or two diplomas per application, €50 per additional diploma (OeAD fee consulted on 20/10/2026)
Timeframes: Unemployment: 52 weeks of insured employment over 24 months for a first claim; minimum duration of 20 weeks; 4 weeks' waiting period after a resignation

Steps

Search. Consult the offers of the AMS (ams.at) and EURES (eures.europa.eu); EURES advisers also provide information on living and working conditions.
Have your qualifications recognised.
- Regulated profession (doctor, nurse, other health professions, nursery school teacher, teacher…): with an EU, EEA or Swiss diploma, request recognition under Directive 2005/36/EC from the competent authority (Medical Chamber, Ministry of Health, Land government, regional education directorate depending on the profession). The portal berufsanerkennung.at brings the procedures together.
- Non-regulated profession: no mandatory recognition. You can request an assessment (Bewertung) of your university diploma from ENIC NARIC AUSTRIA, online (AAIS portal, card payment only). It describes the academic value of your diploma and can complete your application; it does not restrict access to non-regulated professions and is not enough for a regulated profession.
- Free help: the AST contact points (Anlaufstellen für Personen mit im Ausland erworbenen Qualifikationen) in Vienna, Linz, Graz and Innsbruck, with advice sessions in the other Länder, advise free of charge and in several languages.
If you lose your job: register with the AMS at the latest on the first day of unemployment, preferably online (MeinAMS, with ID Austria or by an activation code sent by post), otherwise in person. The date of filing the claim counts: the benefit starts from then.
If you worked in another EU country just before: ask the unemployment body of the country where you worked for the U1 form and hand it to the AMS. It proves your insurance periods, which Austria must take into account as if you had been covered there from the start (Your Europe).
If you arrive unemployed from another country: with a U2 form from your country, you can keep your benefit from that country while looking for work in Austria, for at least 3 months (up to 6 depending on the paying country). You must have been registered for at least 4 weeks as a jobseeker before leaving (exceptions are possible), then register with the AMS within 7 days.

Documents

For the AMS: ID, social security number, certificate of end of contract, U1 form if you worked in another EU or EEA country, in Switzerland or in the United Kingdom.
For a recognition or an assessment: diplomas and transcripts, translations if necessary (the AST points help with certified translations).

Costs and timelines

Unemployment conditions (Anwartschaft): 52 weeks of employment insured for unemployment over the last 24 months for a first claim (over 25); 28 weeks over the last 12 months for a subsequent claim. The salary must exceed the marginal employment threshold, €551.10 gross per month in 2026.
Amount: about 55% of net daily income, calculated on gross salary (capped at €6,825 per month in 2026), plus a family supplement of €0.97 per day for each person entitling you to it (children are taken into account); a supplement also exists for small amounts (2026).
Duration (AlVG, § 18): 20 weeks; 30 weeks with 156 weeks of insured employment; 39 weeks from age 40 with 312 weeks over the last 10 years; 52 weeks from age 50 with 468 weeks over the last 15 years.
Waiting period: 4 weeks without benefit if you resign or are dismissed for serious misconduct (the AMS states that termination by mutual agreement does not trigger this period).
Payment: monthly, in arrears, around the 8th of the month.
ENIC NARIC assessment: €150 for the assessment of one or two diplomas per application, €50 per additional diploma, paid by card (OeAD, fee consulted on 20/10/2026); the Austrian Integration Fund (ÖIF) may reimburse it for certain groups, including immigrants.

Common pitfalls

Resigning without a plan. Resignation delays the benefit by 4 weeks (the total entitlement does not decrease, it is shifted).
Keeping a small job alongside unemployment. Since 1 January 2026, very part-time work (geringfügig) at the same time as the benefit is only possible in a few cases (long-term unemployed, certain AMS training courses…). Any work must be declared to the AMS.
Missing an AMS appointment. An appointment missed without a valid reason shifts the date of your claim, hence the start of payments.
Arriving without having worked in Austria. Europe does not give an automatic right to unemployment benefit in a new country to someone who has never worked there: without a U2 from your country, the Austrian rules decide.
Believing that an assessment is enough for a regulated profession. For health or teaching, only the official recognition procedure allows you to practise.

What changes by country of origin

EU and EEA citizens, Swiss nationals: insurance periods aggregated with the U1; recognition of regulated professions under Directive 2005/36/EC; export of the benefit with the U2.
British nationals (including Scots): the U1 form also covers periods in the United Kingdom (Your Europe). To work, you need a suitable residence permit (see AT-TRAVAIL-TOUS-001); for a regulated profession, the European recognition regime does not in general apply to the qualifications of a non-European national (European Commission), except for rights protected by the Withdrawal Agreement (recognition requested or obtained before 01/01/2021). You therefore go through the Austrian procedure for third-country diplomas, specific to each profession (for example the Nostrifizierung of a university diploma); the AST contact point tells you the competent authority free of charge. An EU citizen who obtained their diploma in the United Kingdom before 01/01/2021 keeps the European regime, with no time limit.

Official sources (11) ›

These guides give the general rules. Your situation can change the answer: Moovy looks at it with you and tells you when you need a professional.

Employee in Austria: contract, probation period, collective agreements, 13th and 14th month salaries, working hours, leave and notice

Costs: Free for the employee; Abfertigung neu: 1.53% of gross salary paid by the employer
Timeframes: Dienstzettel handed over without delay after hiring; probation period of one month at most

Steps

Find your collective agreement. Ask your employer which Kollektivvertrag applies (it must appear in the Dienstzettel): it sets your minimum salary according to your classification, your bonuses and often a shorter weekly working time (for example 38.5 hours).
Read your contract or demand your Dienstzettel. The contract can be oral, but in the absence of a written contract containing all the items below, the employer must give you, without delay after hiring, a written document (paper, or electronic if you choose) with at least: the names and addresses of both parties, the start date (and end date if the contract is fixed-term), the notice period, the place of work, the classification, the post, the base salary and its components, leave, the working hours, the applicable agreement, the social security fund and the Abfertigung fund (BV-Kasse), the probation period and the planned training.
Probation period. It must be agreed, lasts one month at most (three months for an apprenticeship) and allows either party to terminate at any time, without reason or notice.
Check your social security registration. The employer registers you: you are insured from day one (see AT-SANTE-TOUS-001 and AT-NIF-TOUS-001).
Working time. Statutory normal working time: 8 hours per day and 40 hours per week. Beyond the limit in your agreement, these are additional hours (Mehrstunden); beyond the statutory limit, overtime (Überstunden). Statutory ceilings (§ 9 AZG): in principle 12 hours per day and 60 hours per week, with a few exceptions provided by law for particular cases; the average must not exceed 48 hours per week over 17 weeks (a collective agreement may extend this reference period up to 26 weeks, or even 52 for technical or organisational reasons).
Leave. 25 working days per year in a five-day week (30 working days in a six-day week), i.e. 5 weeks. After more than 25 years of service with the same employer: 6 weeks (30 working days in a five-day week).
End of the contract. Employee's notice: one month, for the end of a month (a contract or an agreement may extend it up to six months, with the employer then having to observe at least as much). Employer's notice: 6 weeks for the first two years, then 2 months from the 3rd year, 3 months from the 6th, 4 months from the 16th and 5 months from the 26th. Since 1 October 2021, these periods also apply to manual workers (Arbeiter). The possibility for a collective agreement to set shorter periods (§ 1159 ABGB, 2017 version) was abolished with retroactive effect to 01/07/2025 (BGBl. I Nr. 111/2025). Clauses of this type adopted in an agreement between 01/01/2018 and 30/06/2025 remain applicable under conditions: a notice period of less than one week is replaced by one week there, and their scope can no longer be extended. Unless a more favourable agreement applies, the employer can only end the contract at the end of a calendar quarter, or on the 15th or the last day of a month if the parties have agreed so.

Documents

ID and social security number (or application in progress).
Bank details (IBAN, see AT-BANQUE-TOUS-001).
Diplomas and, for a regulated profession, recognition of your qualification (see AT-TRAVAIL-TOUS-002).
Written employment contract or Dienstzettel handed over by the employer.

Costs and timelines

Minimum wage: no statutory minimum; most agreements provide at least €1,700 gross, 14 times a year (Ministry of Social Affairs, 2025). Where there is no agreement, a Mindestlohntarif (minimum rate set by an authority) may apply.
13th and 14th month salaries (Sonderzahlungen, often Urlaubszuschuss and Weihnachtsremuneration): no statutory right; they come from the agreement or the contract. Reduced taxation up to one sixth of the annual salary (Jahressechstel): 0% on the first €620, 6% up to €25,000, 27% up to €50,000, 35.75% up to €83,333; these rates do not apply if this sixth does not exceed €2,615 (2026; €2,675 in 2027). Social security contributions also apply.
Abfertigung neu (end-of-contract savings): for contracts started after 31/12/2002, the employer pays 1.53% of gross salary (bonuses included) from the second month into a fund (Betriebliche Vorsorgekasse). The capital remains yours, but you can only request payment after at least three years of contributions and if the contract ends through dismissal by the employer, termination by mutual agreement, expiry of the term, dismissal through no fault of your own or a justified early departure on your part (ministry list); no payment in case of resignation or dismissal for misconduct.
Timelines: Dienstzettel without delay after hiring; changes notified in writing at the latest on the day they apply.

Common pitfalls

Signing without knowing your collective agreement. It sets your minimum: check your classification (Einstufung), it decides your salary. The chamber of labour (Arbeiterkammer, AK) can review your contract free of charge if you are a member.
Resigning without thinking about unemployment. If you leave of your own accord, unemployment benefit only starts after four weeks (see AT-TRAVAIL-TOUS-002).
Believing that the 13th month is automatic. It is almost always provided for by the agreement, but not by law: check the text that applies to you.
Counting notice from the day of the letter. Notice is counted up to an end date (Kündigungstermin), often the end of a month or a quarter depending on the agreement.
Teleworking from another country. If you work for an Austrian employer while living elsewhere, you pay contributions in principle in your country of residence as soon as you carry out at least 25% of your working time and/or remuneration there (indicative threshold in Article 14 § 8 of Regulation 987/2009, European coordination rules). A European framework agreement, signed by Austria (in force since 01/07/2023), allows you to remain insured in Austria if telework in your country of residence stays below 50% of working time, on joint request with the employer, and only if your country of residence has also signed it. Tax follows the tax treaty between the two countries (see AT-IMPOTS-TOUS-002).

What changes by country of origin

EU and EEA citizens, Swiss nationals: free access to the Austrian labour market, without a work permit; same rights as Austrians.
British nationals (including Scots): since Brexit, you need a residence permit allowing work (for example the Rot-Weiß-Rot-Karte), except for beneficiaries of the Withdrawal Agreement ("Artikel 50 EUV" permit, see AT-SEJOUR-TOUS-001). Employment law is then the same.

Official sources (12) ›

Checked on 23 October 2026

Looking for a job in Austria, getting your diplomas recognised and claiming unemployment benefit (AMS, U1, Arbeitslosengeld)

Costs: AMS registration and advice from the AST contact points are free; ENIC NARIC assessment: €150 for one or two diplomas per application, €50 per additional diploma (OeAD fee consulted on 20/10/2026)
Timeframes: Unemployment: 52 weeks of insured employment over 24 months for a first claim; minimum duration of 20 weeks; 4 weeks' waiting period after a resignation

Steps

Search. Consult the offers of the AMS (ams.at) and EURES (eures.europa.eu); EURES advisers also provide information on living and working conditions.
Have your qualifications recognised.
- Regulated profession (doctor, nurse, other health professions, nursery school teacher, teacher…): with an EU, EEA or Swiss diploma, request recognition under Directive 2005/36/EC from the competent authority (Medical Chamber, Ministry of Health, Land government, regional education directorate depending on the profession). The portal berufsanerkennung.at brings the procedures together.
- Non-regulated profession: no mandatory recognition. You can request an assessment (Bewertung) of your university diploma from ENIC NARIC AUSTRIA, online (AAIS portal, card payment only). It describes the academic value of your diploma and can complete your application; it does not restrict access to non-regulated professions and is not enough for a regulated profession.
- Free help: the AST contact points (Anlaufstellen für Personen mit im Ausland erworbenen Qualifikationen) in Vienna, Linz, Graz and Innsbruck, with advice sessions in the other Länder, advise free of charge and in several languages.
If you lose your job: register with the AMS at the latest on the first day of unemployment, preferably online (MeinAMS, with ID Austria or by an activation code sent by post), otherwise in person. The date of filing the claim counts: the benefit starts from then.
If you worked in another EU country just before: ask the unemployment body of the country where you worked for the U1 form and hand it to the AMS. It proves your insurance periods, which Austria must take into account as if you had been covered there from the start (Your Europe).
If you arrive unemployed from another country: with a U2 form from your country, you can keep your benefit from that country while looking for work in Austria, for at least 3 months (up to 6 depending on the paying country). You must have been registered for at least 4 weeks as a jobseeker before leaving (exceptions are possible), then register with the AMS within 7 days.

Documents

For the AMS: ID, social security number, certificate of end of contract, U1 form if you worked in another EU or EEA country, in Switzerland or in the United Kingdom.
For a recognition or an assessment: diplomas and transcripts, translations if necessary (the AST points help with certified translations).

Costs and timelines

Unemployment conditions (Anwartschaft): 52 weeks of employment insured for unemployment over the last 24 months for a first claim (over 25); 28 weeks over the last 12 months for a subsequent claim. The salary must exceed the marginal employment threshold, €551.10 gross per month in 2026.
Amount: about 55% of net daily income, calculated on gross salary (capped at €6,825 per month in 2026), plus a family supplement of €0.97 per day for each person entitling you to it (children are taken into account); a supplement also exists for small amounts (2026).
Duration (AlVG, § 18): 20 weeks; 30 weeks with 156 weeks of insured employment; 39 weeks from age 40 with 312 weeks over the last 10 years; 52 weeks from age 50 with 468 weeks over the last 15 years.
Waiting period: 4 weeks without benefit if you resign or are dismissed for serious misconduct (the AMS states that termination by mutual agreement does not trigger this period).
Payment: monthly, in arrears, around the 8th of the month.
ENIC NARIC assessment: €150 for the assessment of one or two diplomas per application, €50 per additional diploma, paid by card (OeAD, fee consulted on 20/10/2026); the Austrian Integration Fund (ÖIF) may reimburse it for certain groups, including immigrants.

Common pitfalls

Resigning without a plan. Resignation delays the benefit by 4 weeks (the total entitlement does not decrease, it is shifted).
Keeping a small job alongside unemployment. Since 1 January 2026, very part-time work (geringfügig) at the same time as the benefit is only possible in a few cases (long-term unemployed, certain AMS training courses…). Any work must be declared to the AMS.
Missing an AMS appointment. An appointment missed without a valid reason shifts the date of your claim, hence the start of payments.
Arriving without having worked in Austria. Europe does not give an automatic right to unemployment benefit in a new country to someone who has never worked there: without a U2 from your country, the Austrian rules decide.
Believing that an assessment is enough for a regulated profession. For health or teaching, only the official recognition procedure allows you to practise.

What changes by country of origin

EU and EEA citizens, Swiss nationals: insurance periods aggregated with the U1; recognition of regulated professions under Directive 2005/36/EC; export of the benefit with the U2.
British nationals (including Scots): the U1 form also covers periods in the United Kingdom (Your Europe). To work, you need a suitable residence permit (see AT-TRAVAIL-TOUS-001); for a regulated profession, the European recognition regime does not in general apply to the qualifications of a non-European national (European Commission), except for rights protected by the Withdrawal Agreement (recognition requested or obtained before 01/01/2021). You therefore go through the Austrian procedure for third-country diplomas, specific to each profession (for example the Nostrifizierung of a university diploma); the AST contact point tells you the competent authority free of charge. An EU citizen who obtained their diploma in the United Kingdom before 01/01/2021 keeps the European regime, with no time limit.

Official sources (11) ›

These guides give the general rules. Your situation can change the answer: Moovy looks at it with you and tells you when you need a professional.

Work

Employee in Austria: contract, probation period, collective agreements, 13th and 14th month salaries, working hours, leave and notice

Steps

Documents

Costs and timelines

Common pitfalls

What changes by country of origin

Looking for a job in Austria, getting your diplomas recognised and claiming unemployment benefit (AMS, U1, Arbeitslosengeld)

Steps

Documents

Costs and timelines

Common pitfalls

What changes by country of origin

Other topics

Work

Employee in Austria: contract, probation period, collective agreements, 13th and 14th month salaries, working hours, leave and notice

Steps

Documents

Costs and timelines

Common pitfalls

What changes by country of origin

Looking for a job in Austria, getting your diplomas recognised and claiming unemployment benefit (AMS, U1, Arbeitslosengeld)

Steps

Documents

Costs and timelines

Common pitfalls

What changes by country of origin

Other topics