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Reader question: When will I receive my delayed €500 Klimabonus payment in Austria?

The Austrian government has started sending out the final €500 payments for its anti-inflation and climate bonus 2022. This is what you need to know.

The Klimabonus can also be sent via voucher. (
The Klimabonus vouchers. (The Local)

Starting Thursday, February 2nd, the last instalment of the Klimabonus for 2022 will be paid out, according to Austria’s Climate Protection Ministry.

Most people in Austria have already received the €500 payment, meant to offset rising inflation and a part of the country’s ecotax reform, in the fall/winter of 2022. However, those who only fulfilled the requirements later in the year will receive it now. 

According to the responsible Climate Protection Ministry, this affects around 457,000 people in Austria. 

These people either only transferred their primary residence to Austria in the first half of 2022, were recently born or for whom the status under the immigration law has yet to be clarified by the Ministry of the Interior.

READ ALSO: ‘I’m still waiting’: Foreigners in Austria still not been paid Klimabonus handout

How will the payment be made?

According to the ministry, the climate bonus comes without application and automatically via bank transfer or mail as a voucher. 

About 300,000 people will receive it directly to their account by Monday, February 6th, and about 150,000 will receive the climate bonus through the mail as an RSA letter – the vouchers will be delivered from the second half of February and should arrive to all by the beginning of March at the latest. The Post Office will deliver the vouchers in the second half of February, it said.

Is this the final payment?

Even those who received the Klimabonus in 2022 will also receive another payment in 2023. However, don’t get too excited; it will be far from the €500 subsidy the government offered in 2022.

The €500 Klimabonus was actually a Klima- und Antiteuerungsbonus, two bonuses in one. One, totalling €250, is the “climate bonus”(Klimabonus). The other, also €250, is the “anti-inflation bonus” (Anti-Teuerungsbonus).

The anti-inflation bonus was a one-off payment and is not expected to be repeated in 2023.

READ ALSO: Reader question: I’ve received my Austrian Klimabonus as a voucher, now what?

The climate bonus is part of Austria’s “ecosocial tax reform”, a set of measures destined to promote climate protection. One of them is a tax on CO2 emissions, which will raise the fuel prices in the country, affecting Austrian drivers.

The yearly Klimabonus will offset this expense. The idea is that the more you use public transport, the more of the bonus you will have “left” by the end of the month. 

According to the government, those living in well-connected cities with plenty of options for public transport (people who, therefore, could easily choose more eco-friendly transportation instead of a car) will receive less money. For example, in Vienna, the payment will be €100.

The maximum payment will be €250.

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RENTING

Austrian students move back in with parents amid rising rent costs

Rising rents are hitting students hard in Austria, and some of them need to move back home to afford their living expenses, according to a new study.

Austrian students move back in with parents amid rising rent costs

Austria offers high-quality education through its many universities and other educational institutions, which are famous for their generally low tuition fees. However, inflation has significantly affected many of the country’s around 400,000 students.

According to a recent survey conducted by the social research institute on behalf of the Chamber of Labour (AK), the increase in rent has forced many of the students to move back home with their parents.

Almost half of the student’s income goes to rent

A total of 1,644 students participated in the survey carried out in January, which revealed that students have to spend an average of 43 percent of their income on their housing costs, which is more than double the amount spent by the rest of the population.

In student dormitories, students spend even more, with over half of their income going towards housing. This is because students in halls of residence often come from socioeconomically disadvantaged backgrounds and have more limited resources.

“We have seen that many students have had to move or look for a roommate due to inflation,” Dora Jandl, consultant for higher education policy at the Vienna Chamber of Labour, told the Kurier.

Many depend financially on their parents

A huge 59 percent of Austrian students financially depend on their parents, which can be psychologically challenging and create pressure for them to complete their studies as early as possible. At the same time, almost two-thirds of Austrian students are employed while studying.

“If you’re tired of working all the time and have money worries, you can’t fully concentrate on education,”  Austrian student Katharina told Austrian newspaper, der Standard.

READ ALSO: What kind of discounts can you get as a student in Austria?

Sometimes students pay more than they should

Another point is that Austrian students sometimes have to pay more rent than they should. The majority of students participating in the survey did not know that landlords in old buildings have to deduct certain costs from fixed-term contracts as per the Tenancy Act. Some landlords do not amend the charges on their own, and instead need prompining.

With this background, the Chamber of Labour now wants to see more transparency in the calculation of surcharges and discounts. Additionally, they want to limit the use of fixed-term contracts and suggest that larger apartment owners, like real estate or insurance companies, should only be allowed to rent out their properties on an unlimited basis. 

Measures to improve the current situation

Rents in Austria increased sharply during 2023, mainly because of the high inflation that skyrocketed in the country during that year. The average monthly rent (excluding running costs) was 7.1 euros per square meter in the third quarter of 2023, an increase of 9.2 percent compared with the same quarter of the previous year.

To help students, the Chamber of Labour and the Austrian Student Union (ÖH) want the government to bring back the subsidy for student dorms, which was stopped in 2010. They would also like to see rent controls, more affordable dorms being built, greater government support for affordable housing, and an end to fixed-term leases.

READ NEXT: How can I move into affordable cooperative housing in Vienna?

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