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Why your March salary could be late in Austria

Workers in Austria who receive a monthly salary may have their March pay packet arrive late due to European banking regulations.

Why your March salary could be late in Austria
Having not enough money to your name is not good for your credit-worthiness. Photo: Pixabay

For salaried employees, payday is traditionally the end of the month, but most workers now have their money transferred automatically into their bank accounts. 

However, this year, the end of March coincides with Easter weekend, with Easter itself falling on Sunday, March 31st. Therefore, the Europe-wide Target 2 system, which handles automated SEPA payments within the EU and EEA, will be closed over the Easter weekend.

The European Central Bank, which oversees Target 2, closes the exchange system on weekends and selected public holidays. For Easter, that means a four-day closure from Thursday, March 28th, to Tuesday, April 2nd, according to reporting in the Journal du Geek.

Although Good Friday (March 29th) is not a holiday in Austria, many other European countries observe it as a public holiday.

READ ALSO: Why is Good Friday not a holiday in Austria?

That means that a salary paid on March 28th won’t reach the recipient’s bank account until Tuesday, April 2nd.

Target 2 is closed on May 1st, December 25th and December 26th. These dates don’t usually affect salary payments, so Easter is usually affected when it coincides with the end of the month.

Normal banking services will continue over the Easter weekend, and instant transfers and internal transfers between two accounts handled by the same bank will also proceed as normal.

The salary delay won’t affect people who get paid on other dates or those paid in cash.

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For members

MONEY

What we know so far about Austria’s new €2,000 grant for home improvements

Austria wants to heat up the real estate and construction sectors - and is offering grants to people who have had work done on their homes.

What we know so far about Austria's new €2,000 grant for home improvements

Austria’s federal government had announced plans to avoid a housing crisis in the country, with measures including cheap loans, new builds and tax deductions announced, as The Local reported in February.

One of the measures announced was a so-called Handwerkerbonus, or a “tradesperson bonus,” set up to incentivise people to do more construction work and renovations in their homes. It was announced that in 2024 and 2025, anyone commissioning tradespeople would be able to claim €2,000 in grants from the federal government. 

Even though the bonus was much publicised at the time, little was known about the application process. However, Austria’s Ministry of Economics has finalised the details and guidelines for the bonus, as Austrian media reported.

READ ALSO: How Austria’s new plans to avoid a housing crisis will affect residents

Online requests from July

From July 15th, people in Austria will be able to apply for the Handwerkerbonus online through a dedicated website that will be online “soon.” People will be able to submit invoices retroactively, and any work done by a craftsperson from March 1st will be eligible for reimbursement.

According to the daily Der Standard, the online application will be “quite simple.” For reimbursement, people will have to upload the worker’s invoice and fill in their details, such as name, address, and bank account number (IBAN). An ID-Austria registration or photo ID upload will be used for identification.

The federal government is earmarking €300 million for the bonus.

How much will be reimbursed?

Householders can claim up to a maximum of €2,000 – but you can only claim up to 20 percent of the total invoice amount, as the government had announced. People can apply twice, once in 2024 and once in 2025. 

The application is also per person, so a household with two people could apply for up to € 4,000, for example. Additionally, several smaller invoices can be combined into one – with a lower limit of €50. 

READ ALSO: How self-employed people in Austria can get a €100 bonus from social security

The grants can be claimed by anyone who has had work done, you do not need to own your own home – although tenants will need approval from their landlord for any major works.

What type of work counts for the bonus?

The applications are very broad, and many types of “craftmanship” work could be reimbursed. This includes new tiles on the terrace, renovation of the façade, or new paint in the children’s rooms, as Der Standard reported. 

Labour services in connection with house construction are also eligible for subsidies under the guidelines.

“The bonus is intended to support people who have manual work carried out and also to benefit the regional economy such as installation or electrician companies, roofing companies or builders”, said August WÖginger, a government parliament member. 

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