The Austrian social security system distinguishes between four different categories of insurance coverage. Depending on whether and how you are insured, you have insurance coverage in the following categories: 

  • Health
  • Accident
  • Pension
  • Unemployment 

If you are legally resident and working in Austria, you are covered by social security, regardless of your nationality, if you exceed a certain income threshold. As you are compulsorily insured, this is also referred to as compulsory insurance.  Anyone who is insured must pay insurance contributions in order to obtain insurance coverage.

Depending on whether you are employed or self-employed, you are insured according to different statutory regulations. This means that you are not free to choose your insurance, but the type of work you do determines your insurance relationship:

  • Employees who work for private employers must be insured under the General Social Security Act (ASVG). The following three social security providers are responsible for them: the Austrian Health Insurance Fund (ÖGK) for health insurance, the General Accident Insurance Institution (AUVA) for accident insurance, and the Pension Insurance Institution (PVA) for pension insurance.
  • Employees who work for the Austrian state are insured under the Civil Servants' Sickness and Accident Insurance Act (B-KUVG). They have health and accident insurance with the Insurance Institution for Public-Service Employees, Railway and Mining Workers (BVAEB). Their pension insurance is with the Pension Insurance Institution (PVA).
  • Self-employed people are insured under the Social Insurance Act for Commerce and Trade (GSVG). Their social security provider is the Social Security Institution for the Self-employed (SVS).

Info: Austria’s Public Employment Service (AMS) is responsible for unemployment benefits. 

If you carry out different types of professional activity, you are also insured with different insurance providers at the same time (multiple insurance). See below for more information.

To be compulsorily insured, you must earn a certain minimum income. This minimum income is adjusted annually and is as follows for 2024: 

  • €551.10 per month for self-employed people;
  • €6,613.20  per year for self-employed people.

If your income is too low, you are not compulsorily insured. However, you can take out voluntary self-insurance.

Info:  If you are not compulsorily insured personally, but one of your relatives is compulsorily insured in Austria, you can be co-insured with this person. This is common for spouses and children, for example. 

 

Co-insurance of dependants

If you are already compulsorily insured in Austria, you can have certain family members who do not have their own insurance coverage included in your health insurance:

  • Spouses, registered partners, and (under certain conditions), cohabiting partners;
  • Children up to 18 years of age;
  • Children over the age of 18, as long as they receive family allowance from the tax office;
  • Children over the age of 18 up to the age of 29 for a maximum of 24 months if they are unemployed;
  • Children over the age of 18, as long as they are unable to work due to illness or infirmity;
  • Children up to the age of 27 if they are in education.

Co-insurance for your children is free of charge. 

Co-insurance for spouses/registered partners/cohabiting partners is only free of charge if you live with this partner and a child under the age of 18 in the same household, or care for and look after this child. If this is not the case, you pay an additional contribution of 3.4% of your income as an insurance premium.

Multiple insurance

If you carry out different gainful activities that are subject to compulsory insurance, you are insured with different insurance providers at the same time (multiple insurance): 

  • If you are employed and self-employed at the same time and exceed the marginal earnings threshold in both activities, you are insured under both the General Social Security Act (ASVG) and the Social Insurance Act for Commerce and Trade (GSVG).
  • If you are simultaneously employed by a private employer and by the Austrian state, you are insured under both the General Social Security Act (ASVG) and the Civil Servants' Sickness and Accident Insurance Act (B-KUVG).

However, this has no effect on the insurance contributions you have to pay! In Austria, insurance contributions are calculated on the basis of your total income. The income from all activities is therefore added together and, depending on how much you earn, the total insurance sum is correspondingly higher. 

Just because you are insured with several providers doesn’t mean you pay higher premiums. The total amount depends solely on the level of income. 

Example: You are a theatre professional and work in independent theatre projects. You have been employed as an actor for a project in Vienna for six weeks and will be compulsorily insured with the Austrian Health Insurance Fund (ÖGK) during this period because you will earn more than €551.10per month. At the same time, you will teach three courses in speech technique at the University of Music and Performing Arts. As the university is a state institution, you will be registered with the BVAEB (Insurance Institution for Public-Service Employees, Railway and Mining Workers). As you also work independently as a director, you will earn income as a self-employed worker. You will receive a fee for this. 
If the income from your self-employed work exceeds the annual marginal earnings threshold of €6613.20 (2025), you are also subject to compulsory insurance with the Social Security Institution for the Self-employed (SVS). This means you have three valid insurance relationships. Your insurance contributions to be paid are calculated on the basis of your total income.

Info: Multiple insurance policies can have a positive effect on your pension benefits in old age.

In the following subchapters, you will find detailed information on 

  • social insurance for employed people in Austria under the ASVG, and
  • social insurance for self-employed people in Austria under the GSVG.

Social insurance for employed people (ASVG)

Social security for the Self-Employed (GSVG)