Published: 25 October 2026 · Updated: 25 October 2026
In Austria you are usually paid 14 monthly salaries a year, not 12 — and the two extra payments are taxed far more gently than your normal pay. Enter your monthly gross salary below and see instantly what your holiday and Christmas bonuses are really worth after tax and social contributions.
Your Austrian 13th and 14th salaries keep much more of their gross than regular pay. The first €620 a year is tax-free, the rest up to one sixth of your annual salary (the Jahressechstel) is taxed at a flat 6%, and social contributions are a reduced 17.07%. On a €3,000 monthly salary, the two bonuses total €6,000 gross — and about €4,653 net.
Researched by MixKhazana Team · Last updated 25 October 2026 · Data: Austrian Federal Ministry of Finance (BMF) special-payment rules, 6% flat rate + €620 tax-free allowance, employee social rate 17.07%
Austria's pay system surprises newcomers: most employees are paid 14 monthly salaries a year. The 13th salary (Urlaubsgeld) is the holiday bonus, usually paid in June, and the 14th salary (Weihnachtsgeld) is the Christmas bonus, usually paid in November. Each equals one monthly gross salary, and both are normally fixed by your collective agreement (Kollektivvertrag) or your employment contract — which is why checking your contract matters more than any online rule of thumb. If you need the wider picture of Austrian take-home pay, the German salary after-tax calculator shows how a neighbouring system compares, and our Netherlands ZZP freelancer tax calculator covers the self-employed side of European pay.
The tax treatment is where Austria is genuinely generous. Under the BMF special-payment rules, the first €620 of special payments per year is completely tax-free. The next slice — up to the Jahressechstel, one sixth of your annual regular salary — is taxed at a flat 6%, far below Austria's progressive rates that run from 20% to 55%. Only the part of your bonuses above the Jahressechstel is taxed at your normal marginal rate. Because the Jahressechstel equals two monthly salaries (12 months ÷ 6 = 2), a standard 13th + 14th package almost never exceeds it — so in practice nearly the whole bonus is taxed at just 6%.
Social contributions are reduced too: employees pay 17.07% on special payments instead of roughly 18.07% on regular salary, while the employer pays 20.48%. There is also an annual assessment base cap on special-payment contributions, so very large bonuses stop attracting contributions above that base. Put together, the formula is: net bonus = gross bonus − tax-free €620 − 6% tax on the preferential slice − marginal tax on any excess − 17.07% social contributions.
Take a Vienna employee on €3,000 gross per month with the standard two bonuses:
Try your own salary in the widget above — and if you are comparing European offers, run the France gross-to-net calculator to see how a French package stacks up against the Austrian one.
| Tax-free allowance (special payments) | €620 per year |
| Flat tax to the Jahressechstel | 6% |
| Jahressechstel | Annual regular salary ÷ 6 |
| Employee social contributions (special) | 17.07% |
| Employer social contributions (special) | 20.48% |
| Progressive income-tax range (regular pay) | 20% – 55% |
They are two extra monthly gross payments on top of your 12 regular monthly salaries: the 13th salary (Urlaubsgeld, holiday bonus, usually paid in June) and the 14th salary (Weihnachtsgeld, Christmas bonus, usually paid in November). Together they mean most Austrian employees are paid 14 monthly salaries a year.
For most employees, yes in practice: the payments are set by collective bargaining agreements (Kollektivverträge) that cover nearly all Austrian employees, or by the employment contract. There is no single statute that grants them to every worker, so always check your contract or collective agreement.
Favourably. The first €620 of special payments per year are tax-free. The next part, up to the Jahressechstel (one sixth of your annual regular salary), is taxed at a flat 6%. Only the amount above the Jahressechstel is taxed at your normal progressive income-tax rate.
Special payments carry reduced employee social contributions of 17.07%, versus about 18.07% on regular salary, and the employer pays 20.48%. Contributions on special payments are capped by an annual assessment base, so very large bonuses stop attracting contributions above that base.
The Jahressechstel is one sixth of your annual regular salary (your 12 monthly salaries added up, divided by six). It is the ceiling for the 6% flat-tax treatment of special payments: special payments up to this amount (after the €620 tax-free part) are taxed at just 6%.
The 13th and 14th salaries are prorated: you receive a share matching the months you actually worked in the relevant period. Someone starting in July, for example, typically receives about half of the Christmas bonus in November.
No. The special payments are an employee benefit under collective agreements and employment contracts. Self-employed people do not receive them, while pensioners receive their own 13th and 14th pension payments under a separate pension rule.
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