Income tax in Austria 2026: your tax rate and what you keep
You keep
€6,678 a month
€80,141 a year · 61.6% of your gross
| Wage tax on the 12 regular salaries | €31,531 | 24.3% |
|---|---|---|
| Wage tax on the 13th and 14th salaries | €935 | 0.7% |
| Social insurance on the 12 regular salaries | €15,027 | 11.6% |
| Social insurance on the 13th and 14th salaries | €2,366 | 1.8% |
| Net | €80,141 | 61.6% |
Tax rates on the 2026 national scale climb from 0% to 55%, which applies above €1,000,000, before contributions and any local tax. Foreign employees in Austria are treated as fully taxable from their first day, provided they hold a work permit or contract of at least six months. The commuter credit, the Pendlereuro, tripled in 2026 from €2 to €6 per kilometre of the one-way trip. The tax advantage for new arrivals is narrow and mainly targets researchers. At €270,000 gross, net falls to €156,759, or 58%; at €450,000, to €251,631, or 56%. On €130,000 the country ranks 24 of 35 for cash in hand, before any special regime. The sums assume: Anywhere in Austria outside Vienna, where the housing contribution is 0.25 point higher; annual pay split into 14 equal salaries. On safety, schools and health it scores 48 out of 100 among the countries covered. Further down you will find 5 legal ways to cut the bill, the Zuzugsfreibetrag (section 103 Income Tax Act) regime and the mistake to avoid when you go.
The tax scale
National 2026 scale, before deductions. Social contributions and any local taxes come on top.
| From €0 to €13,539 | 0% |
|---|---|
| From €13,539 to €21,992 | 20% |
| From €21,992 to €36,458 | 30% |
| From €36,458 to €70,365 | 40% |
| From €70,365 to €104,859 | 48% |
| From €104,859 to €1,000,000 | 50% |
| Above €1,000,000 | 55% |
At different salaries
| Gross | Income tax | Contributions | Net | Kept |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| €89,000 | €16,494 | €15,955 | €56,551 | 64% |
| €130,000 | €32,467 | €17,393 | €80,141 | 62% |
| €270,000 | €95,848 | €17,393 | €156,759 | 58% |
| €450,000 | €180,977 | €17,393 | €251,631 | 56% |
Assumptions: Anywhere in Austria outside Vienna, where the housing contribution is 0.25 point higher; annual pay split into 14 equal salaries. Payroll withholding only: no commuter allowance, overtime, annual assessment, refund of social contributions at low pay or of pension contributions above the ceiling, and net pay really does drop at the marginal-job limit and at the low-pay unemployment contribution steps, as the law provides.
What should you do at your salary? My plan in 5 questions →
Average salary in Austria
On €58,754 gross, the average salary of 2025, about $65,899, an employee in Austria takes home €3,370 a month, or €40,438 over the year. That leaves them 69% of their pay.
Among the 31 salaries compared, this one comes 11 before tax and 12 after, as tax moves it down 1 place. Canada precedes it with $45,866 net, Sweden follows with $44,465.
| Gross a year | €58,754 |
|---|---|
| Net a year | €40,438 |
| Net a month | €3,370 |
| Share kept | 69% |
OECD figure: average gross pay per full-time equivalent employee. Exchange rate of 2 November 2026.
Cost of living in Austria
Rank 140 of 161 counting from the cheapest: prices in Austria stand at 84.8 on a base of 100 in the United States in 2025, 15% below the United States.
Compared with the other country pages: cheaper than the Netherlands (86.7) and dearer than France (82.8). A net average salary of $45,355 has the buying power here of $53,485 in the United States, where the same employee keeps $70,018. Housing is a separate story: 159.3 against a world 100 in 2021, compared with 139.5 for everyday prices.
Beyond the money
National public figures: they place the country, and say nothing about one district or one school.
| Safety, schools, health score | 48 out of 100 |
|---|---|
| Homicides per 100,000 people | 0.9 |
| Political stability (−2.5 to +2.5) | 0.5 |
| Rule of law (−2.5 to +2.5) | 1.7 |
| Mean PISA score at 15 | 486 |
| Reference international school | €27,997 · Vienna International School, Vienna (2026-27) |
| Life expectancy | 82 years |
| PM2.5 fine particles (µg/m³) | 10 |
| Housing price level (world = 100) | 159.3 |
| Everyday price level (world = 100) | 139.5 |
Annual tuition published by the school, for Grade 6, excluding enrolment and other fees unless stated. One school among others, shown as a marker, not a recommendation. One-off on top: application EUR 670, admissions EUR 5,760, capital EUR 5,040 (EUR 3,500 for UN agency and diplomatic families).
Against other countries
At €130,000 gross, it ranks 24 of 35 for cash in hand, at today's exchange rate.
Paying less, legally
Commuter allowance and credit
Anyone entitled to the Pendlerpauschale also gets the Pendlereuro, set at €6 per kilometre from 2026. A company car available for the commute rules out both.
Familienbonus Plus
This tax credit reaches €2,000.16 a year per child up to 18, and €700.08 afterwards while family allowance is paid.
Employer retirement and insurance payments
Employer payments for retirement or insurance cover, offered to all staff or defined groups, are tax-free up to €300 a year per employee. Salary conversion can fund them, and the allowance applies per employer.
Employer childcare subsidy
A subsidy of up to €2,000 per child per year stays tax-free when granted to all employees or defined groups.
Special expenses
Church contributions are deductible up to €600, tax adviser fees without limit, and donations to approved bodies up to 10% of total income.
Special regimes
Zuzugsfreibetrag (section 103 Income Tax Act) Open
Allowance of 30% of income from scientific work taxed at the normal scale
Who is tax resident in Austria?
Unlimited liability rests on a home or a habitual abode in Austria. A dwelling that is usable at any time and used recurrently can be enough, even if it is not the main home, while a habitual abode requires a stay that is plainly longer than a holiday, business trip or visit.
The trap to know
Departure counts as a sale. When Austria loses its right to tax financial assets, derivatives or crypto, section 27(6) of the Income Tax Act deems them sold; on a move to an EU or EEA state, the tax can be assessed on request and collected only on an actual sale, with a yearly proof duty if the gain tops €100,000.
Questions
How much is €130,000 after tax in Austria?
€80,141 a year, or €6,678 a month, for a single resident employee. Income tax comes to €32,467 and contributions to €17,393. At €270,000, the share you keep moves to 58%. Each month that leaves €6,678 of €10,833 gross. Regimes for new arrivals are not applied here.
What is the top income tax rate in Austria?
55.0% on the 2026 scale, above €1,000,000. At €130,000, each extra 1,000 leaves about €580 net. At €450,000 gross you would keep 56%. It only hits what exceeds the threshold, the rest of the salary following the lower bands, so your average rate stays well below it.
What gross salary leaves €120,000 net a year in Austria?
About €201,000 gross a year, or €16,750 a month, for a single resident employee, with no special regime taken into account. Tax and contributions then take 40% of gross. In a negotiation, start from this gross and add whatever the employer pays separately in kind.
Is Austria safe and expensive to live in?
The public figures on this page show 0.9 homicides per 100,000 people, a housing price level of 159.3 (world = 100) and a mean PISA score of 486. On health, people here live 82 years on average and the air holds 10 µg/m³ of fine particles. A city or a single school can sit far from these averages, so always check the area you have in mind.
Sources
- RIS: § 33 EStG 1988 (tax scale and credits)
- RIS: § 67 EStG 1988 (13th and 14th salary)
- RIS: § 16 EStG 1988 (flat work-expense deduction)
- ÖGK: variable values 2026
- ÖGK: reduced unemployment contribution at low pay from 1 January 2026
- ÖGK: contribution tariff system, valid from 1 July 2026
- BMF: gross-to-net calculator 2026, press release
- World Bank / UNODC, intentional homicides per 100,000
- World Bank, Worldwide Governance Indicators: political stability and absence of violence
- World Bank, life expectancy at birth
- World Bank, PM2.5 air pollution, mean annual exposure
- World Bank, International Comparison Program 2021: price level index, housing (world = 100)
- OECD, PISA 2022 Results, Volume I
- Vienna International School
- OECD, Average annual wages, current prices in national currency (read 3 November 2026)
- World Bank, PPP conversion factor for private consumption (PA.NUS.PRVT.PP) divided by the official exchange rate (PA.NUS.FCRF), API read 3 November 2026
Figures 2026, checked on