How to become an au pair in Austria?

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Austria has 3 different programs for the different au pair citizenships.
Choose here which programs you want to see and compare.

rules & regulations

Au pair
World

minimum stay

not defined

maximum stay

12 months

working hours

18 hours / week of child care and help with household chores.

For au pairs coming from "third countries" (non EU/EEA/CH) it's not allowed to work less hours for less money.

It's allowed to work more hours for more money (more than the monthly subsistence payment), but then the au pair has to pay tax and social insurance.

days off

  • 1 afternoon and evening on a weekday starting from 14:00 (according to law) resp. one free day per week (according to the model contract)
  • 1 Sunday off every 2 weeks

holidays

  • 30 working days = 5 weeks / year

allowed work

The au pair should help with child care, babysitting and "light housework" - but an official definition does not exist for these tasks...

Which work should an au pair be expected to carry out? Which work can an au pair definitely refuse to do? Discuss with other families and au pairs in our community

forbidden work

There's no official regulation regarding forbidden work, but quite sure caring for the sick or elderly is forbidden.

pocket money

The pocket money is continuously adapted to the marginal earnings threshold.

The wage of Au Pairs that have been employed from 1 January 2020 is at least 460,66 Euro (i.e. monthly marginal earnings threshold [Geringfügigkeitsgrenze nach ASVG]). This means a weekly working time of 18 hours including child care and little help with household chores.

board and lodging

Board and lodging are offered by the family for free.

room

According to law, the room has to be heatable and lockable. Furthermore, it should be common sense that it has a window as well as a certain minimum size (8 m²).

language course

For au pairs coming from outside EU/EEA/CH, the participation in a language course is mandatory to be able to stay the full 12 months.

At least 50% of the cost for the language course are to be born by the family (according to the Austrian model contract).

travel expenses

The cost of travelling to and from the host country is usually borne by the au pair.

In the case of au pairs coming from far away with rather high travel costs, the host family often pays for the return ticket - if this is the case, it should be mentioned in the au pair contract.

health, accident and liability insurance

If the Au pair is employed under the subsistence pay, the registration with the legal accident insurance is sufficient.
Health insurance can be taken out for the Au pair at a private insurance company. Any foreign health insurance is only sufficient if the benefits are also granted in Austria.

The cost for health insurance is normally borne by the au pair but if the family pays for it, the amount is deducted from the monthly wages.

Au pairs from outside EU/EEA/CH need to have a health insurance which covers "all risks" to be able to get an "Aufenthaltsbewilligung – Sonderfälle unselbstständiger Erwerbstätigkeit" / Residence Permit - Special Cases of dependent employment (visa).

social welfare system

If the au pair doesn't earn more than the monthly subsistence payment, he / she doesn't have to pay any social insurance fees.

The host family, however, has to pay their contribution to the social insurance, which is 1,3%

For the employment of Au Pairs, a registration with the legal social insurance (ASVG) is required. The free board and lodging and the amount, which the host family has to pay for, the private insurance of the Au Pairs and their participation in language courses and cultural events, are not included in the wage and therefore are non-contributory.

Furthermore, 1,53% has to be paid to the Mitarbeitervorsorgekasse.

tax

If the au pair doesn't earn more than the monthly subsistence payment, he / she doesn't have to pay any tax.

For the family, child care expenses are tax deductible up to 2300 EUR/year and child.

This all sounds very complicated? Discuss tips and tricks with other host parents in our community!

cost for host family

  • pocket money: 438.05 EUR
  • Social insurance: 1,3% = 5.28 EUR
  • "Mitarbeitervorsorgekasse": 1.53 % = 6.21 EUR
  • board & lodging: 196.20 EUR (official amount)
  • language course: ~ 50 EUR
  • ev. public transportation ticket (~ 50 EUR)
  • ev. higher car insurance fee if the au pair is allowed to use it
  • ...

This sums up to about 720 EUR/month.

Please note: Au pairs receive 15 monthly salaries (holiday allowance, Christmas allowance and a 15. montly salary because they are classified as domestic workers).

placement fee

There are no regulations about placement fees for au pair agencies in Austria.

ending of contract

According to the model contract, the contract can be terminated by both parties without giving reasons with a period of notice of 1 week.


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Hi, my name is Christoph Knauer

and I’m responsible for this country information

I have thoroughly researched the information on this page, still I can’t give a guarantee that everything is correct and up-to-date.

If you should find any mistakes, please send me a message.

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