The Austrian social security the system is mandatory illness; accident; and pension insuranceIt is prescribed by law. The employer deducts the employees’ social security contribution from the gross salary and pays it to the treasury (in addition to paying the contribution itself). It is regulated by the Austrian Social Security Act (Allgemeines Sozialversicherungsgesetz = ASVG). All employees working in Austria whose income exceeds 551.10 euros per month in 2026 (Lower limit of insignificance) automatically receives coverage under the Austrian social security system.
Since 2020, the former provincial health funds (Gebietskrankenkasse) have merged into a single organization, the ÖGK (Österreichische Gesundheitskasse). In addition, separate funds exist for, for example, civil servants (BVAEB) and entrepreneurs (SVS). Employees are classified into different funds according to their geographical location and profession. It is worth checking which insurer you belong to, because the services available may differ, and some of them are partially or fully reimbursed:
- Free choice of doctor Yes. We receive free care if the doctor we have contracted with the insurance company is available (Contractual physician) choose, doctors who do not have a contract (General practitionerThey charge a cost, which we can reclaim partially or in full.
- Interactions in a Hospital
- Prescription medications can be purchased in a single unit price (Recipe fee)
- Purchasing medical equipment
- Health insurance
- Rehabilitation
- In Austria, we have the opportunity to provide for our family member who is not insured (Co-insurance)
The social security payment obligation is borne by the employer; the amount of this is determined by the monthly payroll slips (With a salaryYou can find out more information. At your first workplace, the employer will register you with the Austrian Social Security Institution (SV=Österreichische Sozialversicherungsanstalt), who will send the registration form to your Austrian address within 2-4 weeks of the registration. e-cards.
An e-card, an electronic chip card, therefore, is available to everyone who has social security. The card contains your name, your social security number (Sozialversicherungsnummer), the card number, and, as of 2020, a photo of every insured person who has reached the age of 14. Your other personal information is only seen by the doctor. Your social security number remains the same; at the end of the seasonal work period you do not have to return the card, and at the beginning of the new season you do not have to apply for a new one; it is activated automatically with the check-in and check-out.
If you are still employed by your Austrian employer and would like to use your insurance card in Hungary during your vacation, it is worth considering the following: E106You will obtain a -os form because without it you are only entitled to emergency treatment.
At the end of the seasonal work, you can no longer use your e-card. In Hungary, you must register with the Family Support and Social Security Department of the competent government agency and certify the beginning and end of your insurance period using the E104 form. The E104 form is procured by the competent Hungarian authority on behalf of the applicant within the framework of international legal assistance.
Current values 2026 (informative nature)
- Lower limit of insignificance: 551.10 €/month (unchanged compared to 2025)
- Maximum contribution base per month (Höchstbeitragsgrundlage): 6 930 € (231 € per day)
- Recipe fee (Rezeptgebühr): 7,55 € per drug
- e-card service fee: 26,85 €/year, They are usually withdrawn in November for the following year.
- Additional pension (Ausgleichszulage) basic amount: for single persons 1 308.39 €/month, a married couple 2 064.12 €/month
The above data are based on the information published by WKO and ÖGK. The membership fees and the exact amounts may change; please check with them. oegk.at on the page.
Contact information for health insurance funds by province
Austrian Health Insurance Fund
Contact information for customer service
https://www.gesundheitskasse.at
In addition to the state pension, it is worth considering self-care as well, about which this Austrian pension savings You can read about it on the website.