Sick leave by country / Austria
Sick leave and sick pay in Austria
Who pays when someone is ill, how much, for how long, and what the certificate rules are — in plain English, whether you run a team in Austria or work on one.
Austrian employers continue full salary for six weeks of sickness in the first year of service, eight weeks from the second year, ten from the sixteenth and twelve from the twenty-sixth, followed in each case by four weeks at half pay; the same scale has applied to blue- and white-collar staff since 2018. The health insurer (ÖGK) then pays Krankengeld at 50% of the assessment basis, rising to 60% from the 43rd day of illness, for up to 26 weeks, extendable to 52 or 78 weeks. Employees must report sick immediately and provide a certificate when the employer asks.
Disclosure: some software links on this page are affiliate links. If you sign up through one, we may earn a commission at no additional cost to you. We only recommend tools we have set up and used, and commission never affects placement or verdicts. Not legal advice: this page summarises publicly available state agency guidance for general information. Verify with the linked agency or an employment attorney before acting on it.
How it works
Since the 2018 harmonisation, section 2 of the Entgeltfortzahlungsgesetz and section 8 of the Angestelltengesetz give every employee the same ladder: six weeks of full pay per year of service in the first year, eight weeks from the second, ten from the sixteenth and twelve from the twenty-sixth, plus four weeks at half pay each time; work accidents and occupational disease carry eight weeks from the start regardless of service. The entitlement is per year of service, so a new illness within the same year draws on what remains. Krankengeld from the ÖGK begins on the fourth day of incapacity but is suspended while the employer pays full salary and paid at half while the employer pays half; the rate is 50% of the assessment basis for the first 42 days and 60% from day 43, capped at the contribution ceiling, for 26 weeks, extendable to 52 weeks by statute and 78 by insurer rules. The employee must report incapacity without delay and, on request, produce a doctor’s confirmation; failure to do so loses the pay for the days concerned.
Worth knowing: Because the entitlement is per year of service rather than per illness, an employee who has used the full period once cannot draw on it again until their next service anniversary; a new illness in the same year is covered only by what is left.
If you run a team in Austria
Apply the tenure ladder — the year of service, not the calendar year, resets the entitlement — and continue full then half pay before ÖGK takes over; small employers can claim a partial refund from the AUVA for absences beyond ten days (and from day one for work accidents). State your certificate rule in the contract or works agreement; you may require confirmation from the first day. Sickness does not reduce holiday, and holiday interrupted by more than three days of certified illness is credited back.
If you work in Austria
Tell your employer straight away that you are unfit and how long the doctor expects; bring a confirmation if asked. Your full salary continues for at least six weeks, longer with service, then half pay; ÖGK pays Krankengeld afterwards on application. Illness during holiday of more than three days is not counted as holiday if you report it.
Sickness and annual leave
Holiday keeps accruing during sickness. If an employee is ill for more than three calendar days during holiday and reports it immediately, those days are not counted as holiday (Urlaubsgesetz §5).
The annual leave entitlement itself is covered on our Austria annual leave page — 25 working days minimum.
Keeping the record straight
Sick pay rules turn on dates: the day the illness started, the day the certificate was due, the day the employer's obligation ends and the benefit takes over. In Austria those dates decide who pays and how much, and they have to be provable months later — to a payroll auditor, an insurer, or the employee. A shared spreadsheet rarely survives that; a tracker like Leavo records each absence with its dates and approvals alongside annual leave, so the record exists before anyone asks for it. We compare the options in our leave management software guide, and the policy side — carryover, payout, accrual — in our guides.
Sick leave in Austria: common questions
Is the scale per illness or per year?
Per year of service. The full-pay and half-pay periods are available once in each year of service; a second illness in the same year draws on what is left, and the entitlement renews on the service anniversary.
How much is Krankengeld?
50% of the assessment basis (roughly the average gross pay of the previous three months, up to the contribution ceiling) for the first 42 days of illness, then 60%, paid for up to 26 weeks and extendable to 52 or 78.
Can my employer demand a certificate from the first day?
Yes. The law requires a confirmation on request; the timing is set by the employer, the contract or a works agreement, and confirmation from the first day is lawful.
What happens if I fall ill during my annual leave in Austria?
Holiday keeps accruing during sickness. If an employee is ill for more than three calendar days during holiday and reports it immediately, those days are not counted as holiday (Urlaubsgesetz §5).
Source
Primary source: Entgeltfortzahlungsgesetz (EFZG) §2; Angestelltengesetz §8; ASVG (Krankengeld). Rates and caps change — often every January or April — and collective agreements frequently improve on the statutory scheme. Confirm against the current text before acting. See our methodology.