Basis of Income Tax in Austria


Who is liable for paying income tax in Austria?Tax liability

How do I obtain a tax number?Starting up as self-employed

How do I calculate my income from self-employed work?calculating your taxable income

Which expenses am I allowed to recognise in my revenue and expenditure account?Operating expenses

When, how and where do I have to file a tax return?Tax return

How is income tax calculated?Calculation of income tax

Good to know

Under which conditions are scholarships and prize money tax-free?Scholarships and prize money

When does it make sense to apply this rule? ➢ Spreading income over a period of three years

Tax liability

Self-employed persons who have their permanent legal or habitual residence (= place where you spend more than six months /183 days a year) in Austria, are  taxable for income tax purposes without limitation, i.e. above a defined threshold they must file an income tax return and pay income tax on the assessed earnings.  Taxable without limitation means that the state of residence has a comprehensive right to tax all earnings generated worldwide.

Persons who do not have legal residency in Austria are subject to tax with limitations. For defined domestic earnings, they may be liable to pay tax in Austria. (see chapter Withholding Tax for Foreigners)

An artist has an apartment in Berlin and an apartment in Vienna. Under Austrian law, she has unlimited tax liability in both countries. To avoid her paying tax twice on the same income, she consults the double taxation agreement between Austria and Germany. There it says: "The person is deemed to be a resident only in the state in which he has a permanent home; if he has a permanent home in both states, he is deemed to be a resident only in the state to which he has the closer personal and economic ties (center of vital interests)."
The artist may work equally in Berlin and Vienna, but has her family/children in Berlin, then she will have unlimited tax liability in Germany. In case of doubt, it is worthwhile to determine the unlimited tax liability with the help of a tax advisor.


Starting up as self-employed

How do I get a tax number?

To notify the tax office of your self-employment, you must fill in the Questionnaire for Taxation (“Fragebogen zur steuerlichen Erfassung“), which you may either request directly from the tax office responsible for your place of residence or business, or download from the website of the Federal Ministry of Finance. The tax office will then issue a tax number under which your tax account is set up and into which all payments for all taxes (i.e. e.g. income tax and VAT) are made.

Alternatively, you may apply for a tax number via FinanzOnline. After logging in with your access code, you may apply for a (business) tax number under the menu item “Eingaben/Anträge/Erklärungswechsel“.

Please note

In the questionnaire, you will be asked to estimate your turnover and profit for the first year. This estimate is the basis for the provisional income tax pre-payments. Therefore, you should be rather conservative when estimating your turnover and profit, otherwise you may be confronted with high tax pre-payments and might possibly also be assessed for mandatory social insurance by the social insurance institution for business and trade (Sozialversicherungsanstalt der Gewerblichen Wirtschaft, SVS) [link to the chapter Social Insurance – when does insurance with SVS become mandatory].

Calculating your taxable income

How do I calculate my taxable income from self-employed activity?

The taxable income of self-employed persons is generally ascertained by applying a cash-based system of revenue and expense accounting. This simplified system for ascertaining taxable income records all operating income and expenditure actually received and/or spent during the calendar year. The difference between revenue and expenditure is either a surplus or a shortfall from self-employed activity.

Operating expenses

Which expenses am I allowed to deduct in my revenue and expense account?

Self-employed persons may offset all expenses which are connected to their business activity as operating expenses. Expenses for private purposes such as rent and energy for a residential apartment, clothing, child-care, personal upkeep etc. are not deductible as operating expenses. 

Operating expenses typically include:

  • - Rent and energy costs for rooms used for professional purposes (office, studio, rehearsal/event/storage room, ...). If the study is located in the apartment, the proportional rent and energy costs can be deducted if this room in the apartment is used exclusively for professional purposes and forms the center of the taxpayer's professional activity (e.g. a studio for a painter, a study for a writer).
    - Office supplies (stationery, printer cartridges, copies, business cards, ...). - Work equipment: items used for work purposes up to an acquisition cost of 1,000 euros (e.g. cell phone, camera, musical instruments); for acquisitions over 1,000 euros: see "Depreciation")
  •  - Telephone and Internet costs (possibly reduced by a private share) - postage costs - Maintenance and repairs (e.g. repair of office equipment, ...) - Professional/work clothes: however, these must be clothes that are not usable in everyday life (e.g. uniforms, ballet costumes) - Subhonorariums (orders, which one has assigned oneself) 
  • - Education and training costs - professional literature 
  • - Consultancy costs: tax consultancy, lawyer's fees in unlimited amount 
  • - Compulsory commercial social insurance contributions for statutory health, pension and accident insurance as well as contributions for unemployment insurance 
  • - Business meals: Initiation of a business relationship with a new customer.The prerequisite is proof with whom and for what purpose the business meal took place (it is expedient to note this on the invoice). Even if this condition is met, such expenses are only 50% deductible.

Depreciation 

Items that are intended to serve the business on a permanent basis can only be recognized immediately in their entirety as operating expenses if the acquisition cost does not exceed EUR 1,000. More expensive investments must be depreciated over their useful life. The useful life depends on how long the item can be used in the business in an economically viable manner. IT equipment, for example, can be depreciated over three years, while furnishings and office adaptations are generally depreciated over 10 years. For passenger cars, the useful life is set by law at 8 years.

Half-year rule: If an asset is acquired in the first half of the year (i.e. by June 30 at the latest), the depreciation amount may be claimed for the entire year. If the asset is acquired as of July 01 of a year, only half of the annual depreciation can be deducted in the year of acquisition (the missing half year is appended at the end, so it is not lost).

Example

A photographer buys a PC for EUR 1,200 during the first six months of 2022. He can write off the device over three years, meaning that he can deduct EUR  400 in the years 2022, 2023 and 2024 as operating expense in his revenue and expenditure account.

If he had acquired the PC in the second half of 2022, he could write off only EUR 200 for 2022, EUR 400 each for 2023 and 2024, and in 2025 again EUR 200.

Travel expenses

Self-employed persons who need to travel for business may include the accruing travel costs for which they are not reimbursed in their revenue and expenditure account. Travel expenses include

  • travel costs (passenger vehicle, cab, public transport, bicycle etc.),
  • additional subsistence allowance (per diems),
  • overnight costs (per noctems) and
  • ancillary expenses.

Travel costs 

Travel costs are deductible expenses for travel from home to the place of work, as well as all expenses incurred for other travel required for business purposes. The cost of public transport (e.g. plane, rail, bus) or a rental car are also tax-deductible at their actual amount. 
When using a passenger vehicle two different scenarios apply: If a passenger vehicle is used for business purposes at an extent of more than 50%, it is considered as being part of the operating assets. In this case, the accruing costs can be claimed as operating expenses at their actual amount (possible reduced by a share for private use). Here, mileage allowance may not be claimed.
If a passenger vehicle is used for business purposes at an extent of less than 50%, this is considered as use of a private passenger vehicle for business purposes. In this case, you may either claim the actual costs on a pro-rata basis, or the official mileage allowance. The official mileage allowances is EUR 0.42 per kilometre and covers all expenses (including parking fees, highway toll sticker and toll fees). In order to document travel costs, you need to keep a logbook or any other records which allow for a reliable assessment. Mileage allowance can be claimed up to a maximum annual mileage of 30,000 km.

Additional subsistence allowance (per diem)
When travelling, you generally incur extra costs for food and drink. This extra cost is tax deductible in the form of flat-rate per diems. To be able to claim a per diem, the destination must be at least 25 km from the place of business, the business trip must last at least three hours and it must not “create a further centre of business activity”. This is assumed, if somebody recurrently travels there for more than 5 consecutive days, or for five days at regular intervals, at least once weekly, or on 15 days within a calendar year. If  you are not there on official business for 6 calendar months, the 5-day calculation starts anew.
Within Austria, the maximum deductible amount per day is EUR 26.40 EUR and/or EUR 2.20 per started hour of a business trip.
For travel abroad, the deductible per diem equals the maximum amount for travel abroad of federal employees. This differs from country to country. The full per diems apply to 24-hour periods.

Per diems and per noctems for business travel abroad

Example for a trip within Austria

A musician travels from Vienna to Innsbruck for a concert. She leaves Vienna at 9:00 a.m. on the first day and returns at 5:30 p.m. the following day. She may claim the following per diem: EUR 26.40 EUR for the first 24 hours (9:00 a.m. on the first day to 9:00 a.m. on the second day) as well as 9 hours begun for the timespan 9:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. on the second day, i.e. 9/12th of 26.40, which is EUR 19.80. In total, the per diem for the trip amounts to EUR 46.20.  

Trip abroad

A visual artist travels from Salzburg to Munich in order to set up his exhibition and attend the opening. He leaves Salzburg at 10:00 a.m. on the first day and returns to Salzburg on the third day at 3:45 p.m. The per diem is calculated as follows: 10:00 a.m. of day 1 to 10:00 a.m. day 3:48 hours, i.e. twice the full per diem for Germany: EUR 35.30 x 2 = 70.60; add the time from 10:00 a.m. to 3:45 p.m. on day 3, which is 6 hours begun, i.e.  6/12th of EUR 35.30, or EUR 17.65 Euro; the total deductible per diem is EUR 88.25 EUR.  

If there is a domestic and a foreign part to the trip, these must be split: domestic per diem (pro-rated) until the border is crossed, foreign per diem (pro-rated) from the time of border-crossing. With air trips, the time of departure is considered as foreign travel to the country of destination. In that case, the foreign trip lasts until arrival at the domestic airport. 

Overnight expenses (per noctem)
Self-employed persons may either deduct overnight expenses at their actual amount as operating expense from taxes, or claim a flat-rate compensation. Per noctems are tax-free only, if a stay overnight is documented (e.g. by hotel bills). With distances of over 120 km, there is no need to submit evidence that the overnight was actually spent.
Within Austria, you may claim EUR 15 without having to prove the actual costs of overnight (flat-rate for overnight including breakfast) as tax deduction. For foreign trips, again the Rates for overnight travel for federal employees apply.

Workroom in the apartment association
Requirements for the deductibility of the study in the apartment association are primarily:
- It must be a separate workroom;
- The work room must be the center of the activity and this is not judged according to real use, but according to the job description.
- There must be no other workroom available for this activity.
Not only the proportionate rent, but also the proportionate energy costs can be claimed. This can be calculated e.g. according to m2.
NEW from 2022: Self-employed persons who do not have a separate workroom, but also no other workspace available, may deduct a lump sum (large lump sum) of 1,200 euros per year from 2022. If a workroom is still available, then a small lump sum of 300 euros per year can be claimed.

Flat-rate deduction of operating expenses

If your taxable income is ascertained using a cash-based system of accounting, there is a possibility to make a lump-sum deduction (basic flat-rate assessment pursuant to section 17 Austrian Income Tax Act). In this case, a flat-rate percentage is deducted from the net income/turnover without submitting evidence of actual costs incurred. This option may be more favourable in given circumstances than an itemized evidence of operating expenses.

The flat-rate for artistic activities is 12% of (net) turnover, a reduced flat-rate of 6% applies to earnings from a writing, lecturing, scientific, teaching or educational activity.

In addition to this flat rate, only the following expenses may be deducted at their full amount: goods purchased, wages paid and third-party fees (subcontractor invoices) as well as mandatory social insurance contributions.

Calculation scheme
Income
- 6% or 12% of the income as a lump sum
- purchase of goods
- compulsory insurance contributions
- Wages or external wages
- Travel expenses reimbursed by the client
= profit
- profit allowance
=income


Please note

If, in the ascertainment of taxable income, you switch from a flat-rate deduction of operating expenses to itemized accounting (by vouchers), you can only return to flat-rate taxation after five business years.

As an alternative to general basic flat-rate deduction, there is a specific regulation on lump-sum taxation for artists and writers. The average rate is 12% of turnover, limited to a maximum of EUR 8,725 per year. The following expenditures are subject to flat-rate deduction: costs for common technical devices, telephone, office supplies, technical literature, admissions, clothing/expenditure for external appearances, per diems, work space in a private home and entertainment. Other operating expenses are also tax-deductible.

Small business lump sum: 

lump sum with 45%, for service-providing companies with 20%, provided that the turnover is below 35,000 euros. The calculation scheme would then be:
Revenue
- 20% of the revenue lump sum
- compulsory insurance contributions
= profit
- profit allowance of 15%
= income

See also:
Information from the Austrian Federal Economic Chamber (WKO): Legal provisions on flat-rate deduction

Basic Tax Free Amount

The basic tax-free amount will be 15% of the income (up to 30,000 euros) from 2022. So up to max. 4500,- Euro can still be deducted from the income as basic allowance. The calculation scheme is:
Income 14.000,- Euro
- expenses 4.000,- Euro
= profit 10.000,- Euro
- Profit allowance 15% 1500,- Euro
= Taxable income 8.500,- Euro
In the tax return in Finanzonline this tax-free allowance is automatically taken into account. There is an option to waive it.

Income tax return

When, how and where do I have to file an income tax return? 

You need to file an income tax return, if:

  • Your taxable income (profit) from self-employed work exceeds EUR 11,693 and this amount does not contain any earnings subject to wage tax;
  • You receive other income in addition to income from self-employed work (e.g. earnings subject to wage tax) whose total amount is more than EUR 730 per year, and the total income is more than EUR 12,000;
  • You carry out two or several employed activities and your income exceeds EUR 12,000, and if
  • The tax office requests you to file a tax return. 

How and where?

The income tax return must, necessarily, be sent electronically (FinanzOnline). Only if this is unreasonable for lack of technical facilities (e.g. no internet conncection), you may hand in the tax return in writing using the appropriate form (Einkommensteuererklärung – E1) with the tax office that is responsible for your place of residence or business.

You need to transmit your revenue and expenditure account to the fiscal office, but fill in the enclosure to the income tax return form (E 1a) which contains a model statement of operating income and expenditure.

You need not submit original vouchers to the tax office, but must save them for seven years (records concerning landed property must be saved 12 years, and those concerning personnel matters for 30).

In order to be able to use FinanzOnline you must first register: 

When?

The deadline for filing income tax returns is April 30th of the following year (June 30th, if submitted electronically via FinanzOnline) with the competent tax office.  You may apply for a deadline extension. Later deadlines may be accorded if you are represented by a tax adviser or chartered accountant.

Calculation of income tax

How is income tax calculated?

The taxable income earned within a calendar year is the tax base. It consists of the sum total of seven forms of income defined in Austrian tax legislation as follows:

  1. Income from agriculture and forestry
  2. Income from self-employed work (this includes income from artistic activity)
  3. Income from a commercial operation
  4. Income from employed work (e.g. employment with a theatre as an actress)
  5. Income from capital
  6. Income from rents and leases
  7. Other income (e.g. income from private property sales or from speculative transactions). 

Allowances, unemployment benefits or unemployment assistance, as well as child-care allowances do not qualify as taxable income! Grants paid out to artists by the Social Insurance Fund for Artists [link to chapter Social Insurance Social Insurance Fund for Artists] are equally not recognised as income and therefore untaxed. Conversely, the social insurance contributions covered by these grants are not deductible.

Please note

Although unemployment benefit is not taxable, it is taken into account
in the tax calculation (so-called progression proviso). Due to the
effect of progression, the tax-free unemployment benefit can increase
the tax rate applicable to taxable income and this can result in an
additional tax payment when unemployment benefit is received!


Income Tax rates 2024


Any special expenses, extraordinary burdens and child allowances can be deducted from the total amount of income, after which the taxable income is calculated. The progressive income tax rate is applied to this income. Income up to 11,693 euros remains tax-free; the parts of income above this amount are taxed according to the applicable tax rate.


The income tax rates fore the year 2024 are calculated as follows:


Income
from                           to                                Tax rate
0 Euro                       12,816 euros                   0%

12,816 Euro              20,818 euros                  20%

20,816 Euro             34,513 euros                   30%

34,513 Euro            66,612 euros                    41 %

66,612 Euro           99,266 euros                     48 %

From 99,266 euros                                           50  %


An increased tax rate of 55 % applies in the years 2016 to 2025 for income shares above 1,000,000 euros per year ("solidarity tax").















Prize money and scholarships

Under which conditions are scholarships and prize moneys tax-free?

In order to assess whether prize moneys and scholarships are taxable, you must determine whether they qualify as operating income or not. There is no general tax-exemption for prize moneys and scholarships, every assessment must be made on a case-by-case basis.

Prize money
In general once can presume that prize money which is disbursed for a specific individual performance is taxable for the recipient, whereas donations which are granted in recognition of the personality or oeuvre of a person are neither subject to income tax, nor to VAT, since there is no performance and consideration.
State, honorary and promotional awards for outstanding artistic achievements are therefore tax-free, whereas prizes which are granted to winners of contests by a panel of jurors for a specific individual achievement (e.g. prizes in a design contest) are subject to tax. If a supporting organisation, for instances, acquires claims to a work of art of a visual artist in the course of awarding a prize, this prize, from an economic perspective, constitutes the price of acquisition and is therefore taxable.  

Scholarships
Scholarships which are disbursed on the basis of the Studies Support Act (Studienförderungsgesetz) and the Student Grant Act (Schülerbeihilfengesetz) are generally tax free. This also holds for grants awarded for master and diploma theses. Scholarships which are directly awarded by a university or a private research institution in the course of a training programme, are not taxable if the scientific work is not commercially exploited or published and if there is no contractual relation (contract for services or contract for work) with the grantor.

However, the fiscal authorities have held that the maintenance grant pursuant section 27 of the Studies Support Act (EUR 606 per month or EUR 7.272 annually) applies as a ceiling: if this amount is exceeded the employment aspect is deemed to prevail and therefore the entire scholarship is subject to taxation. Following the case law of the Supreme Administrative Court of 2014, it is not the amount which is relevant, but whether there is a business activity. In the opinion of the Supreme Administrative Court, this is not the case with scholarships granted for writing a doctoral thesis, while cooperation in a research project would qualify as a business activity.
Scholarships which are granted after graduation from a university or higher education institution (post-graduate scholarships, research and post-doctoral fellowships), are generally considered as a substitute for earnings, and therefore as earnings from gainful activity which are taxable. Grants awarded for artistic activity abroad are not subject to taxation, if the serve to cover the cost of living of the beneficiary at the foreign place of activity and the grant is awarded on condition that the activity is carried out abroad. However, you should check whether such grants are taxable in the country of activity pursuant to the double taxation agreement.

Spreading income over three years

When does this make sense? 

Artists in particular experience heavy fluctuations of their income. In 2000, a new law provided made it possible to spread income from artistic activities on application over a period of three years, the advantage being that the higher income of one year (which is subject to higher taxation owing to the progressive income tax rate) is offset against the lower income of the two preceding years and that a lower average tax rate is applied to the overall income and/or that the income falls below the tax threshold, so that there is no income tax to pay. Specifically, the taxable income from artistic activity of the current year is allocated at one third each to the current year and to the two preceding years. Please note that this may have an impact on social insurance of previous years, so that such redistribution may subsequently lead to mandatory insurance with the social insurer for business and trade (SVA) [link to chapter Social Insurance] or supplementary payments.

Example

In the years 2021 and 2022, an author works intensively on researching and finishing a book. In those two years, his income is low, but his expenses are high. The book is published in 2023, his income is high owing to high sales revenues.

His income was, in
2021: EUR 3,000
2022: EUR 4,000
2023: EUR 21,000

If he applies for spreading of income, the income of 2019 is divided by three, one third remains in the year 2019, the two other thirds are allocated to the previous years, so that the following figures results after having spreading the income:

2021: EUR 10,000
2022: EUR 11,000
2023: EUR 7,000

Without spreading this income, he would have to pay income tax for the year 2023. IF he spreads his income over the years 2021 and 2022, he would also exceed the social insurance threshold!