Prescription Charge 2027 Austria: Cap, e-card Fee, Exemption

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The prescription charge (Rezeptgebühr) is €7.55 per pack in 2026. As of 16 October 2026, the 2027 amount has not been published. The cap is already fixed, though: in 2027 it falls to 1.875% of annual net income. The e-card fee (Serviceentgelt, the yearly service charge for your health insurance card) for 2027 is €26.85 and falls due on 15 November 2026, which is also the first time retirees pay it. This guide covers the current amounts, the cap, exemptions and refunds.

Key takeaways

• Prescription charge 2026: €7.55 per pack. The 2027 amount is not yet published. Under § 136 Abs. 3 ASVG it is indexed each year with the revaluation factor (Aufwertungszahl), but the law suspended that for 2026 (§ 809 Abs. 3 ASVG); the regulation setting the revaluation factor for 2026 came out on 28 November 2025.
• Prescription charge cap: 2% (2026), 1.875% (2027), 1.75% (2028), 1.625% (2029), then the standard rate of 1.5%.
• In 2026 the cap is 2% of annual net income, but at least €314.01 (no fewer than 41 prescription charges).
• e-card fee 2027: €26.85. For 2026 it was €25.00.
• Retirees pay for the first time on 15 November 2026. People receiving an orphan's pension are exempt.
• 2026 income threshold for an exemption: €1,308.39 for singles, €2,064.12 for married couples (net per month).

e-card fee 2027: €26.85, due on 15 November 2026

The e-card fee is a yearly charge for using your e-card. In 2026 it is €25.00, collected on 15 November 2025. For 2027 it rises to €26.85, due on 15 November 2026 (source: gesundheitskasse.at).

The 2025 Budget Accompanying Act (Budgetbegleitgesetz 2025, BGBl. I No. 25/2025) set the base amount at €25 from 2026. Since 2026, that base amount is multiplied each year by the revaluation factor under § 108a ASVG, Austria's general social insurance act, and rounded to 5 cents: 25 x 1.073 = 26.825, so €26.85 for 2027 (revaluation factor 2026: BGBl. II No. 263/2025; own calculation). That is ordinary indexation, not an additional increase. Sources: RIS, § 31c Abs. 2 ASVG, the umbrella association of social insurance carriers and oesterreich.gv.at.

The fee is usually collected automatically through your employer or pension insurance carrier. Co-insured dependants pay no fee of their own. Retirees with a pension under the ASVG or GSVG pay the e-card fee for the first time on 15 November 2026, for 2027; it is deducted from the pension. Exempt are, among others, people receiving an orphan's pension (Waisenpension) and people exempt from the prescription charge because of low income and social need.

If you are tracking these charges, the natural next question is what the e-card actually covers, and where private supplementary insurance (Zusatzversicherung) picks up. Our health insurance guide for Austria walks through that distinction.

e-card fee vs prescription charge: what is the difference?

The e-card fee is a fixed yearly charge for the card itself. The prescription charge applies to every pack of medicine prescribed on a public health insurance prescription. If you never fill a prescription, you only pay the e-card fee. If you need medication regularly, you pay the prescription charge each time until you reach the annual cap.

Each charge has its own exemption rules, covered in the sections below.

Prescription charge 2026 and 2027: amount and cap

The prescription charge stays at €7.55 per pack in 2026, unchanged from 2025. ÖGK explicitly describes the fee as "frozen" (source: oegk.at). The unit is the pack, not the prescription slip: ÖGK states that a charge is due "per pack, directly at the pharmacy, for every medicine prescribed by a contracted doctor" (source: oegk.at). As of 16 October 2026, the 2027 amount has not been published. Under § 136 Abs. 3 ASVG it is indexed each year with the revaluation factor; for 2026 the law suspended that indexation (§ 809 Abs. 3 ASVG). The regulation setting the revaluation factor for 2026 came out as BGBl. II No. 263/2025 on 28 November 2025.

More important than the per-pack amount for many people is the annual cap: once your prescription charges in a calendar year exceed a set percentage of your annual net income, further prescriptions that year are free. The cap falls in stages over the coming years:

So the reduction runs as a four-year staged plan to 2030, not a single jump (source: ASVG § 809 Abs. 4, BGBl. I No. 20/2025, and § 30a Abs. 1 Z 15, RIS).

One practical point matters here: the cap-based exemption needs no application at all. The e-card system adds up your paid prescription charges in the background. Once you hit the cap, your doctor sees the exemption note when issuing a prescription and the pharmacy stops charging (source: sozialversicherung.at). Your doctor never sees your income, only the exemption flag.

The cap covers the insured person together with their entitled dependants. Low incomes face a minimum amount: in 2026 you pay at least €314.01, which means no fewer than 41 prescription charges (source: oegk.at). An exemption reached through the cap always ends on 31 December.

A further change affects the calculation itself: since 1 January 2026, medicines whose health insurance retail price is below the €7.55 charge also count toward the cap, at an amount equal to the prescription charge (€7.55) rather than their actual price. That sounds like a technicality, but anyone who regularly buys cheaper medicines now reaches the cap faster than before.

Who is exempt from the e-card fee and the prescription charge?

Automatically exempt are, among others, recipients of the compensatory supplement (Ausgleichszulage), civilian service conscripts and asylum seekers (source: oegk.at). Anyone not receiving these benefits whose net income falls below the threshold can apply for an exemption (source: oesterreich.gv.at). For 2026 the thresholds are:

The per-child supplement applies as long as the child's own net income stays below €481.23 (source: oegk.at). For an exemption on application, your partner's income counts at 100 percent and the income of other household members at 12.5 percent.

And side by side, who pays what:

If your income is low, our guide to the ORF contribution exemption explains whether you can also be exempted from the ORF-Beitrag, Austria's public broadcasting contribution.

How to apply for a prescription charge exemption

If your income falls below the thresholds above, you have to apply for the exemption yourself. It does not kick in on its own while no application is on file. The usual process, with your insurer's requirements being authoritative:

1. Get the application form from your health insurer (ÖGK or the relevant carrier), online or at a customer service office.
2. Attach proof of income for every member of your household. If you receive a compensatory supplement, the exemption applies automatically and no application is needed.
3. Additional documents may be required for the higher illness/disability threshold. Your insurer sets out exactly which.
4. Submit the application online via Meine ÖGK (ID Austria) or by post.
5. Wait for the exemption certificate. Once approved, you receive confirmation to show at the pharmacy and doctor's office.

Without an application the full charge keeps applying, even if your income is below the threshold. The procedure is described on oesterreich.gv.at; for case-specific questions, such as how long an exemption on application lasts, contact your health insurer.

Paid the e-card fee twice? How refunds work

If you had two or more employers on the cut-off date, each of them may have deducted the e-card fee. Overpaid amounts are refunded by your health insurer, but only on request (source: oegk.at). You can file the request online with ID Austria or by post.

Nothing happens automatically here. If you had more than one employer on 15 November, check your payslips: if the fee was deducted more than once, an application to ÖGK gets you the difference back. The same applies if the fee was collected even though you were exempt.

Rising out-of-pocket costs: is private supplementary insurance worth it?

The e-card covers Austria's statutory basic care, and that stays true in 2027. What it does not cover: private doctor (Wahlarzt) fees, semi-private or private hospital rooms (Sonderklasse), shorter waiting times for specialists. That is exactly where private supplementary insurance comes in.

The e-card fee rises to €26.85 in 2027, and the prescription charge cap sits at 2% of annual net income in 2026 and 1.875% in 2027. These are not dramatic sums. But they are a reasonable prompt to look at your own cover: what does ÖGK handle, and what does supplementary insurance add on top?

If faster specialist access or better hospital accommodation matters to you, our health insurance guide for Austria breaks down what to look for when choosing cover. For private-doctor treatment specifically, see our guide to outpatient insurance for private doctors in Vienna, and our article on private health insurance monthly costs in Austria has the figures on what such cover costs.

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Frequently asked questions about the e-card fee and prescription charge

How much is the prescription charge in 2027?

As of 16 October 2026, the 2027 amount has not been published. In 2026 the prescription charge is €7.55 per pack, the same as in 2025. Under § 136 Abs. 3 ASVG it is multiplied each 1 January by the revaluation factor and rounded to five cents; for 2026 the law suspended that indexation. The regulation with the revaluation factor for 2026 came out on 28 November 2025.

What is the prescription charge cap in 2027?

In 2027 the cap is 1.875% of annual net income excluding special payments, down from 2% in 2026. It falls to 1.75% in 2028 and 1.625% in 2029, after which the standard rate of 1.5% applies. Low incomes face a minimum amount: in 2026 you pay at least €314.01, which means no fewer than 41 prescription charges.

How much is the e-card fee in 2027?

The e-card fee for 2027 is €26.85 and falls due on 15 November 2026. For 2026 it was €25.00. Since 2026 the base amount of €25 is multiplied each year by the revaluation factor and rounded to five cents: 25 x 1.073 = 26.825, rounded to €26.85 (own calculation). That is the statutory indexation, not an additional increase.

Do retirees have to pay the e-card fee in 2027?

Yes. Anyone receiving a pension under the ASVG or GSVG pays the e-card fee for the first time on 15 November 2026, namely €26.85 for 2027. The amount is deducted from the pension. For 2026, retirees did not have to pay the fee. Exempt are, among others, people receiving an orphan's pension and people exempt from the prescription charge because of low income and social need.

Who is exempt from the prescription charge?

Exempt without an application are, among others, recipients of the compensatory supplement (Ausgleichszulage) or the equalisation supplement (Ergänzungszulage) and civilian service conscripts. People whose net income is below the threshold can be exempted on application: in 2026 that is €1,308.39 per month for singles and €2,064.12 for married couples, plus €201.88 per child. Here your partner's income counts at 100 percent and the income of other household members at 12.5 percent. Anyone exempted this way also pays no e-card fee.

How do I apply for a prescription charge exemption?

You apply to ÖGK online through Meine ÖGK with ID Austria, or you print the form and send it by post. Include proof of income for every member of your household. If you receive a compensatory supplement, no application is needed and the exemption applies automatically. Without an application the full charge keeps applying, even if your income is below the threshold.

Do cheap medicines under €7.55 count toward the cap?

Yes, since 1 January 2026. If the health insurance retail price of a prescribed medicine is below the prescription charge, it counts toward the cap at an amount equal to the prescription charge, so at €7.55 rather than its actual price. Anyone who regularly needs cheap medicines therefore reaches the cap faster.

How do I get a double-paid e-card fee refunded?

If the e-card fee was collected more than once, for example because you work for several employers, ÖGK refunds the overpaid amount on application. You can apply online with ID Austria or by post. The same applies if the fee was collected even though you are exempt.

Conclusion

Two figures for 2027 are fixed: the prescription charge cap falls to 1.875% of annual net income, and the e-card fee is €26.85. What is new is that retirees pay it for the first time on 15 November 2026, deducted straight from their pension. The 2027 prescription charge itself has not been published yet; in 2026 it stands at €7.55 per pack. If your net income is below the threshold but you receive no compensatory supplement, apply for the exemption actively rather than waiting for something automatic. If you had several employers on the cut-off date, check your payslips and claim back any double-collected fee. And if you are weighing your own cover, our health insurance guide for Austria shows where the e-card ends and private supplementary insurance begins.

Last updated: 16 October 2026.

Sources

• ÖGK / gesundheitskasse.at: Service fee, collection
• ÖGK: Service fee (e-card charge)
• ÖGK: Prescription charge frozen, noticeable relief
• ÖGK: Prescription charge and exemption
• ÖGK: Refund of the service fee
• RIS: ASVG § 31c (e-card service fee)
• RIS: ASVG § 136 (prescription charge)
• RIS: ASVG § 809 (cap 2026 to 2029)
• RIS: BGBl. II No. 263/2025 (revaluation factor 2026)
• oesterreich.gv.at: e-card and service fee
• oesterreich.gv.at: Exemption from prescription charge and service fee
• oesterreich.gv.at: Prescription charges
• Umbrella association of social insurance carriers: e-card service fee
• Umbrella association of social insurance carriers: Cap on prescription charges
• Pension insurance (pv.at): Compensatory supplement and thresholds