E-Card Fee & Prescription Charge Austria 2026/2027

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Austria's e-card service fee (Serviceentgelt) rises from €25.00 (2026) to €26.85 (2027). The prescription charge (Rezeptgebühr) stays unchanged at €7.55 in 2026. Anyone below the compensatory supplement (Ausgleichszulage) income threshold is exempt from both charges.

Key takeaways

• E-card service fee 2027: €26.85 (due 15 November 2026) — €1.85 more than 2026 (€25.00)
• Prescription charge stays at €7.55 in 2026 — no increase
• The cap on prescription charges drops in stages from 2% (2026) to 1.5% (2030) of annual net income
• From 2026, even cheap medicines below the €7.55 charge count toward the cap, so it's reached faster
• Exemption applies at net income up to €1,308.39/month (single) or €2,064.12/month (couples)

How much is the e-card fee in 2026 and 2027?

The e-card service fee (Serviceentgelt) is a once-a-year charge for using your e-card. In 2026 it is €25.00, due 15 November 2025. For 2027 it rises to €26.85, due 15 November 2026 — a 7.4% jump that goes beyond the usual annual adjustment (source: gesundheitskasse.at).

The above-average rise comes from a specific legal change: the 2025 Budget Accompanying Act (Budgetbegleitgesetz 2025, BGBl. I No. 25/2025) mandated an extra increase in the service fee. Normally the amount only adjusts each 1 January with the statutory valorisation figure under §108a ASVG (the general social insurance act); for 2027 the legislated top-up is added on top. The 2027 figure is confirmed by four independent sources: ÖGK (the Austrian Health Insurance Fund), chipkarte.at (the official e-card portal), the umbrella association of social insurance carriers and the WKO (Austrian Economic Chamber).

The fee is usually collected automatically through your employer or pension insurance carrier. Dependants co-insured under a family member's policy pay no service fee of their own.

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

Prescription charge 2026: amount & cap

The prescription charge stays at €7.55 per item in 2026 — unchanged from 2025. ÖGK explicitly describes the fee as "frozen," meaning pharmacy and medication costs for insured people won't rise further this year (source: oegk.at).

More important than the per-item 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. This cap is falling in stages over the coming years:

| Year | Cap (% of annual net income) | |---|---| | 2026 | 2.0% | | 2027 | 1.875% | | 2028 | 1.75% | | 2029 | 1.625% | | 2030 | 1.5% |

So the reduction is not a single jump but a four-year staged plan running to 2030 (source: arbeiterkammer.at, the Austrian Chamber of Labour).

A further change affects the calculation itself: since 1 January 2026, the purchase price of medicines priced below the €7.55 charge also counts toward the cap. That sounds like a technicality, but it has practical impact — anyone who regularly buys cheaper medicines will hit the cap faster than before.

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

People receiving a compensatory supplement (Ausgleichszulage), or whose monthly net income falls below the relevant threshold, are automatically exempt. For 2026 the thresholds are:

| Group | 2026 threshold (net/month) | |---|---| | Single | €1,308.39 | | Couples (combined) | €2,064.12 | | Higher threshold for illness/disability, single | €1,504.65 | | Higher threshold for illness/disability, couples | €2,373.74 | | Supplement per child (if child's net income ≤ €481.23) | +€201.88 |

And side by side, who pays what:

| Group | E-card service fee 2027 | Prescription charge | Exemption possible? | |---|---|---|---| | Employee (standard) | €26.85 (via employer) | €7.55/item | No (unless on compensatory supplement) | | Retiree | €26.85 (via pension insurance carrier) | €7.55/item | Yes, if on compensatory supplement | | Compensatory supplement recipient | Exempt | Exempt | Yes, automatically | | Dependant (co-insured) | Exempt | €7.55/item | No (unless own entitlement) | | Marginally employed | Exempt | €7.55/item | No |

How to apply for a prescription charge exemption

If your income falls below the thresholds above, you generally have to apply for the exemption yourself — it does not kick in automatically until you've filed a request. The usual process — your insurer's requirements are 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 — recent payslips or pension statements; if you receive a compensatory supplement, the corresponding pension insurance notice is usually enough.
3. Additional documents may be required for the higher illness/disability threshold — your insurer sets out exactly which.
4. Submit the application — in person, by post, or through your insurer's customer portal, depending on the carrier.
5. Wait for the exemption certificate. Once approved, you'll receive confirmation to show at the pharmacy and doctor's office.

How long the exemption runs and whether it needs to be reapplied for depends on your written decision (Bescheid) — your health insurer's information is authoritative. For case-specific questions, your health insurer is the direct point of contact.

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

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

The service fee rises 7.4% in a single year, and the prescription charge cap still sits at a full 2% of annual net income in 2026. These aren't dramatic sums, but they're a reasonable prompt to look at your own cover: what does the e-card/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 if you want to know what this kind of cover costs per month, our article on private health insurance monthly costs in Austria has the figures.

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

Häufig gestellte Fragen

How much does the e-card cost in 2026?

The e-card service fee for 2026 is €25.00, due 15 November 2025. It's a once-a-year charge for using your e-card, usually collected automatically through your employer or pension insurance carrier. Co-insured dependants and compensatory supplement recipients pay no service fee of their own.

How much does the e-card cost in 2027?

For 2027 the e-card service fee rises to €26.85, due 15 November 2026. That's €1.85 more than 2026, confirmed by ÖGK, chipkarte.at, the umbrella association of social insurance carriers, and the WKO. The 7.4% rise is well above the usual annual adjustment under §108a ASVG.

Why does the e-card service fee rise more sharply in 2027?

Normally the fee only adjusts each year with the statutory valorisation figure under §108a ASVG. For 2027, an additional increase mandated by the 2025 Budget Accompanying Act (BGBl. I No. 25/2025) is added on top, pushing the rise to 7.4%. The prescription charge is not affected by this extra increase and stays unchanged in 2026.

How much is the prescription charge in 2026?

The prescription charge stays at €7.55 per item in 2026, unchanged from 2025. ÖGK explicitly describes the amount as frozen, meaning it won't add further strain on insured people's pharmacy costs this year. How many charges you pay over the year depends on your prescriptions; once you hit the annual cap, further prescriptions become free.

How do I apply for a prescription charge exemption?

You apply with proof of income at your health insurer, in person, by post, or online. Once approved, you receive an exemption certificate to show at the pharmacy. Without an application the full charge keeps applying, even if your income is actually below the threshold. The exemption typically runs for one calendar year and must be renewed.

Who is automatically exempt from the e-card fee?

People receiving a compensatory supplement (Ausgleichszulage) are automatically exempt, as are co-insured dependants, who pay no service fee of their own. Anyone below the compensatory supplement income threshold but not yet receiving it has to actively apply — the exemption does not kick in on its own. For 2026 that threshold is €1,308.39 net per month for singles and €2,064.12 for couples.

What is the cap on prescription charges?

In 2026 the cap is 2% of annual net income. Once your prescription charges for the calendar year reach that amount, further prescriptions are free for the rest of the year. Since 1 January 2026, medicines priced below the €7.55 charge also count toward this cap, so it can be reached faster than before.

Will the prescription charge cap change in the coming years?

Yes, it falls in stages: from 2% (2026) through 1.875% (2027), 1.75% (2028) and 1.625% (2029) to 1.5% in 2030. According to the Austrian Chamber of Labour, this reduction runs as a four-year staged plan rather than a single jump. Since 2026, cheap medicines priced below the €7.55 charge also count toward the cap.

Conclusion

Two figures define 2026/2027: the e-card service fee climbs noticeably to €26.85, while the prescription charge holds steady at €7.55. If your income sits just above the compensatory supplement threshold, apply for the exemption actively rather than waiting for an automatic adjustment. And if you're weighing your own cover, our health insurance guide for Austria shows where the e-card ends and private supplementary insurance begins.

Last updated: 26 July 2026.

Sources

• ÖGK / gesundheitskasse.at: Service fee, collection
• ÖGK: Service fee (e-card charge)
• ÖGK: Prescription charge frozen — noticeable relief
• chipkarte.at: e-card service fee
• Umbrella association of social insurance carriers: e-card service fee
• WKO: E-card
• Arbeiterkammer: Prescription charge cap, staged plan 2027–2030
• Arbeiterkammer: Everything about the e-card