Family Allowance Austria 2026/2027: Amounts & Dates

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The family allowance in Austria (Familienbeihilfe, sometimes called child benefit) is €138.40 to €200.40 per child per month in both 2026 and 2027, unchanged from 2025. The government has suspended the usual annual increase (Valorisierung) for both years, so the amounts stay frozen at 2025 levels.

For most households, that means no cut to the payment itself, but also no adjustment for inflation. This guide covers the exact amounts by age bracket, why the freeze happened, when the 2026 payments land, how to apply, and how to offset the real loss in purchasing power. If rising child healthcare costs are part of your budget planning, our health insurance guide for Austria is a useful companion read. You can also check current family supplementary tariffs directly at durchblicker.at (ad).

Key takeaways

• Family allowance 2026/2027: €138.40 (from birth) to €200.40 (from age 19) per child per month — unchanged from 2025
• The annual increase (Valorisierung) is suspended for 2026 and 2027 — the foregone rise is roughly €4.20 per month per child
• Child tax credit (Kinderabsetzbetrag): €70.90 per child per month, paid automatically alongside the allowance
• Multi-child supplement (Mehrkindzuschlag): €24.40 per month from the third child, income limit €55,000 (2026), requires a separate application
• 2026 payments arrive monthly, by the 8th at the latest — see the full calendar below
• For births in Austria, the allowance has been paid automatically since 2015, no application needed

How much is Austria's family allowance in 2026 and 2027?

The base amounts rise with the child's age and apply unchanged across calendar years 2025, 2026 and 2027.

Source: Federal Chancellery: Familienbeihilfenbeträge, confirmed by oesterreich.gv.at: Höhe der Familienbeihilfe.

More children, higher amount per child

From the second child onward, a sibling supplement (Geschwisterstaffelung) is added on top of the base amount. The full official scale, valid from 2025 through 2027:

A worked example makes the scale tangible: a family with three children aged 2, 8 and 12 receives base amounts of €138.40 + €148.00 + €171.80, plus three times €21.10 in sibling supplements and three times €70.90 in child tax credit. That adds up to €734.20 per month. For any other constellation, use the official Federal Chancellery family allowance calculator or the Chamber of Labour (Arbeiterkammer) calculator — both factor in supplements, age and special cases automatically.

Why was the family allowance frozen?

On 7 May 2025, the Austrian government decided, as part of budget consolidation, to suspend the annual inflation adjustment (Valorisierung) of the family allowance and parental leave benefit (Karenzgeld) for 2026 and 2027. The amounts therefore stay at nominal 2025 levels — this is not a cut to what families receive, but it is also not an adjustment for the rise in the cost of living.

Chancellor Christian Stocker (ÖVP) put it this way: "No one will receive less; the increase is simply being suspended for two years." The Greens took a more critical view, calling it "nothing other than a cut for children and families." Caritas also criticised the measure for not doing enough to protect lower-income families.

In practical terms for a household budget, the foregone increase amounts to roughly €4.20 per month per child — around €50 per child over a full year that would otherwise have been paid on top. For the state budget, the government estimates savings of over €100 million in 2026 and over €200 million in 2027.

Source: ORF: Family allowance and parental leave benefit frozen for 2026/2027, cross-checked against the identical 2025, 2026 and 2027 figures in the official Federal Chancellery table.

When are 2026 family allowance payments made?

The family allowance is transferred automatically to your bank account each month, by the 8th at the latest. The official 2026 calendar:

If the 8th falls on a weekend or public holiday, the transfer is usually made a day or two earlier, since banks need time to process the credit within the SEPA area. Check your account a day or two ahead of the official date to be safe.

Source: Federal Chancellery: Payment dates for the family allowance in 2026

Child tax credit and multi-child supplement: what else am I entitled to?

Beyond the family allowance itself, two related benefits are often confused with it.

The child tax credit is not family allowance but a distinct tax credit (a form of negative income tax) that is paid out automatically together with the family allowance — you don't need to apply for it separately.

The multi-child supplement, on the other hand, is income-tested and is not paid automatically. It must be claimed separately via FinanzOnline or at the tax office. The income limit for 2026 is €55,000 — what counts is the family's taxable income of the previous year, so the 2026 supplement is based on 2025 income (Federal Chancellery: Mehrkindzuschlag).

School start money of €121.40 arrives once a year automatically at the start of the school year, with no separate application.

All of these amounts remain unchanged for calendar years 2025, 2026 and 2027 — they too are part of the freeze.

Increased family allowance: the disability supplement

The increased family allowance (erhöhte Familienbeihilfe) is not a separate base amount but a supplement of €189.20 per month, paid on top of the age-based family allowance for a child with a significant disability. A 12-year-old with a recognised significant disability therefore receives €171.80 + €189.20 = €361.00 per month, before child tax credit and sibling supplements.

The supplement has to be applied for separately at the tax office. The detailed conditions and procedure are explained by the Sozialministeriumservice on its increased family allowance page (German).

How to apply: usually it happens automatically

Since May 2015, Austria has operated an application-free family allowance (antragslose Familienbeihilfe): when a child is born in Austria, the tax office checks the conditions on its own and transfers the money to the parents' account. In the standard case, no application is needed (oesterreich.gv.at: Familienbeihilfe – Beantragung, German).

An application is still required in certain situations: when moving to Austria from abroad, when the other parent is to receive the allowance, or when the tax office could not match all records automatically. In those cases, submit form Beih 100 to the Austrian tax office (Finanzamt Österreich) — fastest electronically via FinanzOnline. The multi-child supplement, as described above, always needs its own application. For expats, this is the main practical difference: a newborn in Austria triggers the payment automatically, while a family arriving from abroad has to file Beih 100 first.

Family allowance for students and over-19s

The base amount for age 19 and up (€200.40) does not automatically continue until the end of a degree. Eligibility generally runs until the child's 24th birthday and extends to the 25th in specific cases — after military or civilian service, in the event of pregnancy or the birth of the student's own child, or with a significant disability. The child must also be in education or training; for a degree, this specifically includes staying within the standard study period plus permitted grace semesters (oesterreich.gv.at: Familienbeihilfe for students, German).

Important for students with a side job: adult children may earn up to €17,212 in taxable income per calendar year (2026) without endangering the allowance. Above that line, only the amount exceeding the limit has to be repaid, not the full allowance — the so-called tapering rule (Einschleifregelung) (Chamber of Labour: Familienbeihilfe, German).

How families can offset the freeze

The suspended increase is not a dramatic blow for most households, but it adds up over two years and across multiple children. Three practical ways to offset the real loss of purchasing power in your family budget:

Save for your child over the long term. A building savings plan (Bausparen) offsets inflation effects over several years better than a plain savings account, if you're already setting money aside regularly for your child. Details on lock-in periods, the state premium and current conditions are in our building savings guide for Austria.

Cover rising child healthcare costs. Waiting times for public-system doctors and the extra cost of things like orthodontics or a private specialist often hit families harder than the frozen allowance itself. For a household budget comparison of what things actually cost in Austria, see our cost of living guide for Austria. Current family supplementary insurance tariffs are available directly at durchblicker.at health insurance (ad).

Plan bigger purchases instead of covering them out of the household budget. If a larger purchase is coming up — from a child's room to a family car — it's worth checking financing conditions in advance: check car loan conditions at durchblicker.at (ad).

Frequently asked questions about Austria's family allowance 2026

Will the family allowance increase in 2026?

No. On 7 May 2025 the government decided to suspend the annual inflation adjustment (Valorisierung) for 2026 and 2027. Amounts stay frozen at 2025 levels, though nothing is cut. Whether the adjustment resumes from 2028 depends on future budget decisions.

When is the family allowance paid in 2026?

Payments are made monthly, by the 8th of each month at the latest, directly to your bank account. See the full twelve-date calendar above for 2026.

How much child benefit do I get per child in Austria in 2026?

Austria's family allowance, often loosely called child benefit or Kindergeld, is between €138.40 (from birth) and €200.40 (from age 19) per child per month. Families with several children also receive the sibling supplement, plus €70.90 child tax credit per child paid automatically.

What changes for families in 2026?

The amounts themselves stay the same as 2025, but the usual inflation adjustment does not take place. As a result, families lose roughly €4.20 per month per child in real purchasing power, without the paid-out amount actually falling.

What is the difference between the family allowance and the child tax credit?

The family allowance is the main benefit (€138.40 to €200.40 depending on age). The child tax credit (Kinderabsetzbetrag) is a separate credit of €70.90 per child per month, paid automatically on top of the family allowance with no separate application needed.

Who is eligible for the multi-child supplement?

The multi-child supplement of €24.40 per month applies to families from their third child. The income limit for 2026 is €55,000 in taxable family income of the previous year. It is not paid automatically and must be claimed via FinanzOnline or at the tax office.

How do I apply for the family allowance in Austria?

For a birth in Austria, usually not at all: since May 2015 the tax office checks eligibility automatically and pays without an application. In other cases, such as moving to Austria, submit form Beih 100 to the Austrian tax office or file electronically via FinanzOnline.

Do students still receive family allowance?

Yes, generally until the 24th birthday, and up to the 25th in specific cases such as after military or civilian service. Staying within the standard study period plus grace semesters is required. Own income up to €17,212 per calendar year (2026) is harmless; above that, the tapering rule applies.

Conclusion: same amounts, lower real value

Austria's family allowance stays at €138.40 to €200.40 per child per month in 2026 and 2027, unchanged from 2025. That's not a cut, but with the inflation adjustment suspended, it isn't an adjustment for rising prices either — in real terms, families lose about €4.20 per month per child in purchasing power. The child tax credit and multi-child supplement continue independently, also at frozen levels.

Keeping the payment calendar in view and actively planning for the two-year freeze in your household budget, whether through building savings or covering rising healthcare costs, gets you through 2026 and 2027 without surprises. For an exact calculation of your personal situation, especially with multiple children, the official family allowance calculator from the Federal Chancellery is the best starting point.

Last updated: 27 July 2026. Amounts per the Austrian Federal Chancellery (valid for 2025, 2026 and 2027).

Sources

• Federal Chancellery: Familienbeihilfenbeträge
• Federal Chancellery: Höhe der Familienleistungen
• Federal Chancellery: Mehrkindzuschlag
• oesterreich.gv.at: Höhe der Familienbeihilfe
• Federal Chancellery: Payment dates for the family allowance in 2026
• Federal Chancellery: Family allowance calculator
• oesterreich.gv.at: Familienbeihilfe – Beantragung
• Sozialministeriumservice: Erhöhte Familienbeihilfe
• Chamber of Labour (Arbeiterkammer): Familienbeihilfe
• ORF: Family allowance and parental leave benefit frozen for 2026/2027