Klimabonus
Climate protection remains the top priority in Austria in 2023. A price is being put on climate-damaging CO2 and climate-friendly behaviour is being rewarded! Because the Klimabonus is entering the next phase this year.
Current information on the payout
The in-year payment wave of the Klimabonus 2023 has been completed. If you were unable to collect your Klimabonus letter from the post office within the set period, please use the contact form. You can find personalised information about your Klimabonus 2023 here.
If you receive your Klimabonus when the second wave of payments are made in spring 2024, it may be for one of the following reasons:
- You have moved house within Austria. We cannot establish in which regional category you have lived longest until the end of the year.
- You moved to Austria in the first six months of the year. In this case, you have not yet satisfied the basic condition for receipt of the Klimabonus - i.e., having your main residence in Austria for at least 183 days – upon the first entitlement assessment date on 2 July 2023.
- Your child was born in the first six months of the year. In this case, it has also not yet fulfilled the basic requirement at the time of the first data retrieval.
- The recipient of Family Allowance has changed. The Klimabonus for a child is paid out to the person who received the Family Allowance for the child for at least six months in 2023. If this requirement was not yet fulfilled on 2 July 2023, the Klimabonus will be paid out in spring 2024.
- Payment of the Family Allowance only commenced during the first six months of the year. In this case, it was also not possible in July to identify any person to whom Family Allowance had been paid for six months. The Klimabonus for the child will therefore be paid in the second wave of payments.
- In the first six months of the year, you were detained by order of a court or the authorities or were serving a sentence involving the deprivation of liberty. People who are detained or serving such a sentence for more than 183 days do not receive a Klimabonus. In order to establish the number of days, entitlement to the Klimabonus will not be verified until the end of 2023.
We answer more questions about the Klimabonus here.
What is the Klimabonus?
A bonus payment. For everyone living in Austria. The money comes from the revenue raised from CO2 pricing, which was introduced in October 2022.
Who gets the Klimabonus?
Everyone. Everyone who has their main residence in Austria for at least six months in the year of entitlement receives the Klimabonus - regardless of citizenship and age. Non-Austrian citizens need legal resident status.
What do you have to do to get it?
Nothing. If you updated your bank details on FinanzOnline after 1 January 2020, the Klimabonus will be transferred directly to your account. Alternatively, it will be sent to you by post as a voucher.
And how much do you get?
€110, €150, €185 or €220. That depends on your main place of residence and the local infrastructure. Children get half and persons with reduced mobility always receive €220. Further details on the regional staggering are available here:
The Klimabonus: What's behind it
In October 2022 marked the beginning of a new chapter for climate protection in Austria: With the eco-social tax reform a price was put on climate-damaging CO2 (carbon dioxide) and environmentally harmful behaviour was made more expensive.
In order to compensate for the price increases, the additional money from the CO2 pricing flows directly back to the people in the form of the Klimabonus. In years to come, the price of CO2 will rise and thus also the Klimabonus. From now on: Those who opt for climate-friendly behaviour will keep more of the Klimabonus in their pocket.
The Klimabonus is paid out annually and goes to everyone who has their main residence in Austria for at least six months in the year of entitlement: Adults as well as children – regardless of origin and citizenship. Non-Austrian citizens need legal resident status (Klimabonus Act, Section 2).
Regional staggering
The regional sliding payments are based on the urban-rural typology and the quality grades for public transport (ÖV-Güteklassen). This assesses the availability of public transport in a community. Other public services such as secondary schooling, hospitals and district authorities are also taken into consideration. In communities in which it is currently difficult to switch to more climate-friendly alternatives and thus save CO2, the respective regional allowance is added to the basic Klimabonus. The amount of Klimabonus you receive in 2023 therefore depends on the availability of public transport and how a community is categorised.
The Klimabonus therefore consists of two elements:
- The base amount. Everyone who is entitled to the Klimabonus receives this. In 2023 it amounts to €110.
- A regional allowance to compensate those living in regions with poorer infrastructure and less public transport. In 2023 this regional allowance amounts to €40, €75 or €110 and depends on your main place of residence.
The categories according to which the Klimabonus is paid out, are evaluated by Statistik Austria and are based on the Urban-Rural Typology and the quality grades for public transport (ÖV-Güteklassen).
Further information on the methodology can be found on the website of Statistik Austria and in STATatlas.
You can find out how much you will get this year under “This is how much you get”.
More information about the eco-social tax reform and CO2 pricing is available here:
How it works
The Klimabonus goes to about 9 million people. To make this as quick, easy and safe as possible, the Klimabonus is paid out in two different ways: by bank transfer to your account or as a voucher by post.
The most important thing to remember is that you don’t have to do anything to get the Klimabonus.
Payments will be made from autumn 2023 and will continue through to the middle of 2024. In particular, people who only registered their main residence in Austria in the first half of 2023 will receive the Klimabonus in spring 2024.
Learn more about the two different forms of payment:
Fast and simple: The Klimabonus goes straight to your account
If you regularly receive money from the State, you don’t have to do anything. The Klimabonus will be transferred to your account automatically. This applies, for example, to pensioners and recipients of child benefit and nursing care allowance.
All those whose current bank account number was recorded after 1 January 2020, for example in FinanzOnline, will also receive their bonus automatically. As a rule, this is everyone who uses FinanzOnline to file their taxes electronically.
It is important that account details have been updated or have been used for a payment by the Federal Ministry of Finance since 1 January 2020.
Since the Klimabonus is paid out once a year, the account details provided are also checked annually on a fixed cut-off date. The cut-off date for the year 2023 was 10 July.
Nevertheless, you should still check and update your account details on FinanzOnline so the money can be paid directly into your account in 2024.
This can be done in three simple steps:
Step 2
Log in with your smartphone signature, citizen card or your FinanzOnline access data.
Step 3
Enter your current IBAN under bank details.
Click on "Change" at the bottom right to save the data.
You can register here if you do not have access or you do not have a smartphone signature yet.
Please follow the instructions on the link.
Alternative: The Klimabonus comes as a voucher by post
If we do not have your current bank details, the Klimabonus will be sent to your main residence. The safest way is the RSa letter or RSb letter for minors. The RSa letter is only delivered to you in person or can be collected at the post office with a photo ID.
Exception: Any person of legal age in your household can receive the Klimabonus on your behalf at your main residence provided you set up an authorisation for them to receive the Klimabonus or your post. This form must be printed out and signed already when the Klimabonus is delivered.
You can download the authorisation form for 2023 here.
The vouchers can be redeemed anywhere from the supermarket to the bookshop and at thousands of stores across Austria or exchanged for cash at our partner bank.
Redemption points
Here you can search for redemption points in your area or specific shops. The search is conducted in the Sodexo database. To do this, your request must be submitted to Sodexo.
For more information, please see our Data Protection Policy.
Perhaps you have a shop or business and want to become a partner that accepts the Klimabonus voucher?
Use the following link to register your company as a redemption point:
How much you get
In 2023 the Klimabonus will be €110, €150, €185 or €220 for adults. In order to receive the Klimabonus, you must have had your main residence in Austria for at least 183 days in the year of entitlement. How much you get depends on where you have your main residence.
Use the postcode search function to find out how much Klimabonus you will receive this year:
Klimabonus categories:
| Category | Description | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Category 1 | Urban centres with very good public transport services. | 110 € This value is composed of:110 € |
| Category 2 | Urban centres with good public transport services. | 150 € This value is composed of:110 € + |
| Category 3 | Regional centres and communities surrounding centres with sufficiently good basic public transport services. | 185€ This value is composed of:110€ + |
| Category 4 | Rural communities and communities with only basic public transport services. | 220€ This value is composed of:110€ + |
Classification is carried out by Statistik Austria, based on the available infrastructure (secondary schools, hospitals and district authorities) and access to public transport.
Children and young people up to the age of 18 receive half the amount and those who are unable to use public transport because of a disability will always receive the maximum allowance for their region.
There is more information about the regional staggering in the Q&A.
Still have questions?
We have collected the most frequently asked questions under Q&A.
Contact
Our service team is available to answer any enquiries. Please note that contact is made in German.
0800 8000 80
Monday – Friday, 8am – 6pm