Klimabonus
Climate protection remains the top priority in Austria in 2024. 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
Klimabonus payouts for the year 2024 will begin in autumn 2024 and will be completed by spring 2025.
If you did not receive your Klimabonus for 2024 despite being eligible, you should contact our Hotline on 0800 8000 80. For more information see our Q&A.
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 2021, 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?
€145, €195, €245 oder €290. That depends on your main place of residence and the local infrastructure. Children get half and persons with reduced mobility always receive €290. Further details on the regional staggering are available here:
Watch our video to find out what the Klimabonus is and why it is paid out. More information can be found under Q&A.
How much you get
In 2024 the Klimabonus will be €145, €195, €245 or €290 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:
Regional staggering
The Klimabonus category classification is carried out by Statistics Austria, based on the available infrastructure (secondary schools, hospitals and district authorities) and access to public transport.
The Klimabonus comes in two parts:
- The base amount. Everyone who is entitled to the Klimabonus receives this. This is €145 in 2024.
- A regional allowance to compensate those living in regions with poorer infrastructure and less public transport. In 2024, this regional allowance amounts to €50, €100 or €145 and depends on your main place of residence.
You can find more information on the methodology on the website of Statistics Austria and in the STATatlas.
The 2024 Klimabonus categories at a glance:
| Category | Description | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Category 1 | Urban centres with very good public transport services. | €145 This value is composed of:€145 |
| Category 2 | Urban centres with good public transport services. | €195 This value is composed of:€145 + |
| Category 3 | Regional centres and municipalities surrounding centres with good access to basic public transport services. | €245 This value is composed of:€145 + |
| Category 4 | Rural communities and communities with only basic public transport services. | €290 This value is composed of:€145 + |
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.
To improve the social effectiveness, recipients of the Klimabonus with an annual income of more than €66,612 must pay tax on the Klimabonus in 2024. According to the Ministry of Finance, this is equivalent to a gross monthly income of around €6,660. The tax authorities will collect the tax. By making this change, we are following a recommendation of the Austrian Institute of Economic Research.
You can find more information about this in the Q&A.
How it works
Fast and simple: The Klimabonus goes straight to your account
If you regularly receive money transfers from the State, you don’t have to do anything. The Klimabonus goes straight to your account. This applies, for example, to pensioners and recipients of a nursing care allowance or child benefits. All those whose current bank account number was recorded after 1 January 2021, for example in FinanzOnline, will also receive their bonus automatically. As a rule, these are people who use 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 2021. Self-employed persons who have not received any payment from the Federal Ministry of Finance must also enter and confirm their account details in FinanzOnline.
Since the Klimabonus is paid out once a year, the account details provided are also checked annually on a fixed cut-off date. For the year 2024, this cut-off date was 10 July.
Check and update your account details on FinanzOnline now so that the money can be paid directly into your account in 2025.
This can be done in three simple steps:
Step 2
Log in with your smartphone signature, ID Austria or your FinanzOnline access data.
Step 3
Enter your current IBAN under ”Bankverbindung”.
Click on ”Ändern” at the bottom to save the data.
Do you not yet have access data or a smartphone signature?
You can register here. 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: A 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 to accept your post. This form must be printed out and signed already when the Klimabonus is delivered.
You can download the authorisation form for 2024 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 voucher redemption points in your area or specific shops. The search is conducted in the Pluxee database (formerly Sodexo). To do this, your request must be submitted to Pluxee (formerly 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:
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