Questions and Answers

The Klimabonus is a bonus payment and direct compensation for CO₂ pricing. All citizens in Austria receive the Klimabonus. It is paid out automatically once a year.

On 1 October 2022 CO₂ pricing came into force in Austria as part of the “Eco-social Tax Reform”. It is an important measure for climate protection, as it puts a price on CO₂ which is harmful to the climate. The aim is to provide an incentive to emit less CO₂.

The money raised through CO₂ pricing is passed on to people in the form of the Klimabonus. The aim is to motivate people to switch to climate-friendly alternatives. Those who protect the climate will keep more of the Klimabonus in their pocket. However, it also serves as compensation for people who are not yet able to switch to such alternatives.

CO₂ or carbon dioxide is a greenhouse gas which is very harmful to the climate. It is produced when generating heat and electricity, by traffic and in industry, but also in the home – in fact, everywhere where oil and gas are still needed as a source of energy. An increase in CO₂ in the atmosphere is one of the main causes of the man-made climate crisis. A tax on CO₂ makes behaviour that harms the climate more expensive.

No. The Anti-Teuerungsbonus was a one-off support payment in 2022.

Everyone who has their main residence in Austria for at least 183 days in the year of entitlement receives the Klimabonus - regardless of their age, origin or citizenship. Non-Austrian citizens need legal resident status.

The “year of entitlement” is the year for which the Klimabonus will be paid.

Yes, provided you were registered as having your main residence in Austria for at least 183 days in 2023.

Yes, refugees also receive the Klimabonus. The requirements for this are:

• that they are staying in Austria legally.

• that they have had their main residence in Austria for at least 183 days.

Yes. The Klimabonus is also paid to people who are registered as unemployed.

No. The Klimabonus is not offset against other state benefits such as needs-based minimum income. The Klimabonus in no way affects your entitlement to any state benefit.

The Klimabonus is not treated as income for the purpose of calculating income tax.

• You can redeem the voucher at over 10,000 acceptance points throughout Austria. Find them here.

• You can exchange the voucher for cash with our banking partner bank 99. You can find a list of branches at bank99.at/standorte.

From 2023 onwards, the Klimabonus will be paid on a sliding scale based on geographic region. The amount you receive depends on your place of residence and the local infrastructure. The Klimabonus consists of two elements:

• a fixed basic amount, also known as the base amount. In 2023 this is 110€ for everyone with an entitlement. This amount is intended to compensate for higher costs due to CO2 pricing on housing and consumption.

• an additional regional allowance. In 2023 this will be 40, 75 or 110 €. This regional allowance should compensate for the higher costs of mobility. Since the type of transport we use very much depends on where we live, the regional allowance is based on the main place of residence and the local infrastructure.

The base amount and the respective regional allowance result in the following amounts for the Klimabonus for 2023.

• Category 1: 110€ base amount = 110 €

• Category 2: 110€ base amount + 40€ regional allowance = 150€

• Category 3: 110€ base amount +75 € regional allowance = 185€

• Category 4: 110€ base amount +110€ regional allowance = 220€

Find out HERE how high the Klimabonus for the year 2023 is where you have your main residence. Children and young people up to the age of 18 receive half the amount. People with disabilities who are unable to use public transport receive the base amount and the highest regional allowance. In 2023 this totals 220€. For this purpose, your disability pass must show that “use of public transport is unreasonable due to permanently restricted mobility caused by a disability.”

How much Klimabonus you receive depends on your main residence. Statistics Austria has defined four categories. These are based on differences in the quality of infrastructure: How far away is the nearest secondary school? Are there public offices nearby? Where is the nearest hospital? Public transport is also important: Is there any public transport in the region? What public transport is available and how good is the network? How often does public transport run? As the regional allowance compensates for the higher cost of mobility, people living in regions with poor infrastructure and public transport receive a higher amount. In everyday life they often have to rely on a car. People living in urban centres are more easily able to switch to public transport and usually enjoy good or excellent infrastructure in the vicinity of their main residence. Their regional allowance is therefore lower. The regional category for a municipality is assigned by Statistics Austria using statistical methods. Further information about this is available on the Statistics Austria website. Klimabonus Categories:

• Category 1: Urban centres with very good public transport services.

• Category 2: CUrban centres with good public transport services.

• Category 3: Regional centres and communities surrounding centres with sufficiently good public transport services.

• Category 4: Rural communities and communities with only basic public transport services.

Children and young people up to the age of 18 receive half the amount. People with disabilities who are unable to use public transport receive the base amount and the highest regional allowance. In 2023 this amounts to 220€. For this purpose, your disability pass must show that “use of public transport is unreasonable due to permanently restricted mobility caused by a disability.”

Classification in one of the four categories is based on two factors: infrastructure (secondary schools, hospitals, etc.) and public transport. If these factors change, your place of residence may be categorised differently.

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.

No. How much you earn does not affect your Klimabonus.

No. Personal CO₂ consumption does not affect the amount of Klimabonus you will receive, but climate-friendly behaviour ensures that you get to keep more of the bonus. Because CO₂ pricing makes activities that harm the climate more expensive.

In 2023, the Klimabonus for people with disabilities is 220€.

People with a disability who are unable to use public transport will always receive the maximum Klimabonus payment, regardless of where they live or how old they are. For this purpose, pursuant to §§ 40 et seq. of the Federal Disability Act, the disability pass must state that the “use of public transport is unreasonable due to a permanent mobility restriction caused by a disability”, or you must hold a parking permit pursuant to § 29b of the 1960 Road Traffic Act. This also applies to persons under 18 years of age.

If your mobility restriction was not taken into account in the payment amount of the Klimabonus 2023, please fill out the contact form.

Yes. The Klimabonus is paid to everyone who has had their main residence in Austria for at least 183 days in the year of entitlement. This means: Babies from the age of 183 days who have been registered as having their main residence in Austria for 183 days by 31 December of the year of entitlement are already entitled to the Klimabonus.

If the baby was born in the first six months of the year, this requirement will not yet have been fulfilled when the data for the first wave of payments is processed in autumn. The Klimabonus for the baby will therefore be paid in the second wave of payments.

Children receive half the Klimabonus that an adult registered at the same address would receive. The Klimabonus is paid to the person to whom the Family Allowance is also paid.

As soon as the child is of age, the Klimabonus is paid directly into the child’s account or sent to the main residence as a voucher with an RSa letter.

If your child turns 18 in the year for which the Klimabonus is paid, he or she will receive the entire Klimabonus and not just half. The Klimabonus will be paid into your child’s bank account or sent as a voucher with an RSa letter.

If you receive Family Allowance for your child and the child is not yet 18 years old in the year of entitlement, the Klimabonus for the child will be paid into the specified account into which the family allowance is also paid. If you do not receive Family Allowance, the Klimabonus will be paid directly to your child, either to his/her account or as a voucher by RSa letter.

If parents do not receive Family Allowance for children under 18, the Klimabonus is sent as a voucher with an RSb letter.

CO₂ pricing puts a price on carbon dioxide emissions. CO₂ or carbon dioxide is produced when generating heat and electricity, by traffic and in industry, but also in the home. CO₂ is a greenhouse gas and one of the causes of global warming and climate change. CO₂ pricing increases the price of carbon dioxide. The aim of the CO₂ tax is to encourage environmentally-friendly behaviour and reduce the impact of CO₂ emissions on the climate, e.g. global warming.

The CO₂ price will be introduced in Austria on 1 October 2022. It is an important part of the Eco-social Tax Reform presented by the Austrian government in October 2021.

The CO₂ price in 2022 is €30 per tonne of CO₂. By 2025, the price will rise to €55 per tonne of CO₂. If the CO₂ price rises, the Klimabonus automatically rises too. The revenue from the CO₂ tax goes directly back to the citizens in the form of the Klimabonus.

• Surname and first name

• Date of birth

• The address of the recipient’s main residence

• Coded area-specific personal identifiers. Area-specific personal identifiers are generated by an authority for the secure management of data. If then other authorities need area-specific personal identifiers for the purpose of data processing for e-government services, the personal identifiers are passed on in an encrypted form. E-government services are public administration services that citizens can use via the Internet. FinanzOnline, for example, is the e-government platform of the fiscal authorities. Which encrypted area-specific personal identification codes (vbPK) are of importance in connection with the Klimabonus? Those for Society and Social Welfare (vbPK-GS), Taxes and Duties (vbPK-SA), Social Insurance (vbPK-SV), Transport and Technology (vbPK-VT), Personal Identity and Civil Rights (vbPK-ZP), Statistics Austria (vbPK-AS) and the Transparency Database (vbPK ZP-TD)

• The international bank account number (IBAN)

• Family Allowance data and

• Data of people with a disability proving that the entry “Use of public transport is not reasonable due to permanent mobility restriction caused by a disability” is present.

All agencies that have the necessary details forward the information to the Federal Ministry for Climate Action, Environment, Energy, Mobility, Innovation and Technology. The Klimabonus Act allows this data to be passed on.

For example:

• The Federal Ministry of the Interior supplies residence registration data. This makes it possible to establish a person’s main residence.

• The Federal Ministry of Finance supplies the international bank account number as well as Family Allowance data.

• The Service Team of the Federal Ministry of Social Affairs, Health, Care and Consumer Protection supplies data concerning the limited mobility of people with disabilities.

• The Austrian Federal Pension Fund also provides account details.

Yes. All applicable data protection regulations are of course complied with. The Klimabonus Act allows the Federal Ministry for Climate Action to process all data necessary for payment of the Klimabonus. The data is managed in accordance with the provisions of the Data Protection Act (Federal Law Gazette I. No. 165/1999) and the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) of the European Union.

Personal data is only processed if it is absolutely necessary: The principle of data minimisation from the General Data Protection Regulation must be observed. The principle of data minimisation means: Only the data that is necessary for the respective purpose shall be processed. The data security measures laid down in the General Data Protection Regulation are also observed.