Pensions in Austria

Austria's statutory pension is a pay-as-you-go system: today's contributions pay today's pensions. Employees are insured with the Pensionsversicherungsanstalt (PVA), and the contributions are collected together with the other social insurance contributions. The pension contribution is 22.8% of gross pay (10.25% paid by you, 12.55% by your employer, 2026), up to the maximum contribution base. Since 2014 every insured person has a personal pension account (Pensionskonto), which you can check online with ID Austria.

How the state pension works

• Pension account: each year, 1.78% of your gross income (up to the maximum contribution base) is credited to your account, and the credits are revalued in line with average wage growth. At pension age, the total credit divided by 14 is your gross monthly pension.
• Minimum insurance period: at least 180 insurance months (15 years), of which at least 84 months (7 years) must come from work. Some care periods count as work.
• Pension age (Regelpensionsalter): 65. For women it is rising step by step from 60 to 65 since 1 January 2024. Women born on or after 1 July 1968 retire at 65.
• Later or earlier: each year you defer adds 5.1%, for up to 3 years. The corridor pension (Korridorpension) allows early retirement with deductions. Since 2026 its minimum age is rising from 62 to 63, and the required insurance from 40 to 42 years. A partial pension (Teilpension) has been available since 1 January 2026.

Minimum income for pensioners

If your total income, including your partner's, is below a set level, the Ausgleichszulage tops up your income to the reference rate: €1,308.39 a month for a single person and €2,064.12 for a married couple (2026). It is paid only if you live lawfully and habitually in Austria.

Occupational and private provision

The state pension is the main pillar. In addition, employers pay 1.53% of pay into a company provision fund (Betriebliche Vorsorge) for every employee (2026). Company pension plans and private savings are voluntary extras and depend on your employer and your own choices.

Working in more than one country

Within the EU, EEA and Switzerland, Regulation (EC) No 883/2004 coordinates pensions: insurance periods in each country are added up to meet the minimum periods, and each country pays a pension for its own periods. The United Kingdom is covered by similar rules. Austria also has bilateral social-security agreements with other countries. For pensions, these include Australia, Canada (including Québec), India, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Serbia, Turkey and the USA (August 2026 list). Coverage varies by agreement, so check the official list.

Common pitfalls for newcomers

• You need 15 insurance years, 7 of them from work, for any Austrian old-age pension. Periods in an EU or agreement country can help you reach this.
• A marginal job does not build pension rights unless you opt into voluntary insurance (Selbstversicherung).
• Check your pension account early and report missing periods, such as child-raising or work abroad.
• The Ausgleichszulage stops if you move your residence abroad.

Official guidance: PVA: old-age pension, Social Ministry: overview of social-security agreements, August 2026 (PDF), Social Ministry: insurance in several countries