Vienna – The Austrian Social democratic Party (SPÖ) is advocating for a fundamental overhaul of child support within the nation’s social assistance system, proposing a shift from current provisions to a “basic child security” model prioritizing direct material benefits. The initiative, still in its early stages, lacks concrete details and faces constitutional scrutiny.
Currently,regulations regarding child support vary considerably across Austria‘s nine federal states. The 2019 Basic Social Welfare Act (SH-GG) initially proposed maximum allowances based on the net compensation allowance – projected at €1,273.99 for 2025 – wiht tiered percentages for subsequent children (25% for the first, 15% for the second, and 5% for each additional child). Though, the Constitutional Court struck down this system in December 2019, deeming it discriminatory against larger families.
As a result, four states – Burgenland, Carinthia, Salzburg, and Vienna – provide equal benefits for each child. Other states implement decreasing benefits with each additional child: Lower Austria and Upper Austria from the second child, and Tyrol and Vorarlberg from the third or fourth. Vienna currently offers the highest per-child surcharge at €326.44,while Vorarlberg provides €232.13.
The Federal Chancellery’s constitutional service is currently evaluating potential models to ensure legal compliance with any revised system. The SPÖ’s proposal aims to address the inconsistencies and perceived inadequacies of the existing framework, though specific implementation plans remain undeveloped.