Austria pays a monthly family allowance, the Familienbeihilfe, for every child living in the country, and unlike a tax credit it lands in the bank account whether the parents earn a lot, a little or nothing at all. The amount is not a single flat figure. It climbs as the child gets older, it rises again for each extra child in the household, and a second payment called the Kinderabsetzbetrag rides along with it automatically. This guide sets out every 2026 figure, works through what a one, two and three child family actually receives, and covers the extra payments that sit on top.
The monthly rate by age
The base Familienbeihilfe is tied to the child’s age, and the amount steps up on four birthdays. For 2026 the monthly figures per child are:
| Child’s age | Monthly Familienbeihilfe |
|---|---|
| From birth to 2 | 138.40 euros |
| From 3 to 9 | 148.00 euros |
| From 10 to 18 | 171.80 euros |
| From 19 | 200.40 euros |
The step at 19 assumes the young adult still qualifies, which for most means being in education or vocational training. The allowance can run to the month of the 24th birthday, and to 25 in a short list of cases such as military or civilian service, a later start caused by that service, pregnancy, or a serious disability.
The sibling scale adds more per child
Once a household draws the allowance for two or more children at the same time, every one of those children gets a top-up called the Geschwisterstaffelung. The extra is paid per child and grows with the size of the family:
| Children drawing the allowance | Extra per child, per month |
|---|---|
| 2 | 8.60 euros |
| 3 | 21.10 euros |
| 4 | 32.10 euros |
| 5 | 38.90 euros |
| 6 | 43.40 euros |
| 7 or more | 63.10 euros |
Because the top-up applies to each qualifying child, a family of three does not get 21.10 euros once; it gets 21.10 euros three times over, on top of each child’s age-based base rate.
The Kinderabsetzbetrag comes with it
Alongside the Familienbeihilfe, the tax office pays a flat Kinderabsetzbetrag of 70.90 euros per child per month. It is a family-tax measure rather than part of the allowance itself, but it is transferred in the same payment and needs no separate claim. Treat it as a guaranteed 70.90 euros per child that stacks on whatever the age and sibling scale produce.
What a real family receives
Put the three layers together and the monthly total becomes concrete.
One child, age 4. Base rate 148.00 euros, no sibling scale for a single child, plus the 70.90 euro Kinderabsetzbetrag. That is 218.90 euros a month, or 2,626.80 euros across the year.
Two children, ages 5 and 12. The younger child draws 148.00 plus the two-child scale of 8.60, so 156.60. The older draws 171.80 plus 8.60, so 180.40. The two base-and-scale figures come to 337.00, and two Kinderabsetzbetrag payments add 141.80. The household receives 478.80 euros a month, 5,745.60 euros a year.
Three children, ages 2, 8 and 16. The bases are 138.40, 148.00 and 171.80, and each child now carries the three-child scale of 21.10, lifting them to 159.50, 169.10 and 192.90. That is 521.50 in allowance, plus three Kinderabsetzbetrag payments of 70.90 for another 212.70, giving 734.20 euros a month before any means-tested extra.
The allowance never appears on a payslip and never reduces take-home pay, so it sits entirely apart from the figures in the Austria salary calculator and the bands in the income tax calculator. If you want to see how much of a monthly allowance would grow if it were set aside rather than spent, the compound interest calculator does the sum, and the percentage calculator is handy for checking how the sibling scale changes the total.
Frozen for 2026 and 2027
Between 2023 and 2025 the Familienbeihilfe and the Kinderabsetzbetrag were lifted each January in line with inflation, a mechanism called Valorisierung. That annual adjustment has been paused for 2026 and 2027 as part of the budget consolidation, so the figures above are the 2025 amounts held in place. The next indexed increase is not due until 2028. In practical terms a family keeps the same euros while prices keep moving, so the real value of the allowance drifts down a little across the two frozen years.
The extra payments on top
Three further payments can add to the total, and they are easy to overlook.
The Schulstartgeld is a school-start payment of 121.40 euros per child, sent automatically each September for children aged 6 to 15. It needs no application and arrives with the ordinary allowance.
The Mehrkindzuschlag is a multi-child supplement of 24.40 euros a month for the third and each further child. Unlike the allowance it is means tested: entitlement depends on the family’s taxable income in the year before, which must stay at or below 55,000 euros, and it has to be claimed through the annual tax assessment (Arbeitnehmerveranlagung) rather than paid automatically. For the three-child family above, if the income test is met, that adds 24.40 euros to bring the monthly figure to 758.60 euros.
The erhöhte Familienbeihilfe is an increase of 189.20 euros a month for a child with a substantial disability, on top of the ordinary age-based rate.
How the allowance is paid
For a child born in Austria the payment usually starts on its own once the birth is registered, with the standard family allowance and the Kinderabsetzbetrag combined into a single transfer, normally monthly. Families new to the country or with a change in circumstances apply through their local tax office (Finanzamt) or the FinanzOnline portal. Because the figures follow the child’s age, the amount updates by itself at each of the four thresholds without any action from the parents.
If you are weighing a move to Austria or comparing household budgets, it helps to read the family allowance next to net pay rather than in isolation, and our Austria salary and tax guide walks through what actually leaves a paycheque.
FAQ
How much is the Austrian family allowance per child in 2026? The base monthly rate is 138.40 euros from birth, 148.00 euros from age 3, 171.80 euros from age 10 and 200.40 euros from age 19, before the sibling scale and the 70.90 euro Kinderabsetzbetrag are added.
Is the Familienbeihilfe means tested? No. The core allowance and the Kinderabsetzbetrag are paid regardless of parental income. Only the Mehrkindzuschlag, the supplement for a third and further child, carries an income limit of 55,000 euros.
Why has the amount not gone up in 2026? The annual inflation adjustment was suspended for 2026 and 2027 as a budget measure, so the 2025 amounts stay in place. The next increase is scheduled for 2028.
What is the Kinderabsetzbetrag? A flat 70.90 euros per child per month paid together with the family allowance. It is automatic and does not need a separate claim.
Until what age is the allowance paid? Up to the month a child turns 18 without conditions, and beyond that while the young person is in education or training, generally to 24 and to 25 in specific cases such as national service, pregnancy or a serious disability.
How do I get the school-start payment? The Schulstartgeld of 121.40 euros is sent automatically each September for children aged 6 to 15, so there is nothing to apply for.
Sources: Familienbeihilfe amounts (Bundeskanzleramt, Federal Chancellery), Kinderabsetzbetrag (Bundeskanzleramt), Mehrkindzuschlag (Bundeskanzleramt). This is general information, not financial or tax advice.