Pocket money, working time and contract for au pairs in Austria

In Austria there is an official au pair contract provided by the Austrian authorities. You may consult the English translation. However, the AMS only accepts contracts in German.

This au pair contract should regulate the most important points for the coming stay. In this way, future disappointments and misunderstandings can be avoided.

Downloads

• Official Austrian au pair contract in German  

• English translation of the Austrian au pair contract (just for reference).

Termination
The au pair contract can be terminated by either the au pair or the host familiy without citing any specific reason as long as the required notice period of one week is observed. This contract termination should preferably be made in written form.

An au pair stay in Austria can last up to one year.

For au pairs from non-EU countries the au pair stay must be for at least 6 months.

The main responsibility of an au pair is to help with child care. In addition, au pairs also help with light housekeeping tasks.

The host family and au pair should clarify in advance which duties will be expected in the course of the au pair stay. These duties should be described in detail in the au pair contract.

More on this subject:

• What housework can be expected of au pairs?

In Austria the pocket money that au pairs receive is officially viewed as a salary. This money is therefore paid at the end of each month as a salary. The gross salary of an au pair amounts to 500,91 EUR per month (status: 2023).

lf the au pair stay lasts a complete year, then a special condition applies: The aupair receives three extra months salary as a bonus, and thus a total of 15 months' payment. 

More information on this topic:

• Is there extra pay for babysitting?

Board and lodging are always provided free of charge to au pairs by host families. The au pair is entitled to have a room of his or her own that is at least  9 square meters with a window that can be opened. The room should be heatable and lockable.

Au pairs are entitled to free access to food, just like all other family members. Au pairs should share meals with the family and have free access to the fridge, etc. Au pairs also are entitled to free board and lodging in the event of illness as well as during holidays.

More information on the topic:

• How should an au pair room look?

In Austria, au pairs work up to 18 hours per week.

Au pairs from outside the EU are not allowed to work less than 18 hours per week. With a lower number of working hours important conditions for the residence permit will not be fulfilled.

More information on the topic:

• What are working hours and what is free time?
• How are public holidays handled?

Au pairs are entitled to at least one day off per week. In this context, the family's life and housekeeping requirements and the au pair's needs are to be taken into consideration.

The au pair's entitlement to vacation and compensation for unused vacation time is based on the Urlaubsgesetz (vacation law). In accordance with this law, au pairs get 30 days of vacation for an au pair placement that lasts an entire year. Vacation time for shorter stays should be adjusted on this basis.

In Austria, there are no official regulations with regard to public holidays for au pairs. We recommend that au pairs have a day off on public holidays. Only in exceptional cases should au pairs work on public holidays. The host family should discuss this with their au pair beforehand.

More information on the topic:

• Family holidays and your au pair – What works best?
• Going on family holidays without the au pair - how to handle?

Au pairs should have the possibility to attend a language course. Half of these costs will be paid by the family, the other half by the au pair.

More information on this topic:

• Do au pairs have to attend a language course?
• Which language level do I need to become an au pair?

One of the most important points to take care of is arranging for accident and health insurance for the duration of the au pair stay. In this way both the host family and the au pair can be ready to relax and enjoy the au pair experience.

In accordance with the general Austrian social insurance law (ASVG), the au pair must be registered by the host family through the public social insurance. For au pairs this typically only concerns accident insurance. The host family pays premiums for the accident insurance to the regional health insurance fund. 

The au pair needs to have health insurance for the whole au pair stay. The health insurance must be arranged from a private insurance company and the costs paid by the au pair. A foreign health insurance is only acceptable when the benefits can also be provided in Austria.

Please note: Au pairs from non-EU states must prove that they have full health insurance when they apply for their visa.

Attention: Starting at the age of 28, the status of au pair no longer applies and a young person becomes a normal employee. This has consequences in regard to the social insurance and minimum wage that applies to the young person. All expenses of the host family (lodging and board, language course, insurance contributions) are seen as part of the salary of the employee and must be included in calculating tax and insurance contributions. In addition, the minimum wage for au pairs no longer applies rather the minimum wage for domestic workers. With this wage calculation, the salary exceeds the marginal wage threshold and the employee is subject to full social insurance obligations. 

More information on this topic:

• How should I be insured as an au pair?

It should be clarified in advance whether the au pair will need to drive in connection with her or his duties. If driving will be necessary, then it is necessary to see if the au pair's driving licence is valid in Austria. It may be necessary to apply for an international driving licence.

It also is necessary to clarify what will happen in the event of an accident causing damages. Who will bear the costs? This should be discussed by the au pair and the host family and the agreed points should be noted in writing.

More information on this topic:

• Do au pairs really need a driving licence?