Au Pair in Austria 2026

Austria is one of the most regulated au pair destinations in Europe, and that is good news. Au pairs are not informal guests here: they are employees under the Domestic Workers Act (Hausgehilfen- und Hausangestelltengesetz, HGHAG), with a federal minimum wage tariff written specifically for them, compulsory registration with the Austrian Health Insurance Fund (ÖGK), and a model contract published by the public employment service (AMS). If you know the rules, you know exactly what to expect, whether you are an au pair packing for Vienna or a family in Graz looking for help with the kids.

One important change for 2026: for contracts concluded from 1 January 2026, the maximum is 16.5 hours per week, not the 18 hours you will still see quoted on many older websites. The minimum pocket money stays at €551.10 gross per month, because the marginal employment threshold was frozen for 2026.

Who can be an au pair in Austria

EU, EEA and Swiss citizens have free movement. You can arrive, register your address and start, with no work permit and no AMS procedure. The au pair minimum wage tariff still applies to you, because it covers everyone employed as an au pair under Austrian social security law, regardless of nationality. The formal age limit of 18 to 27 is part of the AMS rules for non-EU au pairs; for EU citizens there is no AMS check, but the au pair idea (a young person joining a family for cultural exchange) is the same, and most families look within that age range.

Non-EU citizens can also be au pairs in Austria, but the AMS has to confirm the placement first. According to the Ministry of Labour, the AMS issues its confirmation only if:

• the au pair is at least 18 and younger than 28 (and the confirmation can only run until the 28th birthday);
• the au pair has not already worked more than one year as an au pair in Austria within the last five years;
• the au pair proves German at A1 level before starting (e.g. ÖSD, Goethe-Institut, telc or ÖIF certificates, or a school report showing at least one year of German classes);
• the arrangement is a genuine au pair placement: the au pair lives with the family (at least one parent or guardian with a child), helps with light housework including childcare, and is there to get to know Austria and improve their German;
• if an intermediary arranged the placement, it is one that is authorised to do so. Families and au pairs who find each other directly do not need an agency.

Not sure which country suits you best? Compare Austria with its neighbours: Germany, Switzerland, Italy and Slovenia, or read how to become an au pair.

Arriving as an EU au pair: step by step

1. Sign the contract before you travel. Use the AMS model contract or the DearAuPair host family contract adapted to Austrian rules (16.5 hours, €551.10, one free day, half the German course).
2. ÖGK registration by the family. Your host family must register you with the Österreichische Gesundheitskasse before your first working day. This is what creates your social security number and your accident insurance cover. Ask for a copy of the registration.
3. Meldezettel within 3 days. Everyone who moves into a home in Austria must register the address at the local registration office (Meldeamt, in Vienna the Magistratisches Bezirksamt) within three days. The family, as your landlord, signs the registration form.
4. Anmeldebescheinigung within 4 months. If you stay longer than three months, EU/EEA/Swiss citizens must also apply for a registration certificate at the residence authority within the first four months. It does not need renewing.
5. Bank account. Pocket money should be paid by bank transfer with a payslip. An Austrian or any euro-area IBAN works; many au pairs open an account with their Meldezettel and passport.
6. Health insurance. At the marginal employment level, ÖGK registration covers accident insurance only, not health. Sort out health cover before you arrive (see the insurance section below).

For your first days, our first week survival guide helps with the practical side.

Non-EU au pairs: AMS confirmation and residence permit

The route for non-EU au pairs has two stages, and the order matters.

1. The family notifies the AMS. At least two weeks before the planned start, the host family sends the notification form (Anzeigeformular) to its regional AMS office. Attaching the contract signed by both sides (the AMS model contract) speeds things up. If everything checks out, the AMS issues an Anzeigebestätigung (notification confirmation), valid for six months.
2. The au pair applies for a residence permit. With the AMS confirmation, the au pair applies for an Aufenthaltsbewilligung for special cases of dependent employment (Sonderfälle unselbständiger Erwerbstätigkeit). As a rule the application is made at the Austrian embassy or consulate responsible for the au pair's place of residence; people who may enter Austria visa-free can, in some cases, apply in Austria. Required documents include a valid passport, a photo, proof of accommodation, health insurance covering all risks and valid in Austria, proof of means, and the AMS confirmation. The application fee listed on oesterreich.gv.at is €218.
3. No work before the permit. The au pair may only start working once the residence permit has been issued. Coming in on a tourist stay and starting "in the meantime" is illegal.
4. Extension. The AMS confirmation can be extended once by up to six months if the au pair arrangement still meets the criteria and the au pair has been able to learn German, shown for example by attending a recognised language course. The permit itself then has to be extended too.

Pocket money and the real value of the placement

The Mindestlohntarif für Au-pair-Kräfte (BGBl. II Nr. 286/2025) sets a minimum of €551.10 gross per month for au pairs living with the family, for contracts concluded from 1 January 2026. That equals the 2026 marginal employment threshold, so at this amount there are normally no social security deductions and no income tax for the au pair: gross is effectively what you receive.

Austria is also one of the few au pair countries with special payments. According to the Ministry of Labour, au pairs are entitled to 15 monthly payments per year: 12 regular ones, two as holiday pay (Urlaubszuschuss) and one as Christmas pay (Weihnachtsremuneration, due on 1 December). For a shorter stay, they are prorated. Over a full year at the minimum, that is 15 × €551.10 = €8,266.50.

On top of the cash, the family provides:

• a furnished, lockable room for your sole use;
• full board (all meals), which is not deducted from your pocket money;
• at least half of your German course, and the full cost of any childcare course (e.g. a babysitting course) the family asks you to take;
• work clothing, if any is needed;
• a dated statement of hours, pay and deductions with each payment.

If you cannot use the room and meals (for example during holidays away or illness), the tariff says their value is paid in cash at one-thirtieth of the official social security valuation per calendar day. Many families also pay for a public transport pass, a phone plan or trips together; these are extras, not legal obligations. See how Austria compares in our au pair salary by country overview.

Hours, days off, holidays and sick days

• Hours: maximum 16.5 hours per week, including standby time (Arbeitsbereitschaft), for contracts from 1 January 2026. Evening babysitting while the children sleep counts. Contracts concluded before 2026 continue under the previous tariff.
• Day off: at least one full day off per week. The rest of the schedule should respect both family life and the au pair's course and free time.
• Paid holiday: 30 working days per year under the Holiday Act (Werktage include Saturdays, so this is five weeks), prorated for shorter stays. Unused holiday is paid out at the end (Urlaubsersatzleistung).
• Public holidays: Austria has 13 national public holidays, including 26 October (National Day), 8 December and 26 December (Stefanitag). Agree in the contract how they are handled.
• Sick days: if you are ill or injured, you keep your pay as set out in § 10 HGHAG. Tell the family straight away and get a doctor's note if asked.

16.5 hours sounds little, and that is the point: in Austria an au pair stay is about the language and the culture. A typical week might be school pick-ups on four afternoons plus one evening of babysitting. If a family needs 30 hours of help, they need a nanny or a childcare place, not an au pair; our comparison of au pair vs nanny vs daycare helps.

Insurance: who pays what

Accident insurance (family, compulsory). The family must register the au pair with the ÖGK. Up to the marginal employment threshold, this registration covers statutory accident insurance, and the employer contribution is paid by the family. The Ministry is explicit: a private accident policy does not replace this registration.

Health insurance (arrange separately). Because €551.10 is at the marginal level, the au pair is not automatically health-insured through the job. Options:

• Non-EU au pairs must prove health insurance covering all risks and valid in Austria for the residence permit; the AMS model contract also requires private cover if no social security agreement applies.
• EU au pairs should check with their home insurer and the ÖGK which cover applies once they live in Austria; voluntary self-insurance for marginally employed people (Selbstversicherung) at the ÖGK is another option.
• Families may pay the premium for private health insurance: under a special ASVG rule, this (like the room, meals, language course and cultural events) does not count as wages and is contribution-free.

Liability insurance. Not required by law, but many families check that their household liability insurance (often part of a home contents policy) covers damage caused by the au pair, for example to a neighbour's car with the family bike.

German course and studying

The German course is at the heart of an Austrian au pair placement. The family must make it possible for the au pair to attend and pay at least half of the cost, as set by the minimum wage tariff. For non-EU au pairs, attending a recognised course is also what makes the six-month extension possible.

Practical tips: Vienna, Graz, Linz, Salzburg and Innsbruck all have adult education centres (Volkshochschulen) and university language centres with evening and morning classes. Choose a schedule that fits your hours before you sign. Austrian German has its own words (Jänner for January, Paradeiser for tomato, Sackerl for bag), and local dialects can be strong, especially in Tyrol and Styria, but everyone understands standard German. After a year, many au pairs reach B1 or B2 and some go on to study at an Austrian university.

For host families: obligations and monthly cost

As a host family in Austria, you are a private employer. Your checklist:

1. Sign a written au pair contract (the AMS publishes a model contract).
2. For non-EU au pairs: notify the AMS at least two weeks before the start and wait for the Anzeigebestätigung and the residence permit.
3. Register the au pair with the ÖGK before the first working day.
4. Pay contributions to an employee severance fund (Betriebliche Vorsorgekasse, BMSVG): 1.53% of pay. You choose the fund.
5. Pay at least €551.10 per month with a dated payslip, plus holiday and Christmas pay.
6. Provide a lockable furnished room, full board, at least half of the German course, one full day off per week and 30 working days of holiday per year.
7. Keep hours at or below 16.5 per week, including standby.

Typical monthly cost (2026), averaged over a year:

Food and course figures are rough estimates, not official values. Run your own numbers with the au pair cost calculator and read the full cost breakdown. Compared with private childcare for school pick-ups and evenings, an au pair is often good value, but only if you genuinely want someone to live with you as part of the family.

How to be a great host family: write a clear weekly schedule, show the au pair around in the first week, eat together, include them in outings, respect the day off and the course, and pay on time with a payslip. Our first month handbook and the guide for families cover the details. Finding an au pair on DearAuPair costs a one-time membership from €9.99, with no auto-renewal and no agency fees.

Contract, notice and ending early

Always put the placement in writing, with start and end date, hours, pocket money, days off, holiday, the course arrangement and house rules. The AMS model contract, which non-EU families attach to their AMS notification, states that either side can end the contract without giving reasons with one week's notice. Make sure your contract says the same or is more generous, and agree on a short trial period in the first weeks to talk openly about how things are going.

If the placement ends early: the family pays the pocket money up to the last day, the prorated holiday and Christmas pay, and any unused holiday. The au pair must have the means to travel home, which the AMS contract explicitly requires. Non-EU au pairs should know that their permit is tied to the placement, so a new family means a new AMS notification. Templates: DearAuPair contract template.

Where au pairs live: Vienna, Graz, Linz, Salzburg, Innsbruck

• Vienna (Wien): by far the largest city and where most host families are. Excellent public transport (U-Bahn, trams, buses), museums, coffee houses and a large international community. The widest choice of German courses. Rents are the highest in the country, which matters less to au pairs living with a family.
• Graz: Austria's second city and a big student town in Styria, with a relaxed old town, good trams and a younger feel. Easy trips to Slovenia.
• Linz: the Upper Austrian capital on the Danube, known for its industry, the Ars Electronica centre and good connections by train to Vienna and Salzburg.
• Salzburg: compact, beautiful and touristy, with the Alps on the doorstep and Bavaria next door. Living costs are high for a city its size.
• Innsbruck: the Tyrolean capital surrounded by mountains: skiing in winter, hiking in summer. Strong local dialect, a university, and a sporty lifestyle.

Many families also live in small towns and villages, where a car or regional train is essential. Ask the family how you will get to your course. Austria's nationwide public transport ticket (KlimaTicket Österreich) and regional passes have discounts for young people; check the current prices before you agree who pays.

Common problems and red flags

• Over-hours: 25 or 30 hours a week, or babysitting every evening, is not an au pair placement. The limit is 16.5 hours including standby.
• Cash only, no payslip: the family must give you a dated statement of hours, pay and deductions.
• No ÖGK registration: without it you have no accident cover. Ask for proof before you start.
• "Come as a tourist first": non-EU au pairs may only work once the residence permit is issued.
• No German course or no day off: both are part of the deal, not a favour.
• Pay below €551.10, or no holiday and Christmas pay on 2026 contracts.
• No private, lockable room.

What to do: talk to the family first and refer to the contract. If that does not help, the Chamber of Labour (Arbeiterkammer) gives free employment law advice, and the AMS can help with questions about the au pair confirmation. In an emergency, call 112. Read more in the safety guide and our list of red flags before saying yes.

Finding a family or au pair on DearAuPair

DearAuPair is a platform, not an agency: families and au pairs find each other directly. Au pairs create a free profile (no credit card) and can apply to families or tell them they are interested. Families verify a card to keep the platform spam-free and buy a one-time membership (€9.99 for one month, €19.99 for three, €29.99 for six), with no auto-renewal and no agency fees. Then chat, do a video call in the app, and agree on a contract that follows Austrian rules.

Coming from a specific country? See our pages for au pairs from Hungary, Poland, Romania and Italy to Austria, plus the guide for au pairs. If you are considering the bigger German-speaking market next door, read a day in the life of an au pair in Germany.