E-Card fee: New burden for Austria's pensioners from 2026!

E-Card fee: New burden for Austria's pensioners from 2026!

From November 2026, a new fee for the E-Card of 25 euros will be charged in Austria, which is expected to affect many pensioners. This measure is part of the savings plans submitted by Finance Minister Markus Marterbauer, which were presented in the National Council as part of the 2025/26 double budget. The decision to request the fee from pensioners fell on May 21, 2025, and a significant additional financial burden is forecast, especially for those seniors who receive more than the minimum pension. The umbrella organization of social security (DVSV) describes the new fee as a flat -rate deductible for health insurance benefits.

In addition to the E-Card fee, the contribution to health insurance for pensioners from June 1, 2025 is increased from 5.1% to 6%. This increase could mean annual additional costs of several hundred euros for many seniors. For example, a pensioner with a monthly gross gross of 1,500 euros would have to pay around 162 euros annually. With a pension of 2,500 euros, the additional burden increases to around 270 euros a year. These developments are sharply criticized, including by the President of the Senior Citizens' Association, Ingrid Korosec, who describes the fee as "not just".

reforms in the pension system

The upcoming reform of the pension system has been described as the largest in 20 years. Changes are planned to raise the retirement age and make the access conditions for corridor pension more difficult in 2026. The inaugural age for the corridor pension is increased from 62 to 63 years and the required contribution months increase from 480 to 504. These measures should bring savings of around 1 billion euros per year by 2029.

In addition, a partial pension control is introduced, which enables early retirement to obtain 50% of the pension and continue to work 50%. This regulation should also come into force in early 2026. Another announcement concerns the adaptation of the pensions in the first year, which is to be made to 50% via an aliquotation.

relief measures and future prospects

A number of relief measures for retirementists are also planned. This includes increasing the social security refund and the freezing of the recipe fees by 2026. In addition, the upper limit of the recipe fees is reduced from 2% to 1.5% and the introduction of a maximum limit for drug prices is promised. These measures should also serve as a response to the increasing costs for seniors that are additionally burdened by the reforms.

Appropriate in Austria are currently receiving around 2.5 million pensioners, and the number will increase to around 3.25 million by 2045. The financing of the pension systems is increasingly considered problematic, so that annual grants of 30 billion euros are considered necessary. This represents a challenge that requires long -term adjustments and a legal mechanism for the financial sustainability of the pension system.

The changes in the pension system and the associated financial burdens are therefore a central topic of discussion for the Austrian population. Social associations and senior citizens' representatives warn of the possible overwhelming of the recipients of lower and medium pensions, despite the existing relief measures.