Vienna deletes training surcharge - social assistance is clearly shortened!

Vienna deletes training surcharge - social assistance is clearly shortened!

Wien, Österreich - Vienna has announced that the increased training surcharge in minimum security on June 30, 2025. This measure was announced by the city of Vienna on Sunday and is regarded as part of the general abolition of the corresponding passage in the Basic Social Welfare Act, which will be decided in the National Council in the coming week. So far, the training surcharge was 150 euros or 300 euros per month for participants in training and further education measures of the labor market service (AMS).

The city expects this abolition to save around 20 million euros annually. However, the social councilor Peter Hacker (SPÖ) expressed skepticism compared to this measure, which from November 2024 to June 2025 caused additional costs of 9.7 million euros.

educational bonus and future regulations

In 2024 the educational bonus for social welfare educators was introduced, and with the abolition of the training surcharge, the passage also does not apply that this AMS surcharge is not counted towards social assistance. This could have negative consequences for many affected people.

The Social Welfare Basic Act (SH-GG), which came into force in 2019, required the adaptation of their laws within a certain period of time. While most countries have already issued their execution laws, this does not apply to everyone. There is still no implementation of the SH-GG in Tyrol, which leads to different regulations in the federal states.

regulations on social benefits

The situation for single parents was also taken into account in the new regulations. Surcharges for this group of people vary between 145 euros for the first child and 36 euros for the fourth child and every additional child. In addition, people with disabilities receive a mandatory surcharge of around 218 euros.

With these changes it becomes clear that Vienna and other federal states continue to face major challenges in order to optimize financial support for needy citizens. The deletion of the training surcharge is an example of the current efforts to control expenses, while at the same time the social needs of the population must not be lost.