Guide
Minimum and average salary in Austria
Austria has no statutory minimum wage. Pay floors are set sector by sector through collective agreements — and thanks to two extra annual salaries, headline monthly figures understate the yearly total.
No statutory minimum wage — but real wage floors
Unlike many EU countries, Austria does not have a single, legally fixed minimum wage. Instead, minimum pay is set by collective agreements (Kollektivverträge), negotiated between social partners for each sector and renewed every year. These agreements cover the large majority of employees and function as binding wage floors for the jobs they apply to.
Because the floor depends on the sector, there is no single number — but across most industries the lowest full-time minimums sit in the region of €2,000 gross per month. Skilled roles and sectors with stronger agreements start higher. Always check the specific Kollektivvertrag for the job in question.
Average and median salary
For orientation, recent data points to:
- a median full-time gross income around €55,000 per year,
- a mean (average) around €60,000 per year, roughly €3,800 gross per month,
- meaningful spread by sector, region, experience and gender.
The median is the more useful "typical" figure, since a smaller number of very high earners pulls the mean upward. Treat all of these as orientation, not a guarantee for any one role.
Why the "13th and 14th salaries" matter
Austrian employees usually receive 14 payments a year: twelve regular monthly salaries plus two special payments (Sonderzahlungen) — a holiday payment in summer and a Christmas bonus. This is standard in most collective agreements.
So a stated "monthly salary" typically implies fourteen of those per year, not twelve — worth remembering when comparing an Austrian offer against a country that pays twelve.
From gross to net
Gross pay is reduced by employee social-security contributions and income tax before it reaches your account. To see roughly how income tax alone behaves at a given income, try the Austria income tax calculator, and see our guide to income tax in Austria for the brackets.
Frequently asked questions
Does Austria have a minimum wage?
Austria has no statutory, government-set minimum wage. Instead, minimum pay is set by collective agreements (Kollektivverträge) negotiated per sector and updated yearly. These effectively act as binding wage floors, and in most sectors the lowest full-time minimums land around €2,000 gross per month — though the exact figure depends entirely on the industry and job.
What is the average salary in Austria?
Recent figures put the median gross full-time income at roughly €55,000 per year and the mean somewhat higher at about €60,000. In monthly terms the average full-time gross salary is commonly cited around €3,800. Averages vary by sector, region, experience and gender, so treat them as orientation rather than a promise for any one job.
What are the 13th and 14th salaries?
Austrian employees typically receive 14 monthly payments a year: 12 regular salaries plus two special payments (Sonderzahlungen) — holiday pay in summer and a Christmas bonus. These extra payments are taxed at a favourable flat rate rather than the normal progressive income tax, which is why net pay from them is comparatively high.
General information, not individual advice. Figures are approximate and change yearly — for current data check Statistik Austria and the Arbeiterkammer (AK); for a specific job, check the relevant collective agreement. Sources: Statistik Austria, AK, WKO.