Plain-language summaries of changes to Austrian federal law. Generated with AI, updated within hours of each official publication.
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Changes to Austria's Financial Penalties Act (Finanzstrafgesetz) update enforcement mechanisms and procedural requirements for tax and financial violations. The amendment affects taxpayers, businesses, and tax authorities; specific effective dates are determined by official gazette publication.
Austria's 1972 Victim of Crime Assistance Act (Verbrechensopfergesetz) has been reviewed and clarified. The changes affect who qualifies for state assistance when they are victims of serious crimes and what conditions apply to receiving support.
Austria's federal financial distribution system is being revised for 1989–1992, with updates to disaster relief, hospital cooperation, and environmental funds. Changes take effect as specified in each section.
Austria's Narcotic Drugs Ordinance (Suchtgiftverordnung) was amended by BGBl. II Nr. 180/2026, revising Annex IV.2 to incorporate new psychoactive substances into the controlled-drug list in implementation of EU delegated Directive 2025/2062. The change took effect on the day the amending ordinance was published.
Austria's Capital Market Act (Kapitalmarktgesetz – KMG) has been amended to introduce a new €75 million ceiling: when the total value of an offering stays below €75 million over any rolling 12-month period, two additional conditions that normally apply to certain deposit-linked instruments (lit. c and d) are waived. The law also formally inserts the abbreviation 'KMG' and makes minor terminological corrections.
The Patent Office Fee Act (Patentamtsgebührengesetz) sets the official fees and charges payable to Austria's Patent Office for patent, trademark, design, and other intellectual property services. This is the baseline legislation governing which fees apply and when they must be paid.
As of the September 2026 update, anyone applying for state assistance under Austria's Crime Victims Relief Act (Verbrechensopfergesetz – VOG) may request that a trusted person be present and heard during medical examinations conducted as part of the application process. The authority must inform applicants of this right in good time; costs incurred by the trusted person are not reimbursed.
BGBl. I Nr. 86/2026 amends the Verwaltungsstrafgesetz 1991 (VStG – Administrative Penal Act): on-the-spot penalty notices (Organstrafverfügung) and anonymous penalty orders (Anonymverfügung) must now be paid by bank transfer using a QR code within two weeks. The changes take effect on the day BGBl. I Nr. 86/2026 is published.
Austria is raising the maximum amounts for student aid (Schülerbeihilfe) and boarding aid (Heimbeihilfe) effective 1 September 2026, indexed to the annual social insurance adjustment factor. Students and families receiving these grants will see increased support.
The Schülerbeihilfengesetz 1983 (School Grants Act) has been updated by BGBl. II Nr. 305/2026, raising income thresholds and all benefit amounts for students from 1 September 2026. Students and families currently receiving or planning to apply for Schulbeihilfe, Heimbeihilfe, or Fahrtkostenbeihilfe are directly affected.
Austria's temporary residence protection for Ukrainians displaced by armed conflict has been amended to add new eligibility categories, clarify family member definitions, allow transitions to permanent residence permits, and extend the regulation's framework. Changes take effect on October 16, 2026.
Austria's participation in the European Convention on the Transfer of Proceedings in Criminal Matters (BGBl. Nr. 250/1980, in force since 1 July 1980) ends on 13 October 2026, when its status is formally set to repealed. Courts, prosecutors, defence lawyers, and defendants involved in cross-border prosecution-transfer cases with the convention's 23+ member states are directly affected.
Amendments to Austria's Labour Market Service Act (Arbeitsmarktservicegesetz – AMSG) clarify that employers must alone cover the social-insurance contribution gap during short-time work (Kurzarbeit) and confirm that subsidies for Kurzarbeit begun between 1 March and 31 May 2020 may not be reclaimed solely because a fully paid calendar month before start was missing.
The Electricity Labeling Regulation 2022 (Stromkennzeichnungsverordnung 2022) has been amended by BGBl. II Nr. 302/2026, updating all references from the old ElWOG 2010 to the new Electricity Industry Act (ElWG, BGBl. I Nr. 91/2025) and adding new entry-into-force deadlines. Electricity suppliers in Austria are primarily affected.
Austria's Company Pension Act (BPG) has been amended so that employees taking a partial pension (Teilpension) from 1 January 2026 may continue contributing to their company pension fund (Pensionskasse) at the previous level, just like employees on parental leave or other reduced-hours arrangements. The change was introduced by BGBl. I Nr. 47/2025.
Austria's Protected Forest Regulation now specifies how authorities must set reforestation timelines and methods, and clarifies who pays for forest management measures depending on the type of protected forest.
A new paragraph (§ 10 Abs. 1d) in the Disability Employment Act (BEinstG) obliges the federal government to transfer additional general budget funds to the Ausgleichstaxfonds — the fund that finances vocational inclusion programmes for people with disabilities — to secure its liquidity: €65 million in 2026, €45.1 million in 2027, €24.4 million in 2028, and €14.8 million annually from 2029. The change was introduced by BGBl. I Nr. 85/2026.
The motor-related insurance tax (§6 of the Insurance Tax Act 1953 – VersStG 1953), a monthly surcharge on car liability insurance based on engine power and CO₂ emissions, has been repealed. All vehicle owners with Austrian-registered cars, motorcycles, and light vehicles holding mandatory liability insurance are affected, effective 18 March 2025.
The Austrian Capital Market Act (KMG – Kapitalmarktgesetz) is amended to add two new rules relaxing the prospectus-exemption conditions for bank-issued securities: a threshold (below €50 million or €75 million over 12 months, depending on the applicable law version) that removes deposit-related conditions, and an explicit exemption for securities issued as continuous/permanent issuances (Daueremissionen). Credit institutions and their advisors are primarily affected.
Angola has acceded to the Rotterdam Convention (PIC procedure for hazardous chemicals and pesticides), and has been added to the official list of contracting parties via BGBl. III Nr. 136/2026. Several metadata fields in the Austrian legal register were also updated editorially.