New wage scale for homeworkers doing envelope, addressing, and packaging work
The Federal Arbitration Office has issued a new mandatory wage scale for homeworkers in Austria who perform envelope-stuffing, addressing, and packaging work. The scale takes effect on 1 April 2026 and sets piece rates based on a standard hourly wage of €11.39, plus a 10% overhead allowance and annual bonuses.
What changed
A new wage scale (Heimarbeitstarif) has been established for homeworkers doing envelope work, addressing, adjusting, or packaging of goods. The scale is based on a collective agreement dated 6 May 2026 for bookbinders and cardboard-goods manufacturers, using wage group 5 for paper-processing workers at €11.39 per hour.
Who is affected
All employers (Auftraggeber) in Austria who hire homeworkers for envelope-stuffing, addressing, adjusting, or packaging work must follow this scale. The scale applies only to work that is not part of manufacturing or processing an article and is not already covered by another collective agreement or wage scale.
Key provisions
Piece rates are calculated from the €11.39 hourly wage. Homeworkers receive a 10% overhead allowance (Heimarbeitszuschlag) shown separately. Vacation bonus and Christmas bonus are paid at 4 weekly earnings (8%) for years 1–6 of employment, and 4⅓ weekly earnings (8.67%) from year 7 onward. Workers hired or leaving mid-year receive a pro-rata share of bonuses.
When it takes effect
The wage scale is valid as of 1 April 2026.