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Reader question: When will I get my 2023 Klimabonus payment in Austria?

Amanda Previdelli
Amanda Previdelli - [email protected]
Reader question: When will I get my 2023 Klimabonus payment in Austria?
Pictured: euro bank notes. (Photo by Markus Spiske on Unsplash)

Austria's anti-inflation and climate bonus payment saw the government send out €500 to residents in recent weeks, but when will they offer more aid to households in 2023?

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With rising inflation, the Austrian government announced several measures to try and cushion the effects of the higher cost of living for those who live in the country. 

One of the most talked about measures was the so-called Klimabonus (officially, the full name would be something like “the climate and anti-inflation bonus”), the €500 one-off payment that (almost) every resident in the country is entitled to.

You can read more about the scheme HERE. As millions of people received the €500 payment (either straight into their bank accounts or as cashable vouchers), the question is: will there be another Klimabonus payment in 2023?

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READ ALSO: Klimabonus: Payments complete for the Austria-wide scheme

The answer is yes. There will be two types of payment.

February: The second round of payments

The first payment will be the second round of payments concerning 2022. These will be made starting February 2023 to all those who were entitled in 2022 but did not receive their money.

People who had recently moved to Austria in 2022 and will have lived in the Alpine country for at least 181 days in the years are among those that should receive the €500 amount in the second round of payments. Children born in 2022 and who will have been at least 181 days old by the end of the year will also receive a payment - though minors are entitled to €250.

READ ALSO: 'I'm still waiting': Foreigners in Austria still not been paid Klimabonus handout

Additionally, those who, by mistake, did not get their payments in 2022 will also receive them starting February 2023. 

This is the case of some groups of EU citizens or third-country nationals who were affected by "some problems with the automated entitlement check by the Ministry of the Interior"

"​​Every effort is being taken to find a solution, please bear with us. You will receive your payment for 2022 in the second wave of payments starting February 2023)," the authorities said.

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By the end of the year: The Klimabonus 2023

However, even those who received the Klimabonus in 2022 will also receive another payment in 2023. Don't get too excited; it will be far from the €500 subsidy the government offered in 2022.

The €500 Klimabonus was actually a Klima- und Antiteuerungsbonus, two bonuses in one. One, totalling €250, is the "climate bonus"(Klimabonus). The other, also €250, is the "anti-inflation bonus" (Anti-Teuerungsbonus).

The anti-inflation bonus was a one-off payment and is not expected to be repeated in 2023. 

READ ALSO: EXPLAINED: How Austria’s new finance measures could benefit you

The climate bonus is part of Austria's "ecosocial tax reform", a set of measures destined to promote climate protection. One of them is a tax on CO2 emissions, which will raise the prices of fuel in the country, affecting Austrian drivers.

The yearly Klimabonus will offset this expense. The idea is that the more you use public transport, the more of the bonus you will have "left" by the end of the month. 

According to the government, those living in well-connected cities with plenty of options for public transport (people who, therefore, could easily choose more eco-friendly transportation instead of a car) will receive less money. For example, in Vienna, the payment will be €100.

The maximum payment will be €250.

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