Familienbeihilfen#

Family Allowances, Federal aid programme aimed at financially assisting families with children. Eligibility for this programme depends on the number of children, and is independent of the family´s income. The programme includes: a) Federal aid for families with children: those eligible include everyone belonging to a household with children (whether the child is biological, adopted, a step-child or foster child); b) Federally subsidised tickets for public transport; c) Federally subsidised school books; d) Federal aid for newborns: those eligible include Austrian women residing in Austria and foreign women who have been residing in Austria for at least three years; assistance is available for each newborn child. Aid is subject to certain conditions (i.e. transcript of required prenatal and postnatal medical examinations of mother and child). Applications for aid (with the exception of subsidised school books) are handled by the tax offices.

Federal aid for families is financed exclusively by funds managed by the Federal Ministry for Youth and the Family. Those required to pay contributions to the fund are employers employing workers in Austria, with the exception of the federal government (the Austrian Railways and the Post Office), the provinces, the larger municipalities and public hospitals. A portion of federal taxes and contributions from the provinces are also paid into the fund.

Literature#