Have your Austrian employment contract checked — free, in 30 seconds
Austrian employment law works differently from German law in two ways that matter immediately: collective agreements set the minimum pay, and the standard end date for a dismissal is the end of a calendar quarter. Upload your contract and see what actually applies.
There is no statutory minimum wage in Austria; the floor comes from the collective agreement (Kollektivvertrag) that applies to your industry, and it cannot be undercut. For salaried employees the employer's notice period runs from six weeks to five months depending on length of service, in principle to the end of a calendar quarter (§ 20 AngG); you can always resign with one month to the end of a calendar month. A post-contractual non-compete may last at most one year, applies only above an income threshold, and does not bind you if the employer dismissed you without cause on your part (§§ 36 f. AngG). This is an AI first assessment, not legal advice.
The collective agreement sets your floor
Austria has no statutory minimum wage. Almost every industry is covered by a Kollektivvertrag that fixes minimum pay by classification and years of service, along with special payments — typically a 13th and 14th monthly salary. A contract that pays below that classification is void to that extent, and the difference can be claimed retroactively.
- Minimum pay comes from the collective agreement, not the law
- 13th and 14th salaries are usual and follow from the collective agreement
- Your classification and years counted must be stated
- Terms below the collective agreement are void; terms above it are valid
Notice periods and the quarter-end trap
The employer's period runs from six weeks up to five months with length of service. Unless something else is agreed, notice takes effect at the end of a calendar quarter — which can extend the remaining term considerably. Many contracts additionally agree the 15th and the last day of a month as permissible end dates, and the difference is worth checking before you count.
The Dienstzettel
The employer must hand you a written statement of the essential terms without delay (§ 2 AVRAG). Since March 2024 the list is longer and a failure is an administrative offence. Like its German counterpart it does not change what was agreed — it makes it provable.
Non-compete: shorter, but without compensation
Compared with Germany the Austrian non-compete is narrower in time — one year rather than two — but it does not require compensation. It only binds you at all if your monthly pay exceeded a statutory threshold, and it falls away if the employer dismissed you without cause on your part, unless they keep paying your last salary for its duration. A contractual penalty attached to it is capped at six months' pay.
Clauses we see, and what they are worth
“The employee shall not work for a competitor for two years after termination.”
Void beyond one year
§ 36 AngG limits a post-contractual non-compete to one year. Beyond that it does not bind you, and below the statutory income threshold it does not bind you at all.
“Notice may be given to the end of each calendar month.”
Permissible and usually favourable
§ 20 Abs. 3 AngG allows the 15th and the last day of a month as additional end dates. Without such an agreement the default is the end of a calendar quarter.
“The salary covers all overtime worked.”
Risky
An all-in agreement is permissible in Austria, but a yearly reconciliation is required: if the hours actually worked exceed what the salary covers at collective-agreement rates, the difference is owed.
Frequently asked questions
- Is there a minimum wage in Austria?
- Not by statute. The minimum comes from the collective agreement for your industry, which fixes pay by classification and years of service and cannot be undercut.
- What is an all-in contract?
- A salary that covers overtime. It is permissible, but the employer must check once a year whether the hours actually worked are covered at collective-agreement rates and pay the difference if they are not.
- How much notice do I have to give?
- As a salaried employee, one month to the end of a calendar month, unless something more favourable was agreed. Your period may never be longer than the employer's.
- What does the check cost?
- The first three findings are free and need no account. The full report is a one-off payment, with no subscription.
Hinweis: Keine Rechtsberatung. Diese Analyse ist eine KI-gestützte Informations- und Auffälligkeitsprüfung und stellt keine Rechtsberatung und keine Rechtsdienstleistung dar (Deutschland: RDG, Österreich: RAO). Sie macht potenziell auffällige Klauseln sichtbar und bewertet Prüfbedarf, nicht die Rechtswirksamkeit. Für rechtsverbindliche Auskünfte wende dich bitte an eine Anwältin oder einen Anwalt.