Emergency assistance: the payment after unemployment benefit
How the AMS derives Notstandshilfe from your unemployment benefit, when it is capped and which income reduces it.
Emergency assistance (Notstandshilfe) in Austria is 95 % of your unemployment benefit in 2026 if the daily base amount of that benefit does not exceed €43.61, one thirtieth of the equalisation supplement reference rate of €1,308.39. Above that it is 92 % of the base amount, but never less than 95 % of €43.61 (section 36 of the Unemployment Insurance Act). Someone who earned €3,000 gross a month goes from €47.73 of unemployment benefit to €43.91 a day. After six months a cap applies: if your unemployment benefit lasted only 20 weeks, Notstandshilfe is limited to €1,308.39 a month; after 30 weeks to the protected minimum of €1,526; after 39 or 52 weeks there is no cap. It is granted for 52 weeks at a time and can be renewed any number of times. Since July 2018 a spouse's or partner's income no longer counts, but your own earnings above €551.10 a month do. You must apply within 5 years of your unemployment benefit ending.
Emergency assistance after unemployment benefit
Emergency assistance per day
€41.43
| Benefit before | €43.61 |
| from month 7 | €41.43 |
| per month (30 days) | €1,243 |
Checked by Radif Partners · Editorial policy · Calculation method
Who qualifies
Notstandshilfe follows on from unemployment benefit once its duration is used up. You must be in financial need, meaning you could not cover your living costs without it. Under section 36(2) of the Unemployment Insurance Act (AlVG) the AMS looks at your overall finances, but since mid-2018 only your own income is counted. You must still be able and willing to work and available for at least 20 hours a week (16 with a child under ten). The protection you had in the first months of unemployment benefit, against being placed outside your occupation or below a set share of your old pay, no longer applies: any reasonable job must be accepted.
How section 36 works out the amount
The starting point is the daily base amount (Grundbetrag) of your unemployment benefit, 55.0 % of a notional net income. The law compares it with one thirtieth of the equalisation supplement reference rate (Ausgleichszulagenrichtsatz, the minimum pension level), €43.61 in 2026.
- Base amount up to €43.61: Notstandshilfe = 95.0 % of the base amount plus 95.0 % of the top-up (Ergänzungsbetrag). This covers previous gross salaries up to about €2,680.
- Base amount above that: Notstandshilfe = 92.0 % of the base amount, never less than 95.0 % of €43.61, which is €41.43 a day.
Each result is rounded to the cent. Family supplements are added as long as the total stays within 80.0 % of the notional net income. The government portal oesterreich.gv.at describes the same method; payment is monthly in arrears.
| Previous gross | Unemployment benefit | Notstandshilfe | month 7+ after 20 weeks | after 30 weeks | after 39/52 weeks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| €2,000 | €37.43 | €35.55 | €35.55 | €35.55 | €35.55 |
| €3,000 | €47.73 | €43.91 | €43.61 | €43.91 | €43.91 |
| €4,000 | €60.26 | €55.44 | €43.61 | €50.87 | €55.44 |
| €6,000 | €81.80 | €75.26 | €43.61 | €50.87 | €75.26 |
The gap to unemployment benefit grows with your former salary: €1.88 a day less at €2,000 gross, €4.82 at €4,000, and €16.65 once the six-month cap bites.
Unemployment benefit from your last salary
Daily rate
€43.61
| per month (30 days) | €1,308 |
| Basic amount 55% | €42.46 |
| Top-up | €1.15 |
The six-month cap
For a first claim straight after unemployment benefit, section 36(5) applies from the first day of the month following six months of Notstandshilfe. The ceiling depends only on how long your unemployment benefit lasted:
| Benefit lasted | monthly ceiling | per day |
|---|---|---|
| 20 weeks | €1,308.39 (reference rate) | €43.61 |
| 30 weeks | €1,526 (protected minimum) | €50.87 |
| 39 or 52 weeks | no cap | – |
From age 45, the longest benefit duration you were ever granted is used. If you once had 39 weeks, you keep that status in a later, shorter spell of unemployment. The page on unemployment benefit duration shows which tier applies to you.
Which income reduces it
- Your own earnings up to €551.10: not counted, but since 2026 such a job is allowed only in exceptional cases; see side jobs and unemployment benefit.
- Your own earnings above that: you are not considered unemployed for that period and get no Notstandshilfe.
- Other income of your own, such as rent: deducted in the following month after expenses, rounded to whole euros (section 36(3) and (4)).
- Maintenance you receive: only the part above €551.10 a month.
- Your partner’s income: ignored since 1 July 2018.
- Course allowances covering training costs: ignored.
One year of Notstandshilfe worked through
A former employee on €4,000 gross who had only 20 weeks of unemployment benefit receives about €1,663 a month in the first six months of emergency assistance. Then the reference-rate cap applies and €1,308 remain. Over the year that is €17,829 instead of €19,958 without the cap, a difference of €2,129. Had the same person been 40 with enough insured weeks for 39 weeks of benefit, there would be no cut. Falling just short of a duration tier therefore costs twice: fewer weeks of benefit, and a lower Notstandshilfe later.
Applying and renewing
Notstandshilfe is granted for 52 weeks at a time; then you apply again, as often as needed while the conditions are met. The first application must reach the AMS within 5 years after unemployment benefit ends, and a resumption within 5 years of the last payment. The Chamber of Labour notes that this window is extended by any period that extends the qualifying window. While you receive it you are covered by health and pension insurance, and if you fall ill the health insurer pays sick pay at the same daily rate.