Employees and working students need to inform their employers about their pregnancy and the expected date of birth. This is done by means of an official notification of pregnancy and a doctor's note stating the expected date of birth.

Employees working in laboratories at the University of Innsbruck should contact the occupational health physician Dr. Elisabeth Oberrauch immediately after they find out about their pregnancy.

Link: Occupational Medicine of the University of Innsbruck

University of Innsbruck employees will also find all information and forms regarding pregnancy in the Uniwiki.

Information: Before giving birth to a child

In Austria, the Parents-child-health passport with its planned medical examinations is an important and mandatory document of preventive healthcare for mothers and children. Moreover, evidence that the compulsory medical examinations have taken place is necessary for claiming childcare allowance. Usually, the Health-Passport is issued by a gynecologist.

Tip: Please make sure that the free-of-charge Health-Passport examinations are carried out in time! For receiving the full amount of child allowance, you need to file evidence of the first ten Parents-Child-Health-Passport examinations with the pertinent health insurance organization.

A free-of-charge consultation hour with a midwife is possible between the 18th and 22nd week of pregnancy!

Link: Parent-Child-Passport

It is prohibited by law for expectant mothers to work 8 weeks before and 8 weeks after the birth of the child (this changes to 12 weeks in the case of premature births, multiple births or caesarian sections).

Link: Maternity Protection

During the statutory maternity leave, working mothers are entitled to maternity allowance [Wochengeld]. An application for maternity allowance needs to be filed with the pertinent health insurance institution (starting eight weeks before the expected date of birth). Maternity allowance is paid out monthly at the end of the respective month.

The following are entitled to maternity allowance: employed women, marginally employed women with voluntary self-insurance and fully insured freelancers.

Link: maternity allowance

Persons with permanent and legal resident and centre of life in Austria and whose child lives with them in the same household /they mainly provide maintenance are entitled to family allowance – independent of income and job. In general, the mother is entitled to receive the family allowance, which is paid out monthly. The amount of the allowance depends on the age of the children. The number of children is taken into account via supplements (=sibling supplement scale). The tax credit for children is paid out together with the family allowance, and it is not necessary to file a separate application. If you are entitled to a family allowance for at least three children, you can also apply for a multiple-child supplement!

Students can receive family allowance up to the age of 24. Under certain circumstances, for example pregnancy and childcare obligations for one's own child, family allowance can be received up to the age of 25.

⇒ Information about Family Allowance and tax credit for children

Parental leave from the workforce with suspension of remuneration is available up to the child's 2^nd birthday. For births from 01.11.2023, you can only claim parental leave up to the day before the child's 2nd birthday in the following cases

• if the second parent takes at least two months of parental leave
• if you are a single parent
• if one parent is not entitled to parental leave (self-employed, unemployed, students, etc.) and the other parent begins their parental leave at the earliest two months after the end of the employment ban after the birth.

If only one of the two parents takes parental leave and none of the above cases apply, parental leave ends at the end of the child's 22nd month of life!

The minimum duration of parental leave is two months and can be divided up twice between the parents (= three shares of parental leave). However, parents may not take parental leave at the same time (exception: when parents alternate parental leave for the first time, their parental leave may overlap for one month, which shortens the claim to parental leave by one month). Each parent can postpone 3 months of parental leave (at the most until the child has completed his/her 7^th year of life).

Information in English (Parental Leave)

Early parental leave for fathers (Papamonat)

If living in the same household as the child (or children) and the mother, fathers can take parental leave for 28-31 days while the mother is not allowed to work if they have a social insurance and in return for not receiving salary. This is possible during the mother´s maternity protection leave and up to four weeks afterwards. For births from 1 March 2017, financial support can be applied for from the social insurance institution, the so-called family time bonus (daily € 52,43). At the University of Innsbruck, a "Papamonth" for a maximum of four weeks can be agreed upon for claiming the family time bonus. 

• Detailed information about the "Papamonat" at the University of Innsbruck as well as the application form can be found in the UniWiki.
• General information on paternity leave and early paternity leave can be found here.
  
• Information of the Arbeiterkammer about the Papamonat (in German)

If you applied for parental part-time work before November 1, 2023, the maximum duration of parental part-time work is until the child's 7th birthday or a later school entry date.
New from November 2023: For applications from 01.11.2023, parents have the option of reducing their working hours until the child's 8th birthday, for a maximum total of 7 years. You can find out which requirements are necessary for this under the links below.

Important: Parental part-time work is possible only, if the other parent is not using parental leave at the same time. However, both parents can reduce their worktime simultaneously.

Link: parental part time work

The Childcare Allowance Act offers two systems:

• Childcare allowance account [Kinderbetreuungsgeld-Konto]: This option acknowledges the parents' childcare obligations and partially compensates them. Parents receive the flat-rate childcare allowance independent of their employment before the birth of the child.

• Income-related childcare allowance Income-related childcare allowance gives parents who want to take only a short parental leave of absence and who have a higher income the possibility to receive income replacement during that time.

Link: Childcare Allowance

From the calendar year 2019 on, the Family Bonus Plus replaces the tax deductibility of childcare costs and the child allowance. Here you can find more information.

As international mobility increases, more and more people come from other countries to work or study at the University of Innsbruck, or are in relationships in which both partners come from/work in different countries. Many of them have or are planning a family/children and have questions about this. For this purpose, the Family Service team has compiled information:

⇒ Familiy benefits in Austria: Information sheet for employees from abroad