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Guide · Subsidised housing

Housing benefit in Vienna: who gets it and how much, as of 2026

Vienna's housing benefit helps with the rent, on average with around 230 euros per month, noticeably more for single parents. Since the 2024 reform it covers all rented flats, from private pre-war buildings to co-ops and council housing. Here are the current rules, the actual calculation logic and the application, without the outdated half-knowledge circulating online.

Rabenhof, a council estate in Vienna
Invisigoth67 · CC BY-SA 3.0

The requirements at a glance

Main residence + lease
You live in Vienna with your main residence and centre of life and are the tenant of the flat; a cooperative use contract counts like a lease.
Covers all rental forms
Private leases, co-op flats and council flats (there the MA 50 pays Wiener Wohnen directly). Not for owned flats and not for flats rented from close relatives.
Not in dorms
There is no housing benefit for places in homes (such as student dorms), a common misconception.
Minimum income
The household income must reach a floor: in 2026 around 1,230 euros net for single households, around 1,722 euros for couples, plus around 332 euros per child. Study grants and alimony count; the 13th and 14th salary do not.
No minimum income support
Housing benefit and Vienna's minimum income scheme are mutually exclusive. Those households get the rent allowance of the MA 40 instead.
Citizenship
Austria, EU/EEA/Switzerland, recognised refugees and long-term residents with at least 5 years of lawful stay. Persons with subsidiary protection are excluded since 1 January 2026.

How it is calculated (and why there is no flat rate)

The formula is simple: the benefit is the difference between your countable housing cost (the gross rent, capped) and the share you can reasonably afford given your income. The higher the capped rent and the lower the income, the more benefit.

The two caps: rent counts only up to 8.67 euros per square metre (reference rent 6.67 plus a 2 euro service-charge allowance) and only for a reasonable flat size (60 m² for one person, 75 for two, 10 more per additional person). If your flat is smaller than 60 m², the law still calculates with 60. On the income side, 922.42 euros (75 per cent of the minimum standard, as of 2026) remain fully exempt, 90 per cent if someone with a disability lives in the household.

For context: the average benefit is around 230 euros per month, around 327 euros for single parents (the city's balance after the reform's first year). Amounts below 5 euros are not paid out.

Housing benefit calculator: what it works out to for you

The estimate uses the formula of the Vienna Housing Benefit Act and the 2026 values. It shows every intermediate step so you can see where the number comes from. Your entries stay in your browser: nothing is stored and nothing is sent anywhere.

This is an estimate, not a decision. The MA 50 calculates bindingly, and it knows special cases this does not cover: tenancies older than 20 years, sub-tenancy, assisted living or refinanced renovations.

The application, step by step

  1. 01

    Check your eligibility

    With the city's official checker, takes a few minutes and is non-binding.

  2. 02

    Gather the documents

    ID, current net income proofs of all household members, the lease with the current rent breakdown and your IBAN, ideally as PDF scans.

  3. 03

    Submit the application

    Online via mein.wien or by form to the MA 50 (Heiligenstädter Straße 31). An application by the 15th takes effect from the 1st of that month, and retroactive granting works up to 4 months back, so you lose nothing.

  4. 04

    Receive the decision

    The decision arrives as an official notice and is valid for up to 2 years; then you file a renewal. Changes in income, rent or household must be reported immediately.

Wohnschirm: the emergency brake for rent and energy arrears

If the issue is not ongoing support but acute arrears or a looming eviction, the federal "Wohnschirm" steps in: it covers rent arrears including court costs, helps with energy arrears before disconnection and supports moving to an affordable flat. The programme continues (its extension to 2029 has been passed); applications run exclusively in person via the counselling centres on wohnschirm.at, free of charge.

And the rent allowance (Mietbeihilfe)?

The rent allowance is something else: an add-on of Vienna's minimum income scheme (MA 40) for its recipients. Housing benefit and minimum income are mutually exclusive, you only ever receive one of the two. In Lower Austria, in turn, the benefit is called Wohnzuschuss or Wohnbeihilfe, is applied for with the state and, unlike Vienna, also covers subsidised owned homes.

Common questions about the housing benefit

How much housing benefit do I get in Vienna?

It is individual: the difference between your (capped) gross rent and the share you can reasonably afford. On average it is around 230 euros per month, around 327 euros for single parents. Check it bindingly with the City of Vienna's official housing benefit checker.

How do I calculate the housing benefit myself?

In three steps. First the countable rent: your gross rent, capped at 8.67 euros per m² and at the reasonable flat size. Second the reasonable share: 922.42 euros of your household income stay exempt, the rest is split into bands of 277 euros each, of which 50, 70, 90 and beyond that 100 per cent are deemed affordable. Third the difference between the two, that is the housing benefit. The calculator above does exactly this and shows every intermediate figure.

Do I get housing benefit as a student?

In principle yes, there is no special student rule. The hurdle is the minimum income (around 1,230 euros net for single households in 2026), with study grants and alimony counting. Important: there is no housing benefit for dorm places, only for rented flats.

Does it also cover council and co-op flats?

Yes, both. Since the 2024 reform there is one uniform housing benefit for all rented flats. For council flats, the MA 50 pays Wiener Wohnen directly, so the rent decreases automatically.

And owned flats?

No, in Vienna the benefit is for tenants only. In Lower Austria the Wohnzuschuss also covers subsidised owned homes.

How long do I receive the benefit?

A decision is valid for up to 2 years, then you need a renewal application. The formerly common 12 months stem from the pre-2024 law. Changes in income, rent or household must be reported immediately.

From when is it paid, and does it work retroactively?

An application by the 15th of a month takes effect from the 1st of that month. Since 2025, retroactive granting up to 4 months before the application is possible, so do not wait out of fear of deadlines.

Do the 13th and 14th salaries count as income?

No, special payments are disregarded. The calculation uses the net monthly income of all household members, including unemployment benefits, alimony and childcare allowance.

I receive minimum income support, do I also get housing benefit?

No, the two are mutually exclusive. Minimum-income households get the rent allowance within the minimum income scheme (MA 40) instead; once minimum income is granted, the housing benefit ends.

Read on

As of July 2026 (Vienna Housing Benefit Act incl. amendments up to LGBl. 65/2025; 2026 euro values, they adjust automatically every year) · Orientation, not legal advice. Binding: the MA 50 decision.