Guide · Lower Austria
Housing subsidies in Lower Austria
Lower Austria runs two different supports for ongoing housing costs, and almost every guide online mixes them up. Which one applies to you is decided by the year the building itself was subsidised, not by what you earn. Below: how to tell them apart, what the renovation subsidy is actually worth in euros, and where the province publishes figures we will not reproduce.
The one thing that decides everything
Wohnzuschuss and Wohnbeihilfe are two names for support towards your monthly housing costs. Which of them you can receive depends on when housing subsidy was applied for to build or renovate your building.
- Subsidy applied for after 1993
- Wohnzuschuss. If your tenancy or purchase contract dates from 1 July 2009 or later, the "Modell 2009" variant applies, which weights the family income by household size and sets an eligible floor area to match the family situation.
- Subsidy applied for before 1993
- Wohnbeihilfe. The older track, with its own rules.
- Subsidised single-family homes
- Always Wohnzuschuss, never the "Modell 2009", if the home was subsidised through the Eigenheim or Eigenheimsanierung schemes.
In practice you do not need to work this out yourself: there is a single application form for both, and the province calculates whichever variant is better for you.
How to apply
- Fill in the joint application form "Wohnbauförderung Wohnzuschuss/Wohnbeihilfe". You do not have to know in advance which of the two you are applying for.
- Attach proof of income for every person living in the household, for the full previous calendar year (1 January to 31 December).
- On a first application, attach the tenancy or purchase contract. Add proof of family allowance, and where relevant proof of a reduction in earning capacity of at least 55 per cent or care level II or above.
- Submit it yourself, or authorise the management of a non-profit housing association to do it for you. In that case the day it arrives at the management counts as the day of receipt.
Wohnzuschuss/Wohnbeihilfe at noe.gv.at →
Deadlines that cost money if you miss them
- Reapply every year
- The support is granted for one year at a time and has to be applied for again each year. You can reapply in the month it runs out.
- Three months retroactive at most
- It can be granted from the month the conditions were met, but no more than three months back. Applying late costs the difference.
- Income drop of 30 per cent or more
- If your current income has fallen by at least 30 per cent against the period used for the assessment, for instance through unemployment, the support can be recalculated on the current situation, provided the change is more than 20 euros.
Renovating a home: the figures the province does publish
Unlike the amount of the Wohnzuschuss, the renovation scheme is fully documented, so here are the actual numbers. Both variants are paid as a 4 per cent annuity subsidy on the eligible renovation costs, towards repaying a bank loan, over ten years. The subsidy does not have to be paid back.
| What | Figure |
|---|---|
| Recognisable costs | at most € 600 per m² of floor area |
| Floor area recognised | up to 130 m² per dwelling |
| Maximum eligible costs | € 78,000 per dwelling |
| Subsidy | 4 % of the eligible costs a year, for 10 years |
| With energy certificate | requires at least a 40 % improvement in heating demand, which gives at least 50 base points |
| Without energy certificate | 25 base points for individual measures, regardless of how many |
| Listed buildings | 30 additional points, if the listing is entered in the land register |
| Against urban sprawl | up to 55 additional points, granted automatically |
| Buying and renovating | eligible costs rise by € 20,000, plus € 10,000 if a young family moves in |
A young family here means at least one partner, or a single person, under 35 with a dependent child in the household. The purchase may be at most three years old when you apply, and the application is due at the latest one year after building work starts.
Renovation subsidy at noe.gv.at →
New build: what is documented and what is not
For subsidised apartment construction the province publishes the mechanics: a degressive subsidy of 85 per cent of the eligible nominal amount, where the points from the building data sheet are multiplied by the floor area and one point is worth € 16. The eligible area is capped at 80 m² for flats and 110 m² for terraced houses, with a minimum of 40 m². For the Eigenheim scheme, the province loads the conditions through a script we cannot read reliably, so we do not reproduce any figures for it. Call the housing hotline instead of trusting a number copied from a blog.
What people get wrong
- "It depends on my income"
- Your income decides the amount, not which of the two schemes applies. That is decided by the building.
- "I applied once, so it runs on"
- It is granted for a year at a time and has to be reapplied for annually.
- "I can claim it from when I moved in"
- Three months retroactive at most.
- "Lower Austria has the same scheme as Upper Austria"
- It does not. Upper Austria runs a Wohnbeihilfe with a published formula; Lower Austria runs Wohnzuschuss and Wohnbeihilfe side by side and publishes a calculator instead of a formula.
Common questions
- What is the difference between Wohnzuschuss and Wohnbeihilfe in Lower Austria?
- Both support your monthly housing costs. Which applies depends on when housing subsidy was applied for to build or renovate the building: after 1993 it is the Wohnzuschuss, before 1993 the Wohnbeihilfe. With a tenancy or purchase contract from 1 July 2009 onwards, the Wohnzuschuss follows the "Modell 2009", which weights family income by household size. There is a single application form for both, and the province calculates whichever is better for you.
- How much is the Wohnzuschuss?
- The province does not publish a formula, it provides an online calculator for the "Modell 2009". The amount varies and depends among other things on income and on the burden of repayment obligations. We do not reproduce an estimate, because a guessed number here would cost real money.
- Do I have to apply every year?
- Yes. The support is granted for one year at a time and has to be applied for again each year; you can reapply in the month it runs out. It can be granted at most three months retroactively.
- What happens if I lose my job?
- If your income falls by at least 30 per cent against the period used for the assessment, the support can be recalculated on your current situation, provided the change is more than 20 euros. You do not have to wait for the annual reapplication.
- What does the renovation subsidy pay?
- A 4 per cent annuity subsidy on the eligible renovation costs, for ten years, towards repaying a bank loan; it does not have to be repaid. At most € 600 per m² is recognised, for up to 130 m² per dwelling, so at most € 78,000 of eligible costs. A points system decides what share of that is actually eligible.
- Does Lower Austria show the zoning of a plot online?
- No, and it is the only one of our five markets that does not. For Vienna, Graz, Salzburg and Upper Austria we show the official zoning per address; Lower Austria runs no queryable service we could connect to. The municipality gives the binding answer.
Sources and status
All figures on this page come from the province of Lower Austria (noe.gv.at, abgerufen am 28. August 2026). Where the province publishes no figure, none appears here either. This is orientation, not legal advice, and the province decides each individual case.