Vienna cuts minimum income: families and children affected!
Vienna is planning cuts to the minimum income, with child benefits and shared apartments particularly affected.

Vienna cuts minimum income: families and children affected!
Due to a tight budget situation, the city of Vienna is forced to make drastic cuts to minimum income. According to the crown Benefits for children are particularly affected by the cuts. In this way, among other things, up to 115 million euros less in support will be distributed, which is causing some discussion in the city.
Currently, around 25% of adults' minimum income goes to housing costs, which are deducted from rental assistance. In order to improve the cost situation, the city is planning to deduct the amounts for children from the rental assistance in the future. This is intended to particularly benefit communities in need, which will be treated differently in the future. After ORF Vienna Shared apartments (WGs) can be viewed as families in the future, which could lead to a reduction in the cost of living.
Consequences for families and children
However, critics of the planned cuts warn that the child rates are not degressive. A family with five children could receive around 400 euros less per year as a result of the regulations. The city's overarching goal is to realize savings of around 95 million euros annually, with savings from the changes expected to be around 20 million euros. This happens in a context in which Vienna spends around 800 million euros annually on minimum income.
Mayor Michael Ludwig also relies on the minimum income provision being processed by the Public Employment Service (AMS) in order to promote the integration of parents into the labor market. The considerations about compulsory kindergarten for three-year-olds are another aspect of this strategy. The changes are expected to come into effect as early as next year.
Reform of social welfare laws
Overall, the structure of social assistance will change as a result of the new Social Assistance Basic Law. Instead of minimum standards, maximum rates for social assistance will be set in the future, as stated in the Ministry of Social Affairs website can be found. This could mean that, for example, the maximum amount for people living alone and single parents will be around 1,209 euros in 2025, while couples can expect around 1,693 euros per year.
The abolition of degressive maximum rates for underage children by the Constitutional Court also ensures that the federal states have more freedom in determining benefits for children. This could lead to inequalities between regions. Another important point is the mandatory surcharge for people with disabilities, which will be set at around 218 euros per month for 2025.
Given all these changes, there are already heated debates in Vienna about the future of minimum income and its impact on the city's most vulnerable population groups.