Sick Leave in Austria for Foreign Workers: Reporting, Certificates and Pay
Written by
Move to Austria Team
Editorial Team, Move to Austria
Reviewed by
Move to Austria Team
Editorial and source review · October 22, 2026
Your first Krankenstand in Austria can be confusing. Follow the reporting process, protect private medical information and understand employer pay and insurer benefits.
What to do if you are too ill to work
If illness prevents you from working in Austria, tell the employer promptly through its reporting process and arrange the necessary medical assessment. Do not wait for the next scheduled payroll day or assume that a message to a colleague will reach the right person. ÖGK guidance treats notification of the employer as the employee’s responsibility even though medical certification and insurance reporting involve other people.
This guide was reviewed on 22 October 2026 and explains ordinary employee administration, not diagnosis or treatment. If you need urgent medical care, obtain it promptly. For someone new to Austria, a useful preparation is to save the employer’s absence-reporting contact, learn how to reach a local medical practice and know your insurance number before the first illness occurs. Those details are harder to find when you are already unwell.
A doctor’s certificate may be required from the first day
Chamber of Labour guidance says an employer can request a Krankenstandsbestätigung even for a one-day absence. Do not import a “three days without a certificate” rule from another country or another workplace. Check the actual process, send the requested evidence promptly and keep proof that it reached the appropriate person. Failure to meet notification or evidence duties can affect pay during the delay.
ÖGK explains that sick leave generally starts when the treating doctor establishes incapacity for work. If you cannot obtain an immediate appointment, contact the practice and employer promptly about the situation rather than assuming that certification can always be backdated. Keep the factual timeline. Ask how extensions and the return to work should be reported, particularly where a hospital stay or an appointment abroad is involved.
You do not normally have to disclose the diagnosis to your employer
The employer’s certificate concerns the incapacity and relevant period; Chamber of Labour guidance distinguishes the cause category, such as illness or accident, from the medical diagnosis. You do not have to provide the employer with the diagnosis merely to explain ordinary sick leave. Use the required reporting channel and provide the appropriate certificate rather than sending an entire medical history to a group chat.
A practical message can identify that you are unable to work, when the absence began, the expected duration if known and when you will provide the required confirmation. In a hospital or care setting, follow the employer’s relevant reporting and occupational-health processes as well. Questions about infection control or fitness for a particular duty should be handled through the appropriate professionals, with information shared for the proper purpose.
Who pays during sick leave in Austria?
For an ordinary first-year employee illness, Chamber of Labour guidance describes six weeks of continued full remuneration followed by four weeks at half remuneration, subject to the applicable rules. Entitlement increases with service. This is an entitlement within the relevant employment year, not a fresh full allowance automatically created by every separate illness. Special circumstances, accidents and contractual provisions can affect the assessment.
Ask payroll for a calculation showing the relevant year, previous periods counted, the full-pay balance and any transition to half pay. If the payment is lower than expected, compare the payslip and dates before concluding that foreign workers receive a different standard. Keep the contract, certificate periods and payslips together. A written calculation allows an adviser to identify the issue more quickly than a single unexplained net amount.
Krankengeld is a separate insurer benefit
Continued remuneration from the employer and Krankengeld from the health insurer are separate mechanisms. Chamber of Labour guidance describes half sickness benefit alongside half employer pay, followed by full sickness benefit when that employer entitlement ends. “Full sickness benefit” does not mean your normal full salary. It also states that you must apply to ÖGK for the benefit; payment is not automatic. Eligibility, calculation and duration depend on the applicable insurance rules and individual history.
If an absence is becoming longer, contact the insurer early to establish which evidence is needed and whether anything remains outstanding from the employer or doctor. Ask who is expected to pay each period and when. Build a budget from the confirmed position, including the timing of payments. Avoid taking on new fixed expenses on the assumption that a delayed payment will necessarily equal your normal monthly wage.
What if you want to recover at a different address or abroad?
ÖGK requires relevant address changes during sick leave to be reported and expects people to follow medical instructions and avoid conduct that impedes recovery. Chamber of Labour guidance states that moving the place of recovery abroad requires prior ÖGK consent. Permission from a manager alone should not be treated as permission from the insurer. Clarify the proposed arrangement before travelling.
Explain the destination, dates and medical circumstances through the appropriate process. Keep any approval and understand its conditions. For a newcomer whose family support is in another country, travelling home may feel like the obvious solution, but the administrative and medical questions still need an answer. Ordinary annual leave approval, a medical certificate and insurer consent for recovery abroad are different records.
Can employment end while you are on sick leave?
Sick leave does not create an absolute ban on termination. Chamber of Labour guidance confirms that employment can be terminated during illness, with the relevant rules and possible challenges still applying. Continuing pay after the employment ends is a separate question. If you receive a dismissal, a proposed mutual termination or a request to resign, obtain prompt advice before assuming that all consequences are settled.
For a residence title tied to employment, also establish how the change affects your immigration position. Do not infer that the illness automatically cancels a permit or that insurance payments automatically preserve every employment-related condition. Keep the written notice, dates, title details and pay records. Use an appropriate labour-law adviser and the competent residence authority for those decisions; a general article cannot determine the outcome of your particular case.
Prepare these details during onboarding
Record whom to notify before a shift, which channel to use, when a certificate is required and how to report an extension or recovery. Confirm that you have the employer’s insurance-registration evidence and know how to contact the insurer if the e-card has not arrived. Ask payroll where absence-related pay appears on the payslip. If German is still difficult, prepare a short factual absence message in advance and have someone check that it says what you intend.
Move to Austria’s €99 Initial Assessment can help organise first-job onboarding and the wider relocation timeline. It does not provide medical treatment or decide a sick-pay dispute. Contact the doctor, insurer or employee-advice body directly when that is the immediate need. A clear reporting process and an accessible document file help protect your income and reduce uncertainty while you focus on recovery.
Helpful resources
Official sources
Requirements and fees can change. Verify your individual case with the responsible authority before applying.
- Certificates, privacy, recovery abroad and employment termination — Austrian Chamber of Labour
- Employer remuneration and insurer sickness benefits — Austrian Chamber of Labour
- Medical certification, notification and conduct during incapacity — Österreichische Gesundheitskasse — ÖGK
- Continued remuneration: basic statutory distinction — Austrian Federal Government portal
