Klimabonus
Klimabonus was Austria's universal, unconditional annual climate-dividend payment that returned CO2-pricing/carbon-tax revenue directly to every resident, regardless of income, age, or citizenship. Administered by Austria's federal climate ministry, it paid a flat base amount plus a regional top-up (higher for residents of areas with limited public transport) via automatic bank transfer or mailed vouchers, with minors receiving half the adult amount. It was funded entirely by government CO2-pricing revenue and required no application. The program was legislatively limited to tax years 2022-2024 and discontinued starting 2025 as part of federal budget consolidation, though late claims for those years remain payable through December 2027.
Universal, Unconditional, Carbon Dividend, CO2 Pricing / Carbon Tax Revenue Recycling, Regional/Rural Weighting, Voucher Distribution, Discontinued, Austria, National Coverage
Headquarters
- Organization Name
- Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, Climate and Environmental Protection, Regions and Water Management (BMLUK), Republic of Austria
- City
- Vienna
- State / Province
- Vienna
- Country
- Austria
Contact
- Phone
- 0800 8000 80 (Klimabonus hotline, toll-free within Austria)
- service@bmluk.gv.at
- Social media links
Status & Funding
- Organization status
- Active
- Program status
- Inactive
- Application status
- Timed
- Number of recipients
- 9,000,000
- Funding type
- Government
Benefits
- Currency Type
- Fiat
- Currency
- EUR
- Total Amount
- 290 EUR (≈ $330.22)
- Avg. Per Month
- 8.06 EUR (≈ $9.18)
- Payment frequency
- Lump Sum
- How long the program lasts
- 36 months
- Distribution Type
- Direct Deposit, Vouchers (mailed registered letter, redeemable at partner merchants), Cash (voucher exchange at bank99 branches)
- Benefit details
The Klimabonus combined a flat base amount (€145 in 2024) with a regional adjustment of €0, €50, €100, or €145 depending on the recipient's municipality's public-transport/infrastructure tier (classified annually by Statistik Austria into four categories), for a total of €145-€290 per adult in 2024; minors under 18 received half. People with disabilities who cannot reasonably use public transport automatically received the maximum regional adjustment regardless of where they lived. Amounts changed each year as the underlying CO2 price rose (from €30/ton in 2022 to €55/ton by 2025); the 2022 payment was higher (up to €500 for adults) due to a one-off inflation supplement ('Anti-Teuerungsbonus') bundled in. Payment was automatic — direct bank transfer if FinanzOnline, family-allowance, or pension bank details were on file, otherwise a mailed voucher (RSa/RSb registered letter) redeemable at roughly 10,000 partner locations across Austria or exchangeable for cash at bank99 branches.
Eligibility
Overview
- Eligibility details
Anyone — regardless of age, nationality, income, or employment status — who had a primary residence registered in Austria for at least 183 days in the relevant calendar year qualified automatically; non-Austrian citizens needed legal resident status. It was paid to newborns (once they reached 183 days of registered residence), retirees, and unemployed people alike, and receiving it did not reduce eligibility for other state benefits such as means-tested minimum income support.
Demographics
- Minimum age
- 0
Citizenship
- Citizenship / immigration status
- Citizen, Permanent Resident
Geography
- Countries covered
- Austria
- Residency of Target Geography
- Yes
Application Process
- How to apply
No application is required. Payment is automatic for anyone with a primary residence registered in Austria for at least 183 days in the relevant year, based on registry data shared automatically between government agencies (Interior Ministry residence registration, Finance Ministry/FinanzOnline bank and family-allowance data, Federal Pension Fund account data, Social Ministry disability data). Recipients could optionally register or update bank details on FinanzOnline by an annual deadline to receive payment via direct deposit rather than a mailed voucher, and could authorize a household member via power of attorney to collect a registered letter on their behalf.
- Selection process
There is no competitive selection — every individual meeting the residency requirement is automatically included. Payment tier (amount of regional adjustment) is determined by cross-referencing the recipient's registered primary-residence municipality against a four-tier regional classification (urban center with very good transport / good transport / regional center with basic transport / rural with limited transport) published annually by Statistik Austria based on public-transport quality and access to infrastructure such as schools and hospitals; where a recipient moved during the year, the municipality where they lived longest is used.
