• Increased protection against dismissal
  Before a registered beneficiary can be dismissed, the employer has to obtain approval from the Disabilities Committee at the So­zi­al­mi­nis­te­ri­umser­vice authority. This increased protection against dismissal becomes effective after six months if the employment contract was signed in the time up until and including December 31, 2010. For employment contracts signed on January 1, 2011 or later, the increased protection becomes effective after a period of four years (§ 8 of the Disabled Persons Employment Act).

• Financial aid and support
  Registered beneficiaries can obtain financial support for covering expenses for assistive workplace equipment or workplace assistance (§ 6 [2] of the Disabled Persons Employment Act).

• Extended annual leave
  Extended annual leave is granted if provided for in the Collective Bargaining Agreement, an operational agreement, or the applicable employment regulations. At WU, the following regulations apply with regard to extended annual leave for registered beneficiaries:

  • Employees under the Collective Bargaining Agreement for University Staff (§ 19 [8]): Depending on the degree of disability, annual leave is extended by 2-5 days

  • Civil servants (§ 72 of the Civil Servants Employment Act): Depending on the degree of disability, annual leave is extended by 16–40 hours (= 2-5 days)

  • Contractual employees (§ 27b of the Contractual Employees Act): Depending on the degree of disability, annual leave is extended by 16–40 hours (= 2-5 days)

• Income tax exemption
  People with a degree of disability of 25% or more can apply for an income tax exemption with the appropriate fiscal authority.

Please note: If you would like to return your notification and revoke your registered beneficiary status, e.g. because you are planning a career move, you can do so at the appropriate So­zi­al­mi­nis­te­ri­umser­vice branch office in your province.

• Finan­cial support for people with disabilities, e.g. trainees with disabilities

• Tax discounts 

• Fulfilling the statutory quota for the employment of registered beneficiaries under the Disabled Persons Employment Act

Please note: Holders of an identity card for disabled persons are not automatically classified as registered beneficiaries under the Disabled Persons Employment Act.

• Exemption from municipal tax

• Exemption from contributions to the Family Relief Fund (Fami­li­en­las­ten­aus­gleichs­fonds)

• Exemption from Economic Chamber dues

• Exemption from subway tax (only applicable in Vienna)

For further information, please see the Sozialministeriumservice­ website (in German) or the Disabled Persons Employment Act (in German).

The organization WAG Assistenzgenossenschaft helps people with disabilities find appropriate personal assistance. Personal assistants provide support to people with disabilities in all areas where they need help. This may for instance include the following activities:

• Accompanying people with disabilities on their way to work (e.g. opening doors on the subway for a wheelchair user)

• Assistance at the workplace (e.g. carrying heavy bags of flour for a baker who uses a wheelchair)

• Assistance in everyday life (shopping, visits to the doctor, household chores, etc.)

• Assistance for students (e.g. accompanying a student with severely impaired vision to the library)

Please click here for further details and contact information (in German).

The employment assistance organization Wien Work offers advisory services to companies that are employing or are planning to employ people with disabilities. It also assists people with disabilities in finding employment, dealing with crises (e.g. imminent job loss), or starting a business. Please click here for further information about Wien Work (in German).