I have health insurance in my country, why do I need insurance in Austria too? I heard that insur- ance is compulsory, is that right?

It is true that insurance is compulsory in Austria, but only if your income is more than 5.108,40€ (as of 2017) a year. Above this annual income, you must pay SVA insurance payments as a self-employed person.

But how does the SVA know how much I earn?

You are obligated to register with the SVA with- in four weeks of starting sex work. You must also register self-employment with the tax of- fice within one month. When you turn in your income tax declaration to the tax office at the end of the year (more on this in Cupiditas 2015 – you can obtain this issue from us in our infor- mation center), then the SVA obtains the infor- mation about your income from the tax office. The more you earn, the higher your insurance payments will be.

What am I insured for then?

The insurance covers illness, accident, and retirement, and also a provision for the self-employed. Your insurance coverage begins with the first day of work.

If I want to live in my country of origin later, will I get the retirement insurance?

In the EU there are different agreements between Austria and other countries. Everything you pay into retirement insurance in Austria will be tallied with your pension in your country and/or with the retirement insurance you have paid in a different EU country. Here we recom- mend individual consultation, because there are many different points and it is a highly indi- vidual matter. If you want to receive a pension in Austria, you must pay into retirement insurance for a total of 180 months (15 years).

What is the situation with health insurance? I am insured in my country of origin. And what is the pro- vision for the self-employed?

Even if you have an e-card in your country, you are not fully covered. You are insured in an emergency, but there are many treatments you have to pay (in part) yourself. In some cases, this can be very expensive. If you have health insurance through the SVA (which can also be on a voluntary basis), then you have to pay 20% of the treatment costs yourself.

The provision for the self-employed are pay- ments that will be returned to you.

What if I earn less than 5.108,40€ a year?

Then you still have to register with the SVA. You are not required to pay the mandatory insur- ance then. However, there is still the possibility of a voluntary insurance (“Opting-In”).

If you still have questions about insurance, retirement, taxes, etc., please come to our information center! We can offer you legal advice in various languages.