How much does it cost to become self-employed in Austria?

Registering your business is free. On an ongoing basis you pay SVS insurance (around 175 euros a month at the start, including accident insurance) and a small annual fee to the Chamber of Commerce. For a sole proprietorship, you usually do not need an expensive business consultant.

How long does it take before I can work as self-employed?

With a free trade licence, you can start working from the day you register. Registering itself takes about 20 minutes online. With your documents and ID Austria ready, you can be up and running within a few days.

Do I need training or an exam?

For free trades such as home help (simple cleaning), basic garden help, or trading, you do not need proof of qualification. Regulated trades (for example electricians or hairdressers) do require proof.

Can I become self-employed alongside my job?

Yes. Many people start as a side business. Your employment stays as it is, and the self-employed work runs alongside it. Keep in mind: even as a side business you need to register a trade, and above certain limits you pay SVS contributions.

Do I have to pay tax right away?

You only pay income tax once your annual profit is above the tax-free threshold (2026: 13,539 euros). As a small business (Kleinunternehmer:in), you do not charge VAT up to 55,000 euros in annual turnover. What matters from day one is keeping clean records of income and expenses.

What is the SVS micro-business exemption?

If your annual turnover stays below 55,000 euros and your profit stays below 6,613.20 euros, you can apply to the SVS for an exemption from health and pension insurance — for example, if you were covered under GSVG for no more than twelve months in the last five years. In that case you only pay the 12.95-euro monthly accident insurance, but you are not covered for health or pension insurance through your trade. This mainly makes sense as a side business, when your job already covers your insurance.

Becoming self-employed

Becoming Self-Employed in Austria: How to Start in 2026

Do you want your own business — as a cleaner, in the garden, giving tutoring lessons, or as a tradesperson? Good news: starting is easier and cheaper than most people think. Here is the complete roadmap, without the bureaucratic language.

Last updated on 20.07.2026 · All figures as of 2026, without guarantee

What do you need to become self-employed?

For a sole proprietorship in Austria, you basically need only three things: a trade licence, registration with social insurance (SVS), and a tax number from the tax office. No start-up capital, no notary, no limited company. Most solo self-employed people start exactly this way. And you do not need an Austrian passport — if you are coming from abroad and want to know whether you are allowed to start a business, see: Who is allowed to work self-employed in Austria?

Business registration: €0; fee-free for years
SVS contribution at the start: approx. €175/month; incl. accident insurance, as of 2026
VAT: €0; up to €55,000 turnover (small business VAT exemption)
Income tax: €0; up to €13,539 annual profit (2026)

How does setting up work? The 6 steps

Decide on your activity: free or regulated trade?

Simple cleaning in private households ("home help"), courier services, or trading are free trades — no exam, no proof of qualification needed. Regulated trades (hairdresser, electrician, master builder …) require proof. If in doubt, the Chamber of Commerce can help you for free.
Register your trade — free, online in 20 minutes

With ID Austria this can be done online via the Business Service Portal, or alternatively at the district authority or the city administration office. For free trades, you can start working from the day you register. Full details: Registering a business in Austria.
SVS registration

When you register your trade, you are automatically registered with the Social Insurance for the Self-Employed (SVS). This covers your health, pension, and accident insurance. What this costs and what it gives you: SVS explained simply.
Apply for a tax number

Within one month, you report your activity to the tax office (form Verf24 or via FinanzOnline). You will get a tax number — it belongs on every invoice.
Bank account, records, first invoice

A separate account for your business makes many things easier. From your first payment onward: write everything down (income-expense accounting). What a correct invoice looks like: Writing invoices.
Find clients

Recommendations, your own website, a Google listing — this way clients ask for you directly, without anyone else taking a cut. Why this pays off more than a booking platform: Platform or your own business?

What does self-employment really cost?

The honest breakdown for starting as a sole proprietor (as of 2026):

Business registration: free.^[1]
SVS: around €161 a month (minimum contribution) in the first years, plus €155.40 accident insurance per year. Later, the contribution is based on your profit (around 27%).^[2]
Chamber of Commerce: mandatory membership; the basic fee is usually €50–150 per year, depending on your trade.
Taxes: income tax only above €13,539 annual profit^[4]; as a small business you charge no VAT up to €55,000 turnover.^[3]
SVS micro-business exemption: If your turnover stays below €55,000 and your profit below €6,613.20 a year, you can apply to be exempt from health and pension insurance — then you only pay the €12.95 monthly accident insurance.^[5] Note: this also means you are not covered for health or pension insurance through your trade. It mainly fits if you are already insured another way, for example through a job or a pension. Full details: SVS exemption for micro-businesses.

Set money aside

After a couple of years, the SVS recalculates: if your business is doing well, a back payment follows. Set aside around 30% of every profit from the start — then no back payment can catch you off guard. bop calculates this for you automatically.

What mistakes should you avoid?

Working without registering. Undeclared work costs you insurance, pension, and — in the worst case — heavy fines. Working legally is easier than you think — see working legally.
Prices that are too low. Insurance, taxes, travel time, and materials all come out of your hourly rate. Work backwards: what do you want to earn net?
Collecting receipts "later". Document everything from day one — otherwise your first tax return becomes a nightmare.
Forgetting the SVS back payment. See above: set aside 30%.

Self-employed, but not alone: what does bop take care of?

bop is the back office for solo self-employed people: the app guides you through registering your business, the SVS, and your tax number, writes your invoices, plans your appointments, and explains official letters to you — all in German, English, Turkish, Serbian, Croatian, Romanian, Hungarian, Polish, Ukrainian, or Russian. So you can get on with your work instead of googling forms.

Frequently asked questions

: Registering your business is free. On an ongoing basis you pay SVS insurance (around 175 euros a month at the start, including accident insurance) and a small annual fee to the Chamber of Commerce. For a sole proprietorship, you usually do not need an expensive business consultant.
: With a free trade licence, you can start working from the day you register. Registering itself takes about 20 minutes online. With your documents and ID Austria ready, you can be up and running within a few days.
: For free trades such as home help (simple cleaning), basic garden help, or trading, you do not need proof of qualification. Regulated trades (for example electricians or hairdressers) do require proof.
: Yes. Many people start as a side business. Your employment stays as it is, and the self-employed work runs alongside it. Keep in mind: even as a side business you need to register a trade, and above certain limits you pay SVS contributions.
: You only pay income tax once your annual profit is above the tax-free threshold (2026: 13,539 euros). As a small business (Kleinunternehmer:in), you do not charge VAT up to 55,000 euros in annual turnover. What matters from day one is keeping clean records of income and expenses.
: If your annual turnover stays below 55,000 euros and your profit stays below 6,613.20 euros, you can apply to the SVS for an exemption from health and pension insurance — for example, if you were covered under GSVG for no more than twelve months in the last five years. In that case you only pay the 12.95-euro monthly accident insurance, but you are not covered for health or pension insurance through your trade. This mainly makes sense as a side business, when your job already covers your insurance.

Sources

Official information, retrieved on 20.07.2026:

WKO: Gewerbeanmeldung — Process, documents, fee exemption
SVS: Beitragsberechnung für Gewerbetreibende — Contribution rates and minimum contribution bases
WKO: Kleinunternehmerregelung (Umsatzsteuer) — The 55,000-euro threshold and tolerance rule
BMF: Steuertarif und Steuerabsetzbeträge — Income tax brackets
SVS: Kleinunternehmer — Ausnahme von der Pflichtversicherung — Limits and conditions for the micro-business exemption

This article was partly researched, translated and written with the help of language models (AI). We check the content carefully, but errors can still slip in — please cross-check important details with the official sources linked above.

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Keep reading

Becoming self-employed

Becoming Self-Employed in Austria: How to Start in 2026

What do you need to become self-employed?

How does setting up work? The 6 steps

Decide on your activity: free or regulated trade?

Register your trade — free, online in 20 minutes

SVS registration

Apply for a tax number

Bank account, records, first invoice

Find clients