What is the micro-entrepreneur exemption at the SVS?
Officially it is called the "exemption from compulsory insurance" (§ 4 GSVG): if your business stays small, you can apply as a trade licence holder to be exempted from SVS health and pension insurance. Only accident insurance remains — €12.95 a month instead of around €175 minimum contribution.[1]
- Revenue threshold
- €55,000/year
- from all business activities
- Profit threshold
- €6,613.20/year
- income from self-employment (2026)
- You only pay
- €12.95/month
- accident insurance — this always stays mandatory
- Savings
- approx. €1,900/year
- compared with the minimum contribution
Who can apply for the exemption?
You have to stay under both thresholds — revenue and profit — and also meet one of these personal conditions:[1][2]
- New founder or side business: you were compulsorily insured under GSVG for no more than 12 months in the last 60 months — this applies to most people starting new or small.
- Pension age: you have reached the standard pension age.
- From age 57: you have also stayed under the revenue and profit thresholds for the past five years.
Special case — raising children: while you receive childcare allowance, or in the first 48 months of raising a child (per child), you can use the exemption independently of the above — then the thresholds apply per month: €551.10 profit and €4,583.33 revenue.[2]
What do you give up for it?
"Exempt" really does mean uninsured
Who is the exemption worth it for — and who not?
- Worth it: for people self-employed as a side business (your job already insures you — otherwise you pay twice for the same cover), for pensioners (already covered through their pension), and during the childcare allowance period.
- Not worth it: if self-employment is your main income. Then the SVS is not a burden but your only cover — health insurance, sick pay and pension. Why that pays off: working legally means being insured.
How do you apply for the exemption?
-
Estimate the thresholds realistically
Work out the current year: will your revenue stay under €55,000 and your profit under €6,613.20? If in doubt, it is safer to remain compulsorily insured. -
Apply at the SVS
Online via the SVS portal svsGO, or with the form "Antrag auf Ausnahme von der Pflichtversicherung". The exemption only applies once you apply — ideally right at start-up or at the beginning of the year. -
Keep tracking it
If you go over a threshold, report it to the SVS: the exemption then no longer applies for the whole year and contributions are billed retroactively. Staying quiet about it risks a nasty surprise.
Keep track of the thresholds automatically
Micro-entrepreneur exemption and the small business rule — do not mix them up
The names sound almost the same, but they mean two different things: the small business rule concerns VAT (no VAT up to €55,000 revenue, automatically). The micro-entrepreneur exemption concerns the SVS (no health or pension insurance, only on application, with an added profit threshold). The €55,000 threshold is the same — nothing else is.[3]
Who helps you decide?
bop knows both rules: the app shows you where you stand against the thresholds, reminds you about notifications, and explains every SVS letter in your language. What the SVS normally costs and what you get for it is covered under SVS explained simply; the full roadmap to starting up is under Becoming self-employed in Austria.