12 May 2025
Austria offers generous child support through its family allowance scheme, and the good news is: even if your children live abroad, you might still qualify. For Filipino expats, immigrants, or international students working and living in Austria, this support can significantly ease the burden of caring for your family back home.
Let’s explore how you can benefit from Austria's family allowance while continuing to send money to Philippines from Austria.
Austria’s family allowance (Familienbeihilfe) is a monthly government financial benefit to help cover the cost of raising children.
This benefit is paid to parents or legal guardians until a child turns 18, and in some cases up to 24, depending on educational status. According to Austria's Federal Chancellery, eligibility is not strictly tied to the child residing within Austria—making it relevant for many Filipino expats with children still in the Philippines.
Yes, in some cases, you can receive this allowance even if your children live outside Austria—but certain conditions apply.
Austria is part of the European Union, and under EU Regulation 883/2004, benefits like family allowances are coordinated across borders. While the Philippines is not part of the EU, bilateral social security agreements or the working status of a parent can still make you eligible.
If one parent legally works and pays taxes in Austria, and the child is not already receiving similar benefits in the Philippines, then partial or full family allowance might be granted—though case-by-case approval is necessary.
To be eligible, the parent must meet the following:
This means many OFWs and Filipino residents with steady employment can apply.
The monthly allowance starts from around €114 per child and increases based on age and number of children. As of 2024, the breakdown is approximately:
You may receive additional amounts if you have multiple children or if your child has a disability. Note that these figures are subject to yearly adjustment. For exact updates, visit help.gv.at.
Filipino expats in Austria need to submit a complete application with:
If your child lives in the Philippines, an apostilled birth certificate and documents translated into German are typically required.
Applications are submitted to the Austrian tax office (Finanzamt) using Form Beih38. You can submit the form:
You can also seek assistance from a tax advisor or legal aid service to ensure all foreign documents are valid for Austrian authorities.
Not at all. In fact, receiving family allowance can help you reduce personal expenses in Austria while maintaining or even increasing your remittances.
More allowance means you can afford essential costs for your children back home without lowering the amount you send. Many Filipino families take this extra support and use services like ACE Money Transfer for fast and secure money transfer to Philippines from Austria.
It usually takes 1–3 months to get a response once you submit your application. Payments are made monthly and can be retroactive for up to five years, provided you have been eligible during that period.
So, if you've been working in Austria for years and didn’t apply yet, you might still claim back payments.
If you're an international student from the Philippines on a scholarship or with part-time work status, it’s unlikely you'll qualify unless you also pay into Austria’s social insurance system. The benefit is generally intended for those actively contributing through work or taxation.
Raising children, especially from abroad, is expensive. If you're already bearing educational and healthcare costs in the Philippines, Austria’s family allowance is a fair compensation for your contribution to the local economy.
Combining this allowance with reliable remittance tools lets you build a stable financial plan for your loved ones. Many Filipino expats use ACE Money Transfer to send money to Philippines online from Austria in minutes, with competitive exchange rates and low fees.
The more children you support, the higher your allowance will be. Austria has a tiered bonus structure for multiple dependents. This bonus increases based on the number of children you support, regardless of where they live.
So, if you’re sending monthly funds for three or four children in the Philippines, you can potentially qualify for additional benefits.
Yes, the Austrian government does not restrict how you spend the allowance. Whether you use it for groceries, education, or savings, there’s no obligation to spend it in Austria.
It’s perfectly legal and common for expats to use these funds for international remittances, especially when using regulated services like ACE Money Transfer.
Absolutely. If you’re working in Austria and have children living in the Philippines, you should explore this benefit. Not only can it ease your financial stress, but it also enables you to send better support back home.
Before you apply, ensure you understand all the document requirements and stay updated with Austrian benefit policies. Once eligible, you can plan your remittances better, increase savings, and make secure online money transfer from Austria to Philippines with ACE Money Transfer. ACE offers low-cost, quick transfers with 4.8+ ratings on Trustpilot, ensuring you stay connected with your family financially and emotionally.
You can generally receive it until your child turns 18, or 24 if they are still in full-time education, subject to proof and eligibility.
Yes, any foreign documents like birth certificates or school records must be translated and sometimes apostilled to be accepted.
Yes, Austria allows backdated payments for up to five years if you were eligible during that time.
Yes, you can receive increased allowance based on the number of children you support, even if they live in the Philippines.
There is no fixed income threshold, but you must be legally employed or receiving qualifying benefits in Austria to be eligible.
