As a close relative, you have the right to care leave allowance if you take care leave or work part-time to provide care under the following conditions:

• The person in need of care must be entitled to care allowance level 3 or above.
• If the person in need of care suffers from dementia or is a minor, entitlement starts at care allowance level 1 or above.
• You must have been employed for at least three months before starting part-time care leave or part-time family hospice leave – this is important as it ensures full insurance coverage.
• You must declare that you will use the care leave or part-time care leave mainly to care for the person in need of care. This declaration is not required for family hospice leave or part-time family hospice leave.

In addition, you need ...

• a written agreement with your employer that you are taking care leave or part-time care leave, or
• proof that you are entitled to care leave or part-time care leave,
• proof that you are entitled to family hospice leave or part-time family hospice leave or
• a deregistration from unemployment allowance or emergency assistance at the AMS.

You can apply for care leave benefit online or by submitting a paper application by post. The application must be submitted to the State office Styria, which handles all cases from across Austria. The following links will take you to the applications. The checklist for applying for a care leave allowance provides a helpful guide for completing the application.

In Austria, the amount of care leave allowance is generally based on unemployment benefit. This amounts to 55 per cent of daily net earnings. Special payments such as holiday pay and Christmas bonus are taken into account here.

If you work in a company with more than five employees, you are legally entitled to between 2 and a maximum of 4 weeks' care leave or part-time care leave. During this period, you cannot be dismissed and may agree an extension with your employer. The maximum duration is 3 months.

If you are caring for a close relative who is dying, you can claim family hospice leave or part-time family hospice leave for a maximum of 6 months. Leave to care for very seriously ill children can be taken for a maximum of 9 months.