Care leave and care exemption

Care exemption

In Austria, employees are entitled to a care exemption under certain conditions if they need to care for relatives or if a child’s regular caregiver is absent. Legally, a care exemption is defined as an absence from work for important personal reasons.

Employees can be granted up to one week of leave under a care exemption per year. In cases requiring longer periods of absence, annual leave must be taken. This leave can be used to care for close relatives or underage children when regular leave entitlements are no longer available.

Although care exemptions are not intended for recreation, they count toward the employee’s normal leave entitlement. The employer does not need to approve the leave in advance, but must be informed immediately in writing about its start date and expected duration. If annual leave has already been used, vacation days may still be taken if necessary, but this additional leave will then be unpaid.

Note: The care exemption is also known colloquially as care leave. Employees can make use of a care exemption if a relative falls ill or they have to take care of a child.

Requirements for a care exemption

In principle, employees must ensure that they are not prevented from working due to a care or nursing situation. If care leave is taken, the person on leave must actually provide care and support. Since 2023, care leave has been possible for the care of persons in the same household. Close relatives do not have to share a household for the entitlement to apply.

Care exemptions in the case of illness

You are entitled to paid leave under a care exemption if you are unable to work because you need to care for a close relative or a person living in the same household. This is the case if the relative is seriously ill, in need of care and therefore cannot be left unattended.
Care exemptions can also be granted on an hourly basis.

Care exemption for supervision

Organising the care and supervision of your child is not always easy. If the person who usually looks after your child (living in the same household) is unable to do so due to serious illness, death, hospitalisation or another important reason, you are entitled to leave as a care exemption to supervise the child.

An additional week of leave as a care exemption for supervision is possible for children under the age of 12 living in the same household.

Care exemption to accompany a minor

If a child under the age of 10 needs inpatient treatment in hospital, employees can also make use of a care exemption in the form of accompanying leave to stay with the child in hospital. This applies to your own children, foster children, as well as your partner's biological children, provided they live in the same household.

Longer leave from work

If it is foreseeable that close relatives will need care over a longer period of time, there are options for agreeing part-time care leave or care leave with the employer.

Part-time care

Part-time care leave is an agreed reduction in normal weekly working hours in order to create time to care for close relatives.

Care leave

Care leave is an agreed leave of absence from work for the period of caring for close relatives in return for loss of pay. In this case, family caregivers can apply for a care leave allowance to provide financial support.

You can find further information on the subject of care leave on the following websites:

Last update: October 21, 2025