Insurance cover for caring for a disabled child

A disabled child needs care and you are therefore no longer able to work. The Unemployment Insurance Act states: If you are caring for someone, the qualifying period for unemployment insurance is extended.

According to the Unemployment Insurance Act, there is a so-called framework period of 2 years. During this framework period, you must have been employed for at least 52 weeks in order to receive unemployment insurance benefits, such as unemployment benefit, for the first time. This does not include marginal employment. If you are caring for someone, the time spent caring for them is added to this time frame.

This means that the period in which the insurance periods must have been completed is extended by the period during which the disabled child was cared for. This means that insurance periods prior to the care that were longer ago can be taken into account and you are entitled to unemployment insurance benefits after the caring period. The prerequisites for this are

• beneficiary continued insurance or Self-insurance in pension insurance for the care of a close relative with entitlement to care allowance from level 3 or
• free self-insurance in pension insurance for the care of a disabled child.

You do not need to submit an application.

Additional information

There is a maximum time limit: you can claim unemployment insurance benefits for a maximum of 5 years longer. The prerequisite for this is that you are unemployed and during this time you

• are on family hospice leave or
• take care leave and
• receive care leave benefits.

For more information on unemployment insurance, click here:

Compulsory health insurance also ceases to apply if you are no longer gainfully employed. You can then apply for self-insurance.

With self-insurance in health insurance, you can take out voluntary health insurance. In 2025, you have to pay 526.79 euros per month for health insurance.

If you are not doing well financially, the amount will be lower. However, you will need to provide information about your finances.

How do I submit an application?

Submit your application to the regional office in your federal state. To do this, click on the general website of the ÖGK:

Select your federal state at the top under "Federal state". You will now find the contact details for your federal state at the bottom right. You can send the application by post, e-mail or fax.

To the application

If you are not doing well financially, you can pay less under certain conditions. To do this, complete the application for self-insurance and the application for a reduction in the contribution base. Please note on the form that you are caring for a disabled child. You can find both applications here:

If you are in need of social protection and want to apply for non-contributory self-insurance, click here:

If you want to apply for self-insurance online, you need to have an ID Austria. You can submit an online application here:

Additional information:

To access information for your federal state, click on the following link:

While you are caring for a disabled child, you may no longer be able to go to work yourself and are therefore no longer compulsorily insured. However, you are entitled to free pension insurance. Until the disabled child's 40th birthday, the federal government will cover the costs of self-insurance. Free self-insurance only applies to one person.

The prerequisites for this are that you

• have your main residence in Austria,
• care for the child at home,
• receive increased family allowance due to caring for the child and that
• your work is predominantly required as a caregiver.

To the application

For self-insurance, please submit the application by post or e-mail to the pension insurance provider.
If you want to apply for self-insurance, click here:

For more information on submitting the application, click on the following link:

If you want to apply for self-insurance online, you need an ID Austria. You can submit an online application here:

Additional information

Further information can be found at: