Statutory health insurance for cross-border commuters in Austria
Details on statutory health insurance in Austria
Voluntary statutory insurance with the Austrian Health Insurance Fund can be particularly useful if you either earn a very low income (e.g. as an intern) or if you have a part-time job with a tendency towards lower income and at the same time want to insure family members free of charge. In this case, voluntary statutory health insurance offers cross-border commuters the opportunity to take advantage of ÖGK’s free family insurance. If you are single, have a medium or high income or if comprehensive benefits in both countries are important to you, this option is less interesting.
The benefits provided by statutory health insurance lag massively behind the scope of cover provided by private health insurance. Austrian statutory health insurance usually only covers part of the treatment costs and, unlike private health insurance, only pays according to a clearly defined minimum standard.
Contributions are calculated according to income. This generally leads to significantly higher contributions than with private health insurance. The current contribution rate (as of 2025) is 7.55%. The contribution is calculated on the basis of the high gross income in Switzerland, which is why most cross-border commuters pay the maximum amount of currently (as of 2025) € 526.79 per month in statutory health insurance in Austria.
Example:
A commercial employee earns the equivalent of € 5,000 gross per month in Switzerland. She receives 14 salaries, is 30 years old, has no children and has voluntary statutory insurance with the ÖGK (Austrian Health Insurance Fund) with a contribution rate of 7.55%. Her contribution is therefore around € 440 per month.
