What a nurse keeps in Austria after tax, 2026
The DGKP qualification, the Diplomierte Gesundheits- und Krankenpfleger, is regulated by the GuKG and used across both the public Krankenanstalten and private institutions. A median DGKP in Vienna grosses around €40,000 across the twelve regular payments, roughly €2,320 a month net. Equally important is that the 13th and 14th payments add about €2,000 net a year on top, a tax advantage written into nearly every Austrian employment contract.
How nursing pay is distributed across Austria in 2026
The sources are the published salary tables of the Wiener Gesundheitsverbund, the Österreichischer Gesundheits- und Krankenpflegeverband and Gehaltsreporter.at. Public hospitals publish their scales openly, while private clinics are less standardised and usually track the hospital collective agreements in any case.
| Percentile | Gross / Year (12 mo) | Net / Month (regular) | 13th+14th net / year |
|---|---|---|---|
| P25 | €34,000 | €2,020 / mo | ~€1,654 / year |
| Median (P50) | €40,000 | €2,320 / mo | ~€1,900 / year |
| P75 | €48,000 | €2,680 / mo | ~€2,194 / year |
| P90 | €56,000 | €3,010 / mo | ~€2,465 / year |
Net pay by seniority in Austria, 2026
The WGV publishes its Gehaltsschema D tables for DGKP staff openly, with pay stepping up every two years through the Biennalsprünge. In 2026 grade D1 step 1 in Vienna's public hospitals opened at roughly €2,810 a month gross. Private operators including the Vinzenz Gruppe, PremiQaMed and Humanomed follow a broadly similar agreement while keeping more freedom over where they place new starters.
| Career Stage | Gross / Year | SV (~18.07%) | Est. Net / Month | WGV reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Newly Qualified DGKP (0-2 yrs) | €33,724 | €6,098 | €2,000 / mo | D1 Step 1 (Vienna) |
| Experienced Nurse (3-7 yrs) | €40,000 | €7,228 | €2,320 / mo | D1 Step 4-5 |
| Specialist Nurse (8-14 yrs) | €47,000 | €8,493 | €2,650 / mo | D2 / ICU supplement |
| Senior / Head Nurse (15+ yrs) | €55,000 | €9,939 | €2,970 / mo | Station leadership supplement |
What the GuKG framework means for earnings
Scope of practice for every nursing profession in the country is fixed by the GuKG, last amended in 2022. The DGKP is the principal registered nursing qualification and takes three years, either at a Gesundheits- und Krankenpflegeschule or, increasingly since the curriculum was reformed, through a bachelor's programme at a Fachhochschule. The 2016 reform moved training to Fachhochschule level, and the first fully FH-trained cohorts are now several years into their careers.
Below them sit the Pflegefachassistenten, trained for a year with a restricted scope, and the Pflegeassistenten handling basic care, both earning considerably less, with a Pflegeassistent on €25,000 to €30,000 gross. Only the DGKP route offers real earning potential and somewhere to progress to.
That same reform broadened what nurses are permitted to do, allowing DGKP staff to initiate certain treatments and perform procedures once reserved for doctors. Pay has not moved dramatically as a result, but the profession now negotiates from a stronger position.
Shift allowances and how Austria taxes them
Allowances for nights and for Sundays and public holidays get particular treatment under §68 EStG. Payments for work between 19:00 and 07:00 are partly exempt from tax up to about €186 a month, and Sunday and holiday premiums are handled the same way. Anyone working a regular pattern of nights and weekends picks up €1,500 to €3,000 a year of net income beyond what the base salary alone would imply.
Take a Viennese intensive care nurse at DGKP step 5 on roughly €40,000 base. Regular night and weekend allowances lift total gross to somewhere between €45,000 and €50,000, part of which escapes tax, and effective monthly net lands between €2,550 and €2,800.
Austrian, German and Swiss nurses compared
| Country | Median Gross / Year | Est. Net / Month | Regulatory framework |
|---|---|---|---|
| Austria | €40,000 | €2,320 | GuKG, DGKP |
| Germany | €38,000 | €2,280 | KrPflG, TVöD/TV-L |
| Switzerland | CHF 82,000 | CHF 5,100 | SBK-ASI, cantonal hospitals |
| Belgium | €36,000 | €2,140 | INAMI/RIZIV, CP 330 |
Swiss gross pay belongs in another category altogether, though healthcare costs and rents in Zurich, Basel and Geneva absorb much of the difference. Against Germany the net position is broadly similar, with Austria holding a slight edge once the 13th and 14th salaries are counted. German pay improved markedly after the TVöD was extended to all hospitals in 2022, and the gap has closed considerably since.
Questions readers ask
What does a newly qualified nurse (DGKP) earn in Austria?
A newly qualified Diplomierte Gesundheits- und Krankenpfleger/in in Vienna's public hospital system, the Wiener Gesundheitsverbund, starts at Gehaltsgruppe D1 Step 1, set at roughly €2,810 a month gross in 2026. After Sozialversicherung of about 18.07% and Lohnsteuer, monthly net comes to around €2,000. On top of the 12 regular payments, the 13th salary as Urlaubsgeld in June and the 14th as Weihnachtsgeld in November each come to roughly €2,810 gross taxed at the flat 6% Sechstelbestimmung rate, giving approximately €890 net per bonus, so an extra €1,780 net across the year.
Is it better to work as a nurse in Vienna vs a smaller Austrian city?
Vienna's public hospitals under the WGV and KAV have the most transparent and regularly updated pay scales and tend to sit at or near the top of Austrian nursing ranges, thanks to the size of the employer and the strength of the unions. Living costs in Vienna, rent above all, are also the highest in the country. A nurse on €40,000 in Graz or Linz, typically €2,000 to €4,000 below the Vienna equivalent, may face rent 35% to 45% lower, which can leave real purchasing power ahead. Rural Landeskrankenhäuser sometimes offer staff housing or housing subsidies unavailable in Vienna, worth another €400 to €800 a month in effective income.
How much does an ICU nurse earn in Austria after tax?
An Intensivstation nurse in Austria earns a meaningful premium over a general ward nurse. In Vienna's public hospital system a qualified ICU nurse with five or more years behind them typically earns €46,000 to €52,000 gross a year from the regular 12-month salary, plus night and weekend allowances of €3,000 to €5,000 gross, partly tax-exempt under §68 EStG. Net monthly take-home from regular salary alone runs to roughly €2,600 to €2,850. Adding the 13th and 14th bonus payments, taxed at 6%, total annual net reaches approximately €33,500 to €37,000, an effective monthly average of €2,800 to €3,100.