Bike purchase grants in Austria in 2026: end of klimaaktiv mobil, company bikes with no benefit in kind, city subsidies

Checked on 26 October 2026: end of the klimaaktiv mobil grant according to the Austrian Economic Chamber (WKO), 28 January 2026 and the umweltfoerderung.at portal; company bikes in § 4b of the Sachbezugswerteverordnung; bike Kilometergeld on bmf.gv.at; City of Salzburg subsidies read on salzburgrad.at, as the city's own site (stadt-salzburg.at) did not respond to our tools.

Austria was long one of Europe's most generous countries for cargo bikes: up to €900 of federal aid for a private buyer, combinable with Land and city subsidies. In 2026 that is no longer the case. The federal programme is on hold, Vienna has used up its budget, and what works best now, as in Germany, is the company bike.

klimaaktiv mobil: stopped on 20 January 2026

The federal klimaaktiv mobil grant for private individuals had ended up funding only two types of bike, under precise conditions:

Since 20 January 2026, no applications are possible. The WKO notes that a resumption in 2026 is only possible "if sufficient budget is available", and that it has not been decided whether there will again be a flat-rate grant for bikes. As of 26 October 2026 we found no reopening. Do not count this grant in your budget until it reopens on umweltfoerderung.at.

The company bike: private use not taxed

This is the most solid lever in 2026, and little known. Under § 4b of the Sachbezugswerteverordnung (benefit-in-kind regulation), when your employer lets you use a bike (or motorbike) with zero CO2 emissions for private trips and commuting, the benefit in kind (Sachbezug) is set at zero.

What that means in practice:

• Bike on top of your salary: you pay no tax on private use. That is better than Germany with salary conversion (0.25% a month) or the Netherlands (7% a year).
• Bezugsumwandlung (converting part of gross pay into a bike): since 31 December 2022 the text makes clear that the zero benefit also applies when the bike is funded by an agreed reduction of gross pay, temporary or permanent. Your lease payment then comes out of gross pay, reducing your tax and contributions.
• Pendlerpauschale: according to the Finance Ministry's position as reported by tax advisers, a bike does not allow year-round use; the commuter allowance therefore remains available with a company bike (unlike an electric company car).

What to check before signing

• Salary conversion lowers your gross pay, and so potentially the benefits calculated on it (entitlements, pension). Ask payroll for a simulation.
• The collective agreement may limit conversion: the regulation refers to pay not set by collective agreement.
• The end of the contract: as everywhere, taking over the bike after the lease is a purchase. Check that the price offered matches the real value of a three or four-year-old e-bike.

Bike Kilometergeld: €0.25 per kilometre

For business trips made on your own bike (not commuting), your employer can pay you tax-free Kilometergeld:

The amount is limited to 3,000 km a year. Many sites still show €0.50: that rate only lasted six months, in 2025.

Länder and cities: case-by-case subsidies

With no federal aid, cities and some municipalities pay, mostly for cargo bikes.

City of Salzburg: active in 2026

2026 budget: €40,000 in total, for invoices dated from 1 January 2026 and issued by businesses located in the City of Salzburg. With a pot that size, it may close before the end of the year: ask before buying. Several municipalities in the Land (Anif, Saalfelden, Wals-Siezenheim, Eugendorf…) have their own, smaller subsidies.

Vienna: no open scheme found in 2026

The City of Vienna has funded more than a thousand cargo bikes since 2022, according to the local press. Its latest published guideline (February 2025, Mobilitätsagentur Wien) provided 50% of the price, up to €1,000 for an electric cargo bike and €800 without assistance. We found no official confirmation of an open budget in 2026: treat it as exhausted until the city says otherwise.

Elsewhere

Graz, Vorarlberg and many municipalities have had or still have subsidies for cargo bikes or e-bikes. They change every year: search "Förderung Transportrad" or "E-Bike Förderung" with your municipality's name, and always read the date of the guideline.

Key takeaways

Compare with Germany and its Dienstrad, the European table and, for motorised two-wheeler traffic rules from one country to another, our comparison of motorcycle regulations in Europe. To choose the bike, our 2026 city bike comparison.

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