Self-employment and freelance work: What qualifies?

Basic Requirements

For self-employment to count toward your 12-month requirement:

• You must be officially registered as self-employed in Austria
• Your earnings must exceed the SVS insurance threshold
  • 2025: €6,613.22 per year
  • 2024: €6,221.28 per year
• You must pay contributions to SVS (Social Insurance for Self-Employed)

Types of Self-Employment

• Trade businesses: Requiring a trade license (Gewerbeschein)
• New self-employed: Freelancers and independent contractors (Neue Selbständige)
• Freelance professionals: Such as artists, authors, or consultants (Freiberufler)

Required Documentation

To prove qualifying self-employment:

• SVS insurance confirmation
• Business registration documents
• Tax number (Steuernummer)
• Income verification:
  • Tax statements (Einkommensteuerbescheid)
  • Accountant confirmation
  • Client invoices/bills
  • Bank statements showing business income

Important Considerations

• Income can be distributed unevenly throughout the year
• Only months with active SVS insurance count toward the 12-month requirement
• Self-employment must be conducted in Austria
• Informal freelance work without proper registration does not qualify

Note: If your self-employment income varies significantly month to month, you'll need to demonstrate that your annual income averages above the minimum threshold.

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