Funding of up to 200 euros

In some federal states there have been subsidies for the repair of electrical appliances for a long time. This model is now being extended to the whole of Austria, and in a particularly attractive form: anyone who wants to have an electrical or electronic device repaired in the future will in most cases only pay 50 percent of the repair costs. Launched nationwide in May 2022, the maximum subsidy per repair case is 200 euros, for the cost estimate there is a subsidy of up to 30 euros. It covers large household items like fridges, washing machines, tumble dryers, and coffee machines but also things like computers, mobile phones, e-bikes, electronic toys and garden tools.

Simple process

To ensure that as many people as possible take advantage of this offer, care was taken to keep the process as simple as possible. Consumers do not have to advance the money and then apply for a refund, as is usual with many other subsidies, but only pay the amount that remains after deducting the bonus in the workshop, which is usually half of the bill. The repair company takes care of the rest of the billing. A repair voucher can be downloaded and printed out on repairbonus.at, a website of the Federal Ministry for Climate Protection, Environment, Energy, Mobility, Innovation and Technology (BMK). This voucher is given to the relevant company together with the device to be repaired. In contrast to most regional subsidies, this offer can also be used several times per household and year, so that several devices can be repaired inexpensively. The prerequisite is that the company that is to carry out the repair has registered to take part in the campaign. A relevant trade license is required. Registration takes place via a separate online portal .

400,000 repairs expected

The repair bonus will initially run until 2026. For this period, the federal government is providing funding amounting to 120 million euros. It is expected that in this way around 400,000 devices that would otherwise have ended up in landfills can be put to good use. A comprehensive list of which devices are funded and which are exempt can be found on the repair bonus.at website. All participating companies are listed on the government website.

Policy funding

The repair bonus  is a funding campaign by the Ministry of Climate Protection for the repair of electrical and electronic devices and is aimed at private individuals. Funds of 130 million euros from “Next Generation EU” – the European Union’s reconstruction fund, which is intended to make the economy even more sustainable after Corona – are available for this until 2026.