Austria is demanding that Ukrainian refugees repay social benefits due to undeclared pensions
By Google News Personal Finance ·
Austrian authorities are demanding that Ukrainian refugees repay the social assistance they received without declaring their pensions from Ukraine. In some cases, the amounts to be repaid reach several thousand euros.
Due to undeclared pension payments, hundreds of Ukrainians may face demands to reimburse the funds. Some of the disputes over the repayment of social assistance are already pending in court.
According to journalists, the issue affects hundreds of Ukrainians who, following the start of the full-scale Russian invasion, received basic social assistance (Grundversorgung) in Austria. When applying for this assistance, some applicants failed to indicate that they were still receiving a pension from Ukraine.
Austrian law requires that income be taken into account when determining eligibility for such benefits. Therefore, upon discovering the undeclared payments, local authorities began reviewing previously disbursed amounts and demanding repayment.
Such audits are being conducted particularly intensively in the federal state of Lower Austria. According to media reports, the total amount of previous demands for the repayment of social benefits there amounts to at least €445,000.
In one case, a Ukrainian pensioner was required to repay €11,569. Case law also confirms the possibility of recovering overpaid benefits if the recipient failed to report additional income.
Specifically, in September 2026, the Administrative Court of Lower Austria heard the case of a Ukrainian citizen who was receiving social assistance and a pension from Ukraine. The court upheld the obligation to repay part of the benefits but reduced the amount to be recovered from €6,563 to €5,633.
The court also noted that in such cases, it is not always necessary to prove intentional concealment of income. At the same time, the law provides for the possibility of taking into account difficult financial circumstances and agreeing to repay the debt in installments.
The issue of repaying benefits has sparked a political debate in Austria. Representatives of the right-wing Austrian Freedom Party support the recovery of overpaid funds, emphasizing the need to protect taxpayers’ money.
In contrast, human rights organizations criticize the practice of fully counting small Ukrainian pensions. They note that such decisions can place a significant financial burden on elderly people who have no other sources of income.
In particular, the organization Asylkoordination Österreich, together with other civil society groups, has called for a review of the relevant rules. Human rights advocates emphasize that the average Ukrainian pension is about €127 per month, and demands for the repayment of benefits could lead to the accumulation of debt.
At the same time, the rules vary by federal state. For example, in Vienna, a tax-exempt minimum of €110 for Ukrainian pensions has been in effect since August 2025 when calculating benefits. This allows elderly displaced persons to retain a portion of their social benefits.
Thus, the repayment requirements apply to specific cases of overpayment of benefits, not to all Ukrainian refugees in Austria
This was reported with reference to the Austrian publication Kronen Zeitung.
New rules for refugee assistance in 2026.
A new wave of migration to the EU: why Ukrainian refugees are leaving Germany and Poland
Originally published by Google News Personal Finance
