Bildungskarenz is gone. This is what replaced it.
Austria now has Weiterbildungszeit (full education leave) and Weiterbildungsteilzeit (part-time), and the new AMS Weiterbildungsbeihilfe has been open for applications since 8 June 2026: EUR 40.40 to 67.94 per day at 2026 rates, for an agreed leave of two to twelve months. One thing to be clear about before you plan around it: the allowance replaces your income while you study. It does not pay the course fee. What it does not require is provider accreditation.
What happened to Bildungskarenz, and what exists now
If you are searching for Bildungskarenz, most of what you will find is out of date, so here is the current position first. Bildungskarenz and its Weiterbildungsgeld were abolished, and the last payments ran out on 31 March 2025. What replaced them is Weiterbildungszeit, a full leave from work, and Weiterbildungsteilzeit, the reduced-hours version. The new Weiterbildungsbeihilfe paid by the AMS has been open for applications since 8 June 2026 and is worth EUR 40.40 to 67.94 per day at 2026 rates, roughly EUR 1,200 to 2,000 a month, for an agreed leave of two to twelve months. Those rates are adjusted annually, so check the AMS for the current year before you budget. Now the part that decides whether this scheme is any use to you: the allowance replaces your income while you study, it does not pay tuition. Anyone who reads it as the state paying for the course is planning against a fact. For the fee itself, the strongest lever in Austria is the tax route: training and retraining costs are deductible as Werbungskosten, with no provider accreditation required and with foreign online providers treated the same as Austrian ones, see deduct your bootcamp from your Austrian taxes. Your employer paying part of the fee is the other realistic route, see employer-funded training. The genuinely good news for a course like ours: no provider accreditation is prescribed for Weiterbildungszeit at all. No Ö-Cert, no register of approved schools. What is required is intensive, verifiable training of at least 20 hours a week, evidenced by attendance or progress reports. A full-time Code Labs Academy bootcamp runs at roughly 40 hours a week and clears that bar comfortably. The obstacles sit elsewhere, and we would rather name them here than let you discover them: you need twelve months of continuous, fully insured employment with your current employer, you need that employer's written agreement under the AVRAG, the AMS tests whether your specific training is relevant to the labour market, and there is no longer a legal entitlement. The AMS assesses every case individually, against a budget capped at EUR 150 million a year nationwide. That is exactly why the rest of this page is written to help you build a strong application rather than merely file one.
Twelve months of continuous, fully insured employment with your current employer. This is the hard gate. If you recently changed jobs, joined the company a few months ago, or were on a geringfügig contract, you do not clear it yet. The clock keeps running though, and we run several intakes a year, so a later start date is often the answer rather than a dead end.
Your employer has to agree in writing. Weiterbildungszeit is agreed between you and your company under the AVRAG. The AMS cannot order it, and you have no right to it: without a signature the application does not exist. How to run that conversation is further down this page.
At least 20 hours of training a week. The allowance rewards intensity. The threshold is 20 hours a week, 16 if you have caring duties for a child under seven, or 20 ECTS as an alternative measure. A full-time bootcamp with us runs at roughly 40 hours a week and clears it comfortably. Part-time tracks and shorter courses have to be measured against that number first, and they often fall below it.
No provider accreditation is prescribed. In the Austrian funding landscape that is rare, and here it works in your favour: no Ö-Cert requirement, no list of approved institutions. The training has to be intensive and verifiable, meaning attendance or progress can be evidenced, which is exactly what live scheduled classes produce. Code Labs Academy is AZAV-certified in Germany. That is a quality signal for your file, not a legal requirement in this scheme, and we will not pretend otherwise.
The AMS applies a labour-market-relevance test to your specific training. It is not the school that gets assessed, it is whether this particular course improves your position in the labour market. Tech and digital skills argue well here, provided you connect a target job, the syllabus and real vacancies instead of talking about upskilling in general.
It is discretionary, and the budget is capped. Unlike the old Bildungskarenz there is no legal entitlement. The AMS decides each application on its merits, approval is never automatic, and the allowance draws on a national budget capped at EUR 150 million a year. A capped fund can get tighter as the year goes on, which is why applying early is part of the strategy rather than eagerness.
Frequently asked questions
Does Bildungskarenz still exist?
No. Bildungskarenz and its Weiterbildungsgeld were abolished, and the last payments ran out on 31 March 2025. Because the old name is still what everyone searches for, a lot of the guidance online describes a scheme that no longer exists. What applies now is Weiterbildungszeit (full leave) and Weiterbildungsteilzeit (reduced hours), with the new AMS Weiterbildungsbeihilfe, open for applications since 8 June 2026. The conditions are noticeably tighter than before: twelve months of fully insured employment with your current employer, at least 20 hours of training a week, an AMS labour-market test, and no legal entitlement any more. If a page still tells you how to 'apply for Bildungskarenz', check its date.
Will the allowance pay my course fee?
No, and this is the single most common misunderstanding about the scheme. The Weiterbildungsbeihilfe replaces the income you give up while you study. It is not a tuition subsidy, and the invoice for the course stays with you. In Austria the strongest lever for the fee itself is the tax deduction: training and retraining costs count as Werbungskosten, with no provider accreditation required and with online courses from foreign providers included, see deduct your bootcamp from your Austrian taxes. Mind the timing, because a deduction only bites against taxable income in the year you pay. Beyond that, your employer can contribute, and if neither route closes the gap you can pay in interest-free monthly instalments, up to 60 payments, directly to Code Labs Academy, with a discount for paying upfront.
Does a live online course from a foreign provider count?
It can, and by Austrian standards this scheme is unusually open: no provider accreditation is prescribed for Weiterbildungszeit. There is no Ö-Cert requirement and no register of approved institutions. What is required is that the training is intensive and verifiable, meaning at least 20 hours a week with attendance or progress that can be evidenced along the way. Our classes are live at fixed times with instructors, and we issue the confirmations the AMS asks for. Code Labs Academy is AZAV-certified in Germany, which is a credibility signal for your file rather than an Austrian recognition. Whether your specific training is judged relevant to the labour market is still the AMS's decision, case by case.
Does a part-time or self-paced course meet the 20 hour rule?
We answer this one carefully, because getting it wrong would cost you the allowance. What is clear: a full-time bootcamp at roughly 40 hours a week is comfortably above the threshold of 20 hours (16 with caring duties for a child under seven, or 20 ECTS), and that format matches the logic of the scheme. Part-time tracks and shorter courses with self-paced study often fall below that number. So if you are going for education leave, ask us for the actual weekly hours of the course you want in writing, and confirm with the AMS before you file that they are sufficient. Do not assume it, get it confirmed.
What if the AMS refuses?
It happens, because there is no legal entitlement. The AMS assesses each application individually, and the fund is capped at EUR 150 million a year. Ask for the reasons, in writing if you can, and ask specifically what would change the outcome: a different course format, more weekly hours, a target job named more precisely, better evidence of demand. Very often it is not a refusal in principle but a file from which the labour-market relevance simply did not emerge. If it stays a no, the training itself is not lost: the Werbungskosten deduction works independently of the AMS, your employer can still contribute, and you can pay the fee in interest-free monthly instalments directly to us. If only the timing was wrong, you can also come back with a later intake.
My employer will not agree. Can I take the leave anyway?
No. Weiterbildungszeit is agreed with the company under the AVRAG. You cannot take it unilaterally, and you have no right to their consent. Ask for the reason, because the three usual ones have different answers. If it is cover, offer a later intake in a quieter period and a written handover plan. If it is money, raise the 15% employer contribution for higher earners yourself and set out what the business gets in return. If it is the length of the absence, Weiterbildungsteilzeit is the obvious compromise, provided your training still reaches the required weekly hours. And if the answer stays no, our part-time formats are deliberately built to run alongside a full-time job, with no leave to negotiate and no application to file.
Get personalized advice
Looking for personalized guidance on financing options or need advice tailored to your unique situation? Book a one-on-one consultation with our seasoned education specialists. Whether you're exploring scholarships, government funding, loans, or seeking employer sponsorship, our experts are here to help. Get tailored advice that aligns with your goals and circumstances. Schedule a call today and take the first step toward securing your future in coding. Our specialists are dedicated to assisting you in making informed decisions and paving the way for your success.
