Aid adjusted – government wants to encourage ‘hardworking students’.

The regulation should come into force retroactively from January, State Secretary for Youth Claudia Plakolm (ÖVP) and Green Party leader Sigrid Maurer said on Friday. Students who work alongside their studies ‘perform twice as well’, Plakolm emphasizes: ‘Whether they are waiting at the waiting table, in the call centre, helping in construction or gaining experience in their future field.’

Recently, the corridor in which they can move with their extra income has become narrower. The goal now is to counter this, says Plakolm: “The hard-working people should be encouraged and not punished.”

Now easier to finance your studies yourself
Maurer emphasized that a central concern of hers since her time as ÖH president has been that the course is accessible to everyone, regardless of their economic background. With the valorisation of the additional income limit, it will now be easier to finance your studies yourself. In the past, working students have sometimes deliberately shortened their working hours in order not to lose their grant. Maurer sees the current step as a “milestone” and the “green signature” of this federal government.

Both Plakolm and Maurer recalled that the coalition had already increased the limit for additional income from 10,000 to 15,000 euros at the beginning of their cooperation. The lack of valorization in recent years had already been compensated by then. This now happens automatically every year.

Valorization is also important for people with disabilities, who often have part-time jobs. They could now continue to participate in the labor market without fear of losing child benefits, it was said.