Austrian residents will be able to use a voucher to cover up to €200 of costs of the repair of electrical and electronic equipment with a participating company.
This week, the Climate Protection Ministry program started receiving applications from repair companies that want to be partners of the initiative. They can sign up at the www.reparaturbonus.at website, where Austrian residents will soon be able to download the vouchers.
The federal funding campaign uses €60m in resources from the first tranche of a European Union financing program to promote a more sustainable use of resources, according to the Ministry. A total of €130m is available until 2026.
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Private individuals residing in Austria will be able to go on the website, apply for the bonus and receive a voucher to partially cover the costs of the repair of several electronic devices and household appliances.
The bonus will cover up to 50 percent of the gross costs, to a maximum of € 200 per receipt. The private individuals will have to pay the difference through an invoice and partner businesses can receive a refund for the remaining amount.
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When can I get the voucher as a customer?
Customers will be able to apply for the vouchers, which will contain unique QR codes and numerical codes, from April, according to Kurier.
The first stage is already in place, with companies now applying to be partners in the scheme.
What does the voucher cover?
Funding is provided for the repair (or cost estimate for repair) of almost all electrical and electronic equipment usually used in private households. This includes coffee machines, kettles, washing machines, hair dryers, TVs, smartphones, notebooks, e-bikes, cleaners and more.
The devices must be privately owned by the applicants and cannot be borrowed or rented.
The bonus also covers repairs to non-electronic components of equipment, such as a defective wheel of a vacuum cleaner, for example. The list of devices that are not covered is short, and includes weapons, for example.
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How long do I have to redeem the voucher?
After you apply for the voucher online, it has to be redeemed (digitally or in a printed version) within three weeks. After that period, the voucher expires and you need to apply for a new one.
The program itself lasts until the end of 2026, or until all funds have been used.
Can I get more than one voucher?
Yes, but not at the same time. You can request one voucher per device at the website. As soon as the voucher has been redeemed (or expired), customers can apply for another bonus to use with another electrical or electronic device.
There is no limit on the number of redeemed vouchers by person or household, so you could have several pieces of equipment repaired consecutively. The bonus can be applied for as long as budget funds are available.
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How do I know the voucher has been redeemed?
The value of the repair bonus has to show up in the invoice as a deduction amount. So once you pay the difference between the invoice (including VAT) and the bonus, the voucher has been redeemed.
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Wait, wasn’t there something like this already in place?
Kind of. It is currently offered in a few of Austria’s regions, but not all.
Repair bonus schemes are currently active in Salzburg, Carinthia, Vienna and the City of Graz. They have previously also been offered in the rest of the Styria region as well as Upper Austria and Lower Austria, but those regions have now stopped the bonuses.
All these schemes allow consumers to receive 50 percent of the costs of repairs up to a maximum of € 100, although you generally have to pay the full amount upfront and apply for reimbursement.
The regional schemes will be replaced by the federal one once it’s fully up and running.