Social assistance is an indispensable core element of the social welfare system of the Federal states. The Basic Social Assistance Act (Sozialhilfegrundsatzgesetz) provides the federal government with essential guidelines for the implementation laws of the Federal states. This has limited the scope of the federal states in recent years. Certain target groups (e.g. beneficiaries of subsidiary protection) were explicitly excluded by the law. For this reason, and also due to the fact that the labour market and employment situation is very good, the number of recipients of open social assistance is declining throughout Austria.
Every month, about 2,600 people in Carinthia receive open social assistance. The expenditure amounts to about € 17 million per year. A single person receives up to € 1,053.64 per month. A household of two persons receives up to € 1,475.10 per month. For children, an amount of € 221.26 is provided. There are caps, averages and supplements for single persons, persons with disabilities and senior citizens. The amounts listed are benefits for living and housing needs. For example, if housing assistance is received, this reduces the amount of social assistance.