OpenAccountants/Austria/Austria Company Formation & Entity Choice

Austria Company Formation & Entity Choice

Name: OpenAccountants MCP Server
Author: OpenAccountants

Guide to starting a business in Austria and choosing its legal form: sole trader, OG, KG, GesbR, GmbH & Co KG, GmbH, FlexCo and AG compared on liability, minimum capital, minimum corporate tax, bookkeeping duty and filing of annual accounts, then the founding steps in order, from the articles or the online eGründung to the Firmenbuch, the trade licence, the tax office notice and SVS registration. Tax detail sits in at-corporate-income-tax, at-income-tax, at-svs-contributions and at-vat-return. Source-cited draft pending review by a local accountant.

Applicable period 2026Drafted by OpenAccountants, awaiting an accountant's approval· Last updated Jun 25, 2026

Drafted by OpenAccountants. The OpenAccountants engine wrote this Guide, figures and method, from the official pages it links, and it carries no accountant's name. Nobody has read or approved it yet, so it may be incomplete or wrong. An accountant in Austriawho reads it, corrects it and approves it takes the byline. General reference only; don't file or take a position on it without professional review.

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Key figures — Austria, 2026

What	Value	Note
Source	all figures below	https://www.usp.gv.at/themen/steuern-finanzen/koerperschaftsteuer-ueberblick/koerperschaftsteuerpflicht.html
Minimum share capital (Mindeststammkapital) of a GmbH	EUR 10,000	"Das Mindeststammkapital von GmbHs (Gesellschaften mit beschränkter Haftung) beträgt 10.000 Euro." The USP Lexikon entry on the GmbH states the same amount and adds that in principle half is paid in cash at formation
Minimum capital (Mindestgrundkapital) of an AG	EUR 70,000	"Das Mindestgrundkapital einer Aktiengesellschaft (AG) beträgt 70.000 Euro."
Minimum corporate tax, per calendar year, as a share of the statutory minimum capital	5%	"Sie beträgt pro Kalenderjahr 5 Prozent des gesetzlichen Mindestgrund- bzw. Mindeststammkapitals und ist vierteljährlich zu entrichten." Due even with a loss; credited against later corporate tax, but only against the part of a later year's tax that exceeds that year's minimum tax
Minimum corporate tax of a GmbH, per calendar year, paid in quarterly instalments	EUR 500	"insgesamt somit 500 Euro"
Minimum corporate tax of an AG, per calendar year, paid in quarterly instalments	EUR 3,500	The page calls it "kalendervierteljährlich zu entrichtende Mindeststeuer"; it is 5 Prozent of the AG minimum capital, which makes it a yearly amount paid quarterly, like the GmbH figure

The full Guide

How to start a business in Austria: which legal form to pick (sole trader, OG, KG, GmbH, FlexCo, AG), the registrations in the order the authorities describe them (trade licence, commercial register, tax office, social insurance), and the duties that start once the business exists. It is for founders and the advisers who help them. Figures are for tax year 2026. Most pages used were read on 22 September 2026 and carry a 2026 update date. Five sources are older: the BMF register authority note on the FlexCo (26 April 2024), the USP Lexikon entry on corporations with the size classes (21 November 2024), the USP note on capital increases in a GmbH and FlexKapG (26 June 2025), and the two USP tax office pages on the duties of a business and on organisational steps (1 January 2025). Tax rates and contribution amounts are only summarised here; the detail sits in the sibling Guides named below.

Entity types and company formation

Austria offers individual and company forms. The main ones:

Einzelunternehmen (sole trader). One person runs the business and is liable with all private assets. No capital requirement. Entry in the commercial register (Firmenbuch) is only compulsory above the turnover limits in the register table below. Profit is taxed as the owner's income (see at-income-tax).
Offene Gesellschaft (OG). At least two partners, both liable without limit and personally with their private assets. The OG only comes into existence with its entry in the Firmenbuch (USP Lexikon: OG).
Kommanditgesellschaft (KG). At least two partners. The general partner (Komplementär) is liable without limit; the limited partner (Kommanditist) only up to the registered liability amount (Haftsumme). The KG only comes into existence with its entry in the Firmenbuch (USP Lexikon: KG).
Gesellschaft bürgerlichen Rechts (GesbR). A contract between partners, formed without formalities. It has no legal personality and cannot be entered in the Firmenbuch (oesterreich.gv.at: Personengesellschaft). Above the register turnover limits it must be entered as an OG or KG, except for liberal professions and farmers (USP: Firmenbuch).
GmbH (Gesellschaft mit beschränkter Haftung). A legal person with its own legal personality. Its share capital is made up of the partners' contributions. It comes into existence with its entry in the Firmenbuch, and in principle only the company is liable for its debts (USP Lexikon: GmbH). The minimum capital is in the table below. The USP Lexikon says: "Davon ist grundsätzlich die Hälfte bei der Gründung bar einzuzahlen", where "davon" refers to the share capital. It does not say whether this means half of the minimum or half of a larger agreed share capital, or how much must be paid on each partner's contribution. Confirm the amount with the notary.
FlexCo / FlexKapG (Flexible Kapitalgesellschaft). A corporation introduced on 1 January 2024. The BMF describes it as "grundsätzlich mit einer Gesellschaft mit beschränkter Haftung vergleichbar", with special features: it may issue non-voting enterprise-value shares (Unternehmenswert-Anteile, UWA) up to the share of capital in the FlexCo table below, kept in a share register (Anteilsbuch); it may, under certain conditions, acquire its own shares; and shares can be transferred by a private deed drawn up by a notary or lawyer instead of a notarial act. The managing directors can be authorised to raise capital (authorised capital), and conditional capital increases are allowed (USP: Kapitalerhöhung bei GmbH & FlexKapG). No readable official page on the allowed hosts states the FlexCo minimum capital as a number, so this Guide gives none. Do not apply the GmbH figures in this Guide (minimum capital, the cash half, the minimum corporate tax) to a FlexCo: they are not confirmed here for the FlexCo.
AG (Aktiengesellschaft). Stock corporation for larger enterprises and listing. Its minimum capital is in the table below. How much must be paid in at formation is not printed on a readable official page, so this Guide does not state it.
GmbH & Co KG. A KG in which no natural person is liable without limit, usually with a GmbH as the general partner. For accounting and disclosure it is treated like a corporation (see the bookkeeping and disclosure tables below).

Minimum capital and minimum corporate tax (GmbH and AG only; not confirmed for the FlexCo)

What	Value	Note
Source	all figures below	https://www.usp.gv.at/themen/steuern-finanzen/koerperschaftsteuer-ueberblick/koerperschaftsteuerpflicht.html
Minimum share capital (Mindeststammkapital) of a GmbH	EUR 10,000	"Das Mindeststammkapital von GmbHs (Gesellschaften mit beschränkter Haftung) beträgt 10.000 Euro." The USP Lexikon entry on the GmbH states the same amount and adds that in principle half is paid in cash at formation
Minimum capital (Mindestgrundkapital) of an AG	EUR 70,000	"Das Mindestgrundkapital einer Aktiengesellschaft (AG) beträgt 70.000 Euro."
Minimum corporate tax, per calendar year, as a share of the statutory minimum capital	5%	"Sie beträgt pro Kalenderjahr 5 Prozent des gesetzlichen Mindestgrund- bzw. Mindeststammkapitals und ist vierteljährlich zu entrichten." Due even with a loss; credited against later corporate tax, but only against the part of a later year's tax that exceeds that year's minimum tax
Minimum corporate tax of a GmbH, per calendar year, paid in quarterly instalments	EUR 500	"insgesamt somit 500 Euro"
Minimum corporate tax of an AG, per calendar year, paid in quarterly instalments	EUR 3,500	The page calls it "kalendervierteljährlich zu entrichtende Mindeststeuer"; it is 5 Prozent of the AG minimum capital, which makes it a yearly amount paid quarterly, like the GmbH figure

FlexCo: enterprise-value shares

What	Value	Note
Source	all figures below	https://www.bmf.gv.at/dam/jcr:05f303a4-befb-48d1-88af-2a35a452cfa7/Fachliche_News_WiEReG_2024-04-26.pdf
Enterprise-value shares (UWA) must be less than this share of the share capital	25%	"So dürfen weniger als 25% des Stammkapitals als „Unternehmenswert-Anteile“ sein." UWA carry no voting rights. A FlexCo whose registered shareholders are all natural persons is exempt from reporting to the beneficial owners register (§ 6(2a) WiEReG)

Taxes on the company and on its profit distributions

What	Value	Note
Source	all figures below	https://www.usp.gv.at/themen/steuern-finanzen/koerperschaftsteuer-ueberblick.html
Corporate income tax (Körperschaftsteuer) rate on a GmbH, FlexCo or AG	23%	"Die Körperschaftsteuer beträgt 23 Prozent (bis zum Jahr 2022: 25 Prozent, im Jahr 2023: 24 Prozent)"
Withholding tax on dividends paid to individual shareholders	27.5%	"Kapitalertragsteuer (das sind 27,5 Prozent)". Detail in `at-corporate-income-tax`

The corporate rate and the dividend withholding are two separate charges. No official page prints a combined burden, so this Guide does not state one. Sole traders and OG or KG partners pay income tax on their share of profit at the progressive rates in at-income-tax, plus social insurance under at-svs-contributions.

Bookkeeping, register entry and disclosure by legal form

The legal form decides whether the business must keep double-entry books and publish accounts.

Bookkeeping and register thresholds

What	Value	Note
Source	all figures below	https://www.usp.gv.at/themen/steuern-finanzen/steuerliche-gewinnermittlung/weitere-informationen-zur-steuerlichen-gewinnermittlung/betriebliches-rechnungswesen/buchfuehrungspflicht-und-buchfuehrung.html
Turnover threshold (Umsatzschwellenwert) for sole traders and OG or KG with a natural person as unlimited partner	EUR 700,000	"Umsatzschwellenwert Qualifizierter Schwellenwert 700.000 Euro 1.000.000 Euro". Must be exceeded in two consecutive years; the duty then starts after a buffer year ("Pufferjahr")
Qualified threshold (Qualifizierter Schwellenwert)	EUR 1,000,000	Exceeding it once is enough; the duty starts the following year, with no buffer year

Corporations (GmbH, FlexCo, AG) and the GmbH & Co KG must keep double-entry books whatever their turnover ("Rechnungslegungspflicht kraft Rechtsform").
Liberal professions within the meaning of the UGB (for example doctors, lawyers, artists, writers) have no bookkeeping duty under company law or tax law, whatever the turnover.
Below the thresholds, sole traders and partnerships may use cash-basis accounting (Einnahmen-Ausgaben-Rechnung) or a flat-rate method; see at-income-tax.
The Firmenbuch page uses the same test for entry in the register: a sole trader (or a GesbR, as OG or KG) must be entered when turnover exceeds the threshold above in two consecutive business years, or exceeds the qualified threshold in the table above in one business year (USP: Firmenbuch).

Filing annual accounts with the Firmenbuch

What	Value	Note
Source	all figures below	https://www.usp.gv.at/themen/betrieb-und-umwelt/laufender-betrieb/weitere-informationen-laufender-betrieb/bilanzveroeffentlichung.html
Companies with yearly turnover up to this amount may file their accounts on paper; all others must file electronically	EUR 70,000	"Unternehmen mit einem Jahresumsatz bis zu 70.000 Euro können den Jahresabschluss jedoch auch in Papierform einreichen."

Who files: the legal representatives of corporations (GmbH, AG, SE) and of "hidden corporations" such as the GmbH & Co KG.
Deadline: after any shareholders' meeting, but at the latest nine months after the balance sheet date ("spätestens neun Monate nach dem Bilanzstichtag").
Since 1 January 2026, FinanzOnline is no longer an accepted channel to the register court. Accounts go as a structured XML data set via JustizOnline or the electronic legal system (ERV), or on the court's web form.
Court filing fees (Eingabengebühren) apply. The page gives no amount.

Size classes of corporations (what must be filed depends on size)

What	Value	Note
Source	all figures below	https://www.usp.gv.at/services/suchen-und-finden/lexikon/kapitalgesellschaft.html
Micro corporation (Kleinstkapitalgesellschaft): balance sheet total not exceeded	EUR 450,000	"450.000 Euro Bilanzsumme". Micro if at least two of three criteria are not exceeded; the third is 10 employees on average
Micro corporation: turnover in the twelve months before the balance sheet date not exceeded	EUR 900,000	"900.000 Euro Umsatzerlöse in den zwölf Monaten vor dem Abschlussstichtag"

The same page gives the small, medium and large limits; investment and holding companies cannot be micro, and public interest entities are always large.

The method, step by step

The order below follows the USP pages. A company needs its Firmenbuch entry before it can register a trade, and SVS cover of its partners or managing director is tied to the register application (steps 4 and 6).

Choose the legal form and, for a company, sign the articles. A GmbH or FlexCo is normally founded by notarial deed. A one-person GmbH or one-person FlexCo can be founded online under § 9a GmbH-Gesetz through the free USP eGründung service without a notary: both the notarial act and the certified register application fall away. A sole trader can also be set up through eGründung (USP: eGründung).
Pay in the capital (GmbH, FlexCo, AG). For a GmbH, in principle half of the share capital in cash, as the USP Lexikon puts it; see the GmbH bullet above for what the page leaves open (USP Lexikon: GmbH).
Apply for entry in the Firmenbuch. At the regional court of the seat (in Vienna the Handelsgericht Wien, in Graz the Landesgericht für Zivilrechtssachen Graz), in writing or through the ERV. Attach a specimen signature (Musterzeichnung), certified where needed, and where relevant the confirmation under the Neugründungs-Förderungsgesetz (NeuFöG). The court decides by order. Sole traders can apply fully online, without certification, on the USP form for sole trader register applications (Firmenbuch Einzelunternehmerin/Einzelunternehmer). The register entry does not replace the trade licence (USP: Firmenbuch).
Register the trade (Gewerbeanmeldung). At the trade authority of the business location (Bezirkshauptmannschaft, in statutory cities the Magistrat, in Vienna the Magistratisches Bezirksamt or MA 63), in person, in writing or online (GISA). Companies and registered partnerships need a Firmenbuch entry first and must appoint a trade-law managing director (gewerberechtlicher Geschäftsführer). The registration takes effect at once if all conditions are met and all documents are attached; the trade may be carried on from that day. Regulated trades need a certificate of competence and, for § 95 trades, a final approval notice first. No stamp duty or federal administrative fees are charged (USP: Gewerbeanmeldung). A trade licence brings compulsory membership of the Wirtschaftskammer.
Notify the tax office within one month and get a tax number. Report the opening of the business to the Finanzamt Österreich within one month (§§ 120 to 121 BAO). A short notice asking for a tax number is enough. Then complete the questionnaire for the legal form: Verf 15 for corporations, Verf 16 for partnerships, Verf 24 for individuals, on paper or in FinanzOnline; eGründung users file it there. The questionnaire asks for the expected turnover and profit of the opening year and the next year; the profit is the basis for the income tax prepayments (USP: Pflichten des Unternehmers). The office may ask for a specimen signature form (Verf 26), ID, an opening balance sheet or proof of activity, then issues a 9-digit tax number and opens a tax account (Abgabenkonto). The VAT identification number (UID) is a separate number (USP: Organisatorische Maßnahmen). VAT registration, the small business exemption and returns are in at-vat-return.
Social insurance with the SVS. Compulsory insurance under the GSVG starts on the day all conditions are met: the day the trade licence may be used, or the company obtains a trade licence, or the Firmenbuch entry of the partnership (OG, KG with a trade licence) or of the managing director function (GmbH or FlexCo with a trade licence) is applied for, or a person joins such a GmbH or FlexCo as a partner. The trade authority and the Firmenbuch inform the SVS, so no separate notice is needed at first. The SVS then fixes the insurance (usually with retroactive effect) and sends a welcome letter with an insurance declaration, to be returned within two weeks. Contact the SVS if nothing arrives within six weeks of receiving the trade licence (SVS: Gewerbetreibende Beginn & Ende). The registration forms name who is covered: OG partners, unlimited KG partners, and managing shareholders of a GmbH or FlexCo that holds a trade licence (SVS: Versicherungsanmeldung). Self-employed people without a trade licence (Neue Selbständige) register themselves. Contribution bases and rates are in at-svs-contributions.
Ongoing duties. Keep books by legal form (table above); a corporation files annual accounts with the Firmenbuch within nine months of the balance sheet date and pays the minimum corporate tax even in a loss year; changes to registered facts must be reported to the register court without delay (USP: Firmenbuch).

Sole trader: the small business VAT exemption at start-up

What	Value	Note
Source	all figures below	https://www.usp.gv.at/themen/steuern-finanzen/umsatzsteuer-ueberblick/weitere-informationen-zur-umsatzsteuer/weitere-steuertatbestaende-und-befreiungen/kleinunternehmen.html
Small business limit (Kleinunternehmergrenze), yearly gross turnover, previous and current year	EUR 55,000	"Kleinunternehmergrenze in Höhe von 55.000 Euro (bis 31. Dezember 2024: 35.000 Euro)". Applies to any legal form; detail in `at-vat-return`

Ask the client first

Will the business carry on an activity under the Gewerbeordnung, and is it a free or a regulated trade? This decides the trade licence, the need for a trade-law managing director and SVS cover under the GSVG.
How many founders, and do they want to limit liability? One person: sole trader, one-person GmbH or one-person FlexCo (eGründung possible). Several: OG, KG, GmbH or FlexCo.
Do the founders plan to give staff or investors non-voting shares? That points to the FlexCo and its enterprise-value shares.
What turnover is expected in the first years? It decides bookkeeping, Firmenbuch entry for a sole trader and the VAT small business exemption.
Are the founders EEA or Swiss nationals living in the EEA or Switzerland? Others need a residence permit and, for sole traders without an Austrian residence, a trade-law managing director.
Is the client a liberal professional (doctor, lawyer, artist)? Different bookkeeping and social insurance rules apply.

When to refuse or refer

Drafting the articles of association, shareholder agreements or FlexCo share classes: refer to a notary or lawyer.
AG, SE, cooperative, private foundation (Privatstiftung) or a branch of a foreign company: not covered here.
Regulated trades, operating permits (Betriebsanlagengenehmigung) and residence permits for third-country founders: refer to the trade authority or the Wirtschaftskammer.
Conversions and contributions of a business into a company (change of legal form): not covered.
Group taxation, cross-border holding structures, and the comparison of total tax on a GmbH against a sole trader for a given profit: refer to a tax adviser, using at-corporate-income-tax and at-income-tax.
Notary fees, court fees and formation timelines: no official page on the allowed hosts prints them; ask the notary.

Sources

This Guide is a source-cited draft. It is not legal or tax advice. Confirm each figure on the official page before relying on it.

Contributed by OpenAccountants.

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