Won by the ÖH: By claiming the deduction amount in the calculation of the study grant, the study grant for the student concerned increases by € 85 per month.
Student B is awarded € 515 study grant. He notices in the notice that no deduction is deducted from his parents’ income for his older brother. If the amount were taken into account, his student aid would be higher. The study allowance authority refuses to claim the deduction for the 27-year-old brother because he has to receive study allowance in addition to pursuing his studies.
B appeals against this with the help of the social department of the Austrian Student Union (ÖH). Study grants are awarded according to the principle of social eligibility. Therefore, the parents’ salary is also included in the calculation. Various deductions and allowances can be deducted from the parents’ income. After these amounts are deducted, a reasonable maintenance payment is calculated from the remaining income, which is then deducted from the maximum student aid. The higher the reasonable maintenance, the lower the tuition assistance.
The Student Assistance Act provides for deductions from parents’ income for children before the age of 18 (deductions for minor siblings). After the age of 18, siblings are entitled to a deduction equal to the maximum tuition benefit if they themselves receive tuition benefits or still qualify for coinsurance under the health insurance plan.
Since the last amendment to the Student Support Act in 2017, another paragraph amount of € 5,700 was added “for each additional person for whom there is a legal obligation to support”.
Although B’s brother is no longer entitled to co-insurance because he is older than 27, the deductible amount of € 5,700 must be taken into account. The parents are still obligated to support the child. Finally, this is also the conclusion reached by the Student Aid Authority. This increases B’s tuition assistance by €85 per month to a total of €600.
Won by the ÖH: By claiming the deduction amount in the calculation of the study grant, the study grant for the student concerned increases by € 85 per month.
Further successes from consulting at www.oeh.ac.at/geschafft
