Closing down a self-employed status
What
If you want to end or “pause” your self- employed status you have to announce this to the Austrian Economic Chamber (Wirtschaftskammer – WKO), the Social Insurance Company (Sozialversicherungsanstalt der gewerblichen Wirtschaft – SVA) and the Office of the Federal State Government (Amt der Landesregierung) as well as to inform the regional department of Ministry of Finance (Finanzamt).
How
Once the business license (Gewerbeberechtigung) has been terminated, the holding is to be discontinued if a successor to the business hasn’t obtain the corresponding license. Any economic activity after closing down your business is considered an unauthorized commercial practice with penalties up to 3,600 EUR.
The Commercial Code contains a comprehensive catalogue of reasons for termination. The trade license ends:
- With the death of the business owner, except in cases where there is a right of resale
- With a final annulment or the annulment of the insolvency proceedings for lack of cover; with the loss of the legal person (GmbH, Genossenschaft, AG)
- With the dissolution of the registered partnership (OG, KG) if no liquidation takes place, otherwise with the termination of the liquidation
- Six months after the departure of the last co-owner of a partnership, if the remaining shareholder hasn’t notified the commercial authority or if no director manager has been appointed.
- Six months after the registration of the amendment, splitting, etc., into the commercial register, if no express notification is given to the commercial authority or no director manager is appointed within this period.
- With the passing of the trade license or the right to resume business
- By judgment of a court
- With the prohibition of exercise in the form of an industrial operation
- With removal of the trade license
Where
- Office of the Federal State Government (Amt der Landesregierung) (in German): help.gv.at/Portal.Node/hlpd/public/behoerden.
- Contact office from your regional medical insurance (in German): sva.or.at/portal27/svaportal/content?contentid=10007.775662&portal:componentId=gtn58b047f4-1bcb-48bf-aa6e-04a47a24c0f4&viewmode=content.
- You can find the local office of the Ministry of Finances at your place of residence here (in German): bmf.gv.at/service/anwend/behoerden/.
- Austrian Economic Chamber (in German): wko.at.