Law

Reporting a side job: What employees should clarify beforehand

A side job can bring income and experience. Before starting, employees should clarify reporting requirements, working hours, social security, and taxes.

Editorial7 min read
Employee plans a side job and a main job at a bright desk with a laptop and documents

As of: 7 July 2026. A side job often sounds uncomplicated: a few hours in the evening, a project at the weekend, a marginal employment alongside the main job. In practice, however, employees in Austria should not only start thinking about it once the second employment contract has already been signed. Important are notification requirements, non‑compete clauses, working hours, rest periods, social insurance and tax.

Reporting a side job does not automatically mean that every private secondary activity must be approved. The Chamber of Labour states that employees are, in principle, entitled to take on another employment relationship. At the same time, a second job can become problematic in individual cases if it is incompatible with working time rules, affects the work in the main job, or competes with the employer.

This article shows what employees should clarify before starting a side job, when notifying the employer is sensible or required, and which financial consequences can easily be overlooked when holding multiple employment relationships.

Why a side job should be clarified in advance

An additional income can help offset rising costs, finance further training, or test a new professional direction. Precisely for that reason, the side job should not be organised on the side. Those employed in their main job already have obligations arising from the employment contract, the employment notice (Dienstzettel), the collective agreement and statutory working time limits.

The first question is therefore not only: Do I have the time? But: Does the side job fit my existing employment relationship? A quick look at the employment contract is often enough to find indications of notification obligations, bans on secondary employment, competition rules or requirements for consent. If such clauses are formulated unclearly, one should ask for clarification in writing beforehand or seek advice.

Also helpful is the contextualisation from the article "Check the employment contract: What should be clear before signing. Many side-job questions start exactly there: What obligations have I agreed to, what working hours are stipulated, and which clauses could affect the secondary employment?

Do you have to report a side job?

There is no general answer for every case. oesterreich.gv.at explains that a permitted secondary employment must be reported if a reporting obligation has been agreed. Even without an explicit reporting obligation, it is advisable to inform the employer if the side job could affect the main job.

Practically, this means: If the employment contract, collective agreement or works agreement states that secondary activities must be reported, the report should be made before starting. It doesn't have to be dramatic. A factual notification is usually sufficient, including the type of activity, approximate time commitment, employer or client, and a statement that working hours, rest periods and the main job will not be impaired.

Without an obligation to report, informing is particularly sensible if the side job is in the same industry, could affect the employer's customers, involves regular evening or weekend shifts, or could visibly affect your performance in the main job. Those who clarify openly reduce later conflicts.

When a side job becomes problematic

A side job is not unlawful simply because the employer dislikes it. According to information from the AK, an allowed multiple employment must not lead to disadvantage. It can become problematic, however, if the second employment relationship is incompatible with working-time regulations or becomes detrimental to the position in the existing employment relationship.

Typical risk cases include situations of competition, overly fatigued workdays, failure to observe rest periods, activities for direct competitors, undeclared work, or a secondary job that leads to conflicts of interest. oesterreich.gv.at also points out the prohibition on competition: In case of violations, dismissal and claims for damages may be threatened.

Employees should be especially careful when the side job is commercial or involves self-employment within the employer's sphere. Manual workers also must not run a detrimental side business if it results in disadvantages for the employer. The line depends on the individual case. Therefore a short written clarification is often better than a later discussion about what was meant.

Working time: Hours from both jobs are counted together

The most common mistake is to consider each job in isolation. The AK emphasizes that working time from multiple employment relationships must be added together. This is crucial because the legal maximum working hours, breaks and rest periods do not disappear just because multiple employers are involved.

The Unternehmensserviceportal names as a basic rule for normal working time eight hours per day and 40 hours per week, although collective agreements may differ. For maximum working time, USP notes that the limits including overtime must be observed: generally 12 hours per day, 60 hours in a single week and an average of 48 hours over 17 weeks. In addition, rest periods are required: after the end of the daily working time there is generally an uninterrupted daily rest period of at least eleven hours; weekly there is an entitlement to at least 36 hours of rest.

Anyone who works full-time during the day and regularly takes a side job in the evenings should therefore not only check the pay but draw up a realistic weekly plan. This should include commute times, breaks, availability, weekend duties and recovery. For your own documentation, the article is a good fit.Recording working time: Why keeping track at work matters.

Social insurance: Plan for back payments

Multiple jobs can have consequences for social insurance. oesterreich.gv.at explains that multiple employment relationships can lead to back-payment obligations. With several marginal employments, the earnings in the respective calendar month are added together to check whether the marginal-employment threshold has been exceeded.

This is also relevant for people who earn marginally in addition to a fully insured main job. AK Wien states a monthly marginal-employment threshold of 551,10 Euro for 2026 and describes that social insurance contributions and the Chamber of Labour levy for the marginal income can be paid retroactively if the total income is above the threshold. The assessment is issued automatically but may arrive with a delay.

This is not a reason to avoid a side job. However, it is a reason not to budget the entire side-job gross pay as freely disposable additional income. Anyone who later receives a back payment should also check whether it can be taken into account in the employee tax assessment. For understanding deductions in the meantime, Checking payslips: What gross, net and deductions reveal.

Income tax: Two small incomes can become jointly taxable

Tax should also be considered in advance. oesterreich.gv.at points out that with multiple employment relationships, an employment that on its own is below the tax threshold can be taxed retroactively. A payroll tax liability can also arise only through the sum of the earnings.

This happens particularly easily when little or no payroll tax is withheld from the side job, but the annual income overall is higher. AK Wien writes that in the case of a main job plus marginal employment, an employee tax assessment may be mandatory if the taxable annual income exceeds 14.769 Euro in 2026; special payments are to be considered separately.

For employees this means: don’t look at net pay only on a monthly basis. A simple annual calculation is better, including main job, side job, expected social insurance back payments and possible tax. In case of uncertainty, FinanzOnline, tax advice or AK advice can help.

What should be clear in writing before starting

A side job does not necessarily require a lot of paperwork, but the most important points should be traceable. In a main job, these include notification requirements, consent, competition issues, and working hours. In a side job, they are the type of contract, remuneration, place of work, weekly hours, fixed-term status, duty roster, special payments, and the question of whether it is a genuine employment relationship, a freelance service contract, or self-employed activity.

Anyone who sees a side job as a stepping stone should also pay attention to the collective agreement. It clarifies minimum remuneration, classification, and often working time issues. The current guide fits well with this Check the collective agreement: What counts before accepting.

If the side job arises from an application process, the same diligence is worth it as with a main job: do not just discuss the offer, hours, salary, probationary period, working hours, and benefits verbally. The article Do not rush acceptance: How applicants check a job offer helps with this check.

Consciously distinguish special cases

This article covers a side job alongside an existing employment relationship. Different rules may apply if unemployment benefits, emergency assistance (Notstandshilfe), parental leave (Karenz), parental part-time (Elternteilzeit), a pension, self-employment, or cross-border work are involved. Then it’s not only about the main employer, but also about the AMS, social insurance, the tax office, or specific reporting obligations.

Those registered as unemployed should not follow the rules for a side job alongside full-time employment. For that case there is the separate article Working marginally while receiving unemployment benefits: What applies now. If, after job loss, you first need to clarify the AMS process, you’ll find the basics in Registering as unemployed: What immediately matters after job loss.

Checklist: Report a side job and start safely

  • Check the employment contract, Dienstzettel, collective agreement and works agreement for reporting obligations.
  • Clarify whether the side job conflicts with the main employer’s industry, clients, duties, or interests.
  • If a reporting obligation has been agreed, report the side job factually and in writing before it begins.
  • Inform even without an obligation if competition, excessive workload, or working-time issues may arise.
  • Add up all working hours from the main job and the side job.
  • Plan daily and weekly rest periods realistically.
  • Don't plan on the full gross from the side job; take social security (SV) and tax consequences into account.
  • Check the marginal-employment threshold and possible back payments.
  • For the side job, clarify contract type, pay, hours and work schedule in writing.
  • If in doubt, ask the AK, works council, trade union, tax advisor or the competent authorities.

Conclusion: A good side job needs clear boundaries.

A side job can ease your finances, provide experience and open up career options. However, it will only make sense long-term if it fits with your main job and doesn't later become a problem due to reporting obligations, non‑compete rules, working hours or back payments.

The best preparation is pragmatic: read the contract, report a side job if necessary, total the hours, calculate the financial consequences, and clarify any unclear points in writing. Those who take these steps start not only with more income but also with greater security.

Sources and further information

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