Changes regarding fringe benefits for company cars from 1.1.2020
If the employee is allowed to use the car provided by the employer for private trips as well, this must be treated as a fringe benefit in the amount of 2 % of the actual cost of acquisition of the car, the maximum being EUR 960 per month.
If the CO2 emission value of the motor vehicle does not exceed certain thresholds, the fringe benefit amounts to 1.5 % of the actual acquisition costs of the car, the maximum being EUR 720 per month.
The relevant CO2 emission value according to the NEDC method applied so far is 121 g/km for 2019 and will decrease by 3 g to 118 g/km in 2020.
The CO2 emission value limit of the calendar year of acquisition is decisive for determining the amount of fringe benefits (1.5 % or 2 %). A maximum CO2 emission value of 130 g/km applies to motor vehicles purchased in or before 2016.
In the future, the CO2 emission value must be determined using the WLTP (world harmonized light-duty vehicles test procedure). As this method leads to higher emission values, the thresholds for the reduced fringe benefit were modified accordingly.
In any case, the higher WLTP value must be used for passenger cars newly registered for the first time as of 01/04/2020. The limit for 2020 is 141 g/km. This threshold will be reduced by 3 g in each of the following years, down to 126 g/km in 2025.
New changes regarding current contributions to costs in Austria
The ordinance of the Austrian government also includes a new regulation of the current contributions to costs.
Apart from the provision already contained in the Sachbezugswerteverordnung (ordinance on the value of fringe benefits) for the consideration of non-recurring contributions to costs (deducted from the acquisition costs prior to calculating the fringe benefit), there is now also a statement on current contributions to costs.
For company cars the acquisition costs of which exceed EUR 48,000, the monthly contribution to costs must be taken into account before the maximum amount of EUR 960/720 or EUR 480/360 (half of the fringe benefit) is considered.
The consequence is that for acquisition costs of more than EUR 48,000, the employees’ contributions to costs, or at least part of them, come to nothing.
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