If you decide to see an elective therapist, you pay for the sessions yourself at first. You get part of that back as a partial reimbursement from your insurer. The process sounds like red tape, but in practice it's routine. This guide walks you through it step by step, as of 2026.
Requirements for the reimbursement
Two things have to be in place for your insurer to pay. Both work very similarly at ÖGK, BVAEB, and SVS.
- A diagnosis that qualifies as an illness. Reimbursement is only granted when there is a mental disorder that counts as an illness in the medical sense (per ICD-10). Pure life counseling with no diagnosable condition is not covered.
- A medical examination. Before your first session, or at the latest before your second, you must have seen a doctor once who confirms this.
How to proceed
- Choose a therapist. Find someone in private practice with the right focus. When you first get in touch, you can ask right away whether they work with the reimbursement.
- Medical examination. Before your second session, see a doctor once (for example at your GP's office) for the confirmation.
- Have the application filled out. Your therapist completes the professional section, including the ICD-10 diagnosis. You don't have to do this yourself.
- Submit. Submit your invoices and the medical confirmation together to your social insurance provider, online or by post.
- From the 11th session on. Before that, you don't need approval. For the 11th and any further sessions, your insurer's approval must be in place in good time.
How much you get back
The reimbursement is a fixed amount per session, regardless of what is actually charged.
- ÖGK: €33.70 per individual session.
- BVAEB: €50.20 per session, from 1 January 2026.
- SVS: €50.00 per session, from 1 January 2026.
- How much you end up paying out of pocket depends on the session price. With the cost calculator, you can see this for your insurer in seconds. For more background on prices and pathways, see our article What does psychotherapy cost in Austria.
- As of 2026, without guarantee. Amounts and rules can change; the binding information is what your health insurer tells you. This text is not legal or insurance advice.
For ÖGK members, we've pulled together all the details, from the MeineÖGK upload to approval from the eleventh session on, in a dedicated ÖGK guide.
