Both the WU Foundation and WU Vienna qualify as organizations eligible for receiving tax-deductible donations within the meaning of § 4a and 4b of the Austrian Income Tax Act (Einkommensteuergesetz, EStG). This means that you no longer need to report your donations to the tax authorities yourself to claim your tax deduction. WU will report your donation to the tax authorities for you. This means that your donation will automatically be taken into account in your tax return (or employee tax assessment). To make this work, please provide us with your first and last name (as stated on your residence registration document/as per your entry in the Central Residence Register/Zentrales Melderegister) and your date of birth. As of March of the year following your donation, the donation amounts reported by WU will appear in your FinanzOnline account. If you do not have a FinanzOnline account, the amount will be stated on your tax assessment notice.

In Austria, tax deductions for charitable donations are capped at a maximum percentage of the annual income. For private individuals in Austria, this is 10% of their total annual income. This percentage can be deducted from the tax base as special expenses (§§ 4a, 4b, and 18 [7] and [8] of the Income Tax Act).

For business owners, donations to WU (§ 4a of the EStG) and donations to the WU Foundation (§ 4b EStG) made from business assets qualify as business expenses for charitable donations, eligible for a tax deduction of up to 10% of the profits, before deducting the tax-free profit allowance (Gewinnfreibetrag). In these cases, WU does not report the donations to the tax authorities; the business must declare these expenses itself in its income/corporate tax return.