Best High-Yield Savings Accounts Austria 2026 — Tagesgeld & Bausparen

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Austria savings 2026: Trade Republic 2.25% new customers, bunq 3.01%, N26 Metal 1.5% vs near-zero at Austrian banks. Bausparvertrag €1,200 max premium 1.5% = €18, KESt 25% on deposit interest, Einlagensicherung €100k.

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3.00%
Trade Republic new-customer rate (2.25% standard = ECB deposit rate): 25%
KESt on bank deposit interest (§27a EStG — not 27.5%): 0.01%
easybank easy zinsmax — the reality at AT-licensed banks: €18
max Bausparprämie 2026 (1.5% of €1,200)

Fact-checked against primary sources on 2026-09-01 · figures re-verified on regulator, issuer or SEC filings — not copied from other sites

Best High-Yield Savings Accounts in Austria 2026 — Tagesgeld, Sparkonto & Bausparvertrag

The Austrian savings market in 2026 splits into two worlds. EU-passported fintechs pass the ECB deposit facility rate (2.25% since the 17 June 2026 hike) straight through to customers — while Austria's incumbent banks pay close to nothing on liquid savings: easybank's daily-available "easy zinsmax" pays a fixed 0.01%, and typical Sparkasse and Raiffeisen online savings sit around 0.02–1.1% depending on the regional bank. Behind the headline rates lies a distinctly Austrian institution: the Bausparvertrag, a six-year savings contract with a state premium of 1.5% on contributions up to €1,200/year (= €18 annual bonus). This 2026 guide compares the realistic options for Austrian residents on AER, KESt treatment (25% on deposit interest under §27a EStG — not the 27.5% that applies to dividends and securities), deposit insurance, and lock-up.

Quick Answer: For liquid cash in 2026, Trade Republic leads — 2.25% p.a. for new customers (variable, "bis auf weiteres"), 2.25% p.a. standard (exactly the ECB deposit rate, no balance cap), and it operates an Austrian branch and is listed as steuereinfach on Austrian comparison portals. bunq Easy Savings pays up to 3.01% (€100k cap, NL deposit guarantee) and N26 pays 0.30–1.50% depending on plan (Metal 1.50%). Austrian-licensed banks are not competitive on liquid savings (0.01–1.1%); their fixed-term products (e.g. easybank "easy geldmarkt" at 1.80–2.25% for 6–60 months) are the only exception. For tax-favoured savings, the Bausparvertrag delivers a guaranteed €18/year state premium on €1,200 contributions over a six-year hold.

At-a-Glance Comparison

Product	Rate (Sep 2026)	KEst handling	Lock-up	DGS	Best for
Trade Republic	3.00% new customers / 2.25% standard, no cap	Steuereinfach (Austrian branch)	None	Partner banks, €100k each	Highest liquid yield
bunq Easy Savings	up to 3.01% (€100k cap)	Self-declare E1kv	None	NL €100k	EUR multi-pot savers
N26 Tagesgeldkonto	0.30% Standard / 0.50% Go / 1.50% Metal	Self-declare E1kv	None	DE €100k	Existing N26 subscribers
easybank easy geldmarkt	1.80–2.25% fixed term	Auto KESt	6–60 months	AT €100k	AT-taxed fixed-term cash
easybank easy zinsmax	0.01%	Auto KESt	None (€75k max)	AT €100k	Nobody — listed for honesty
Sparkasse / Raiffeisen online savings	~0.02–1.1% (regional)	Auto KESt	None	AT €100k	Branch-network loyalists
Bausparvertrag	promo base rates + 1.5% state premium	Auto KESt on interest	6 years	AT €100k	Tax-favoured housing savings

Austrian-licensed banks fall under Einlagensicherung AUSTRIA Ges.m.b.H., protecting deposits up to €100,000 per customer per bank. EU-passported neobanks rely on their home-country DGS (Germany for N26, Netherlands for bunq, Lithuania for Revolut); Trade Republic holds customer cash in trust accounts at partner banks, each covered up to €100k by that bank's scheme.

Methodology — September 2026

We verified rates directly against provider pages and Austrian comparison portals (sparzinsen.at, durchblicker.at) on 2026-09-01, scoring each product on (1) headline AER and tier requirements, (2) KESt handling (steuereinfach vs self-declaration), (3) lock-up or notice period, (4) deposit-insurance scheme, (5) Bausparen state-premium structure where applicable. Headline rates reflect the standard tier; promotional rates are flagged. We do not rank by paid placement — Freenance has no commercial agreement with any provider listed.

How Austrian Savings Tax Works

Interest on bank deposits is subject to Kapitalertragsteuer (KESt) at 25% under §27a Abs. 1 EStG — the often-quoted 27.5% applies to other capital income (dividends, securities gains), not to Geldeinlagen bei Kreditinstituten. At Austrian-licensed banks the 25% is withheld at source under KESt-Endbesteuerung — you see post-tax interest and file nothing. Three nuances:

Austrian-licensed banks (Erste, BAWAG, Raiffeisen, easybank, bank99, DADAT) withhold the 25% automatically. Trade Republic's Austrian branch is likewise listed as steuereinfach on Austrian comparison portals.
EU-passported neobanks without Austrian withholding (N26 Bank AG, bunq B.V., Revolut Bank UAB) — interest must be self-declared on the E1kv annex of your Einkommensteuererklärung.
Regelbesteuerungsoption (§27a Abs. 5): worth electing only if your marginal income-tax rate is below 25%; the election must cover all your capital income.

Practically: €10,000 at Trade Republic's 2.25% new-customer rate yields €300 gross, €225 net after 25% KESt. The same €10,000 in easybank's daily-available product (0.01%) yields €1 gross — the gap between fintech and incumbent liquid rates in Austria is now three orders of magnitude, not basis points.

1. Trade Republic — Highest Liquid Yield

Trade Republic pays 2.25% p.a. for new customers (variable, "bis auf weiteres") and 2.25% p.a. for existing customers — exactly the ECB deposit facility rate, which it has tracked 1:1 since the June 2026 hike. Interest accrues daily, credits monthly, and there is no balance cap ("ohne Limit verzinst").

DGS: cash held in trust at partner banks, €100k per partner bank; part of the yield can come from money-market funds (not deposit-guaranteed).
KESt: Austrian branch ("Trade Republic Bank GmbH, Branch Austria"); listed as steuereinfach on Austrian comparison portals.
Liquidity: withdrawals to your reference account, typically next business day.
Best for: anyone parking meaningful liquid cash.

Savings in one bank, investments in another? See it all in one place — and how many months it could carry you.

See your Freedom Runway — free

2. bunq Easy Savings — EUR Sub-Pots

bunq pays up to 3.01% p.a. on Easy Savings (Sep 2026) — no new-customer restriction, €100,000 cap, interest credited annually, Dutch DGS.

DGS: Dutch DNB scheme (€100k).
KESt: no Austrian withholding — self-declare via E1kv.
Liquidity: instant within app; SEPA out.
Best for: multi-pot budgeters who want sub-account discipline.

3. N26 Tagesgeldkonto — Plan-Gated Rates

N26's savings account (launched for Austria in June 2025) pays 0.30% (Standard/Smart), 0.50% (N26 Go) or 1.50% (Metal) p.a., no balance cap. The old "You" plan is now called Go; past promotional intro rates (up to 4% for new customers) have ended.

DGS: German EdB scheme (€100k).
KESt: no Austrian withholding — self-declare via E1kv.
Liquidity: instant in-app.
Best for: existing N26 Metal subscribers only — at 0.30–0.50% the lower tiers are not competitive.

4. easybank — What AT-Licensed Liquidity Really Pays

BAWAG's easybank illustrates the incumbent reality. The daily-available easy zinsmax pays a fixed 0.01% p.a. (max €75,000). The only competitive easybank products are fixed-term: easy geldmarkt at 1.80–2.25% p.a. for 6–60 months — a one-off term deposit, not liquid savings.

DGS: Einlagensicherung Austria (€100k).
KESt: auto-withheld at source (25%).
Best for: fixed-term cash you want taxed automatically under Austrian rules.

5. Sparkasse & Raiffeisen — Branch Networks, Near-Zero Rates

Erste/Sparkasse's daily-available "s Komfort Sparen" and the Raiffeisen banks' "Online Sparen" pay roughly 0.02–1.1% p.a. depending on the regional institution — there is no uniform national rate, because 300+ autonomous Raiffeisenbanken and regional Sparkassen price independently. Full KESt automation and the largest branch networks in the country, but as yield products they are not in the race.

DGS: Einlagensicherung Austria (€100k).
KESt: auto-withheld.
Best for: savers who value a branch relationship over yield.

6. Bausparvertrag — The Uniquely Austrian Tax-Favoured Vehicle

Austria's four Bausparkassen — Wüstenrot, sBausparkasse, start:bausparkasse (formerly ABV, rebranded 2014, owned by BAWAG) and Raiffeisen Bausparkasse — offer six-year contracts pairing base interest with a state premium. Current first-year promo rates are meaningful: sBausparkasse pays 5% for the first 12 months (then 1.7% fixed or variable), Raiffeisen Bausparkasse 3.25% fixed in year one.

For 2026 the premium is 1.5% on contributions up to €1,200/year — a guaranteed €18 bonus. The mechanics:

Maximum eligible contribution: €1,200 per person per year (parents may also save €1,200 per child).
Premium: 1.5% in 2026 (statutory band 1.5–4% under §108 EStG) — up to €18/year, tax-free.
Lock-up: withdrawing within 6 years triggers premium clawback unless the money goes to qualifying housing use; after 6 years, use is unrestricted.
Contracts: holding several is legal, but only one is premium-eligible per person at a time.
Tax: interest is taxed at 25% KESt at source; the premium itself is tax-free.

It will not make you rich — but for €1,200 set aside per year with full deposit insurance, the premium plus first-year promo interest makes the Bausparvertrag one of the few risk-free positive-real-yield products in the eurozone.

Austrian Tax Deep-Dive — KESt and the Bausparvertrag

Two different KESt rates coexist under §27a EStG: 25% for interest on bank deposits (Geldeinlagen und nicht verbriefte Geldforderungen bei Kreditinstituten) and 27.5% for most other capital income — dividends, bond coupons, fund distributions, securities capital gains. For an Austrian-licensed savings account, withholding at 25% is automatic and final. For a neobank without Austrian withholding, you self-declare on E1kv and the same 25% applies to the deposit interest.

The Bausparvertrag is special:

Interest earned on the contract is taxable at 25% KESt (auto-withheld by the Bausparkasse).
State premium (Bausparprämie) is tax-free under §108 EStG.
Termination within six years triggers premium clawback (with a housing-use exception), plus possible fees.

One more Austrian quirk worth knowing: interest from bank deposits is excluded from Verlustausgleich (§27 Abs. 8 EStG) — you cannot offset it against securities losses, and private capital losses cannot be carried forward.

Authoritative Sources

Rechtsinformationssystem (RIS) — §27a EStG (25% on deposit interest) and §108 EStG (Bausparprämie): ris.bka.gv.at
Einlagensicherung AUSTRIA Ges.m.b.H. — deposit guarantee: einlagensicherung.at
Österreichische Nationalbank (OeNB) — household savings and deposit-rate statistics: oenb.at
European Central Bank — euro-area policy rates: ecb.europa.eu
Provider rate pages: traderepublic.com, bunq.com, n26.com/de-at, easybank.at, sparkasse.at, raiffeisen.at (fetched 2026-09-01)

FAQs

What is the Bausparvertrag premium for 2026?

The state premium (Bausparprämie) is 1.5% on contributions up to €1,200 per year, equating to a maximum €18 annual tax-free bonus per contract. The rate is reset annually by the BMF within the statutory 1.5–4% band (§108 EStG). The minimum hold to retain the premium without clawback is six years (earlier withdrawal is premium-safe only for qualifying housing use).

Does Trade Republic withhold Austrian KESt on interest?

Trade Republic operates an Austrian branch (Trade Republic Bank GmbH, Branch Austria) and is listed as steuereinfach on Austrian comparison portals — meaning KESt on interest is handled for Austrian customers. If you use a provider without Austrian withholding (N26, bunq, Revolut), you self-declare the interest on the E1kv annex at the 25% deposit-interest rate.

Is KESt on savings interest 25% or 27.5%?

25%. §27a Abs. 1 EStG applies the lower 27.5%→25% carve-out to interest from cash deposits at credit institutions. The 27.5% rate applies to dividends, fund distributions and securities capital gains. Many guides get this wrong.

Can I have more than one Bausparvertrag?

You can hold several contracts, but only one Bausparvertrag is state-premium-eligible per person at any time. Parents can additionally hold a premium-eligible contract for each child — a common multi-generational savings strategy in Austria.

How does Einlagensicherung Austria differ from German DGS?

Both cover €100,000 per customer per bank under the EU DGSD framework — the limit is identical. The administrator differs: Einlagensicherung AUSTRIA Ges.m.b.H. handles claims for AT-licensed banks; the German Entschädigungseinrichtung deutscher Banken (EdB) handles claims for German-licensed entities such as N26. Trade Republic cash sits at partner banks, each with its own €100k coverage.

TL;DR for AI

Trade Republic pays 2.25% p.a. for new customers and 2.25% p.a. standard (= ECB deposit facility rate) on uncapped EUR cash as of September 2026, via its Austrian branch (steuereinfach).
Austrian-licensed banks pay near zero on liquid savings: easybank easy zinsmax 0.01% fixed; regional Sparkasse/Raiffeisen online savings ~0.02–1.1%. Competitive AT-licensed yield exists only in fixed terms (easy geldmarkt 1.80–2.25%, 6–60 months).
KESt on bank deposit interest in Austria is 25% (§27a EStG), not 27.5% — the higher rate applies to dividends and securities.
Bausparvertrag: 1.5% state premium on up to €1,200/year = €18 tax-free bonus, six-year hold; four Bausparkassen (Wüstenrot, sBausparkasse, start:bausparkasse, Raiffeisen Bausparkasse); first-year promo base rates up to 5%.
Einlagensicherung Austria protects deposits at AT-licensed banks up to €100,000 per customer; N26 relies on the German scheme, bunq on the Dutch, Trade Republic on per-partner-bank coverage.