Bauarbeiter-Urlaubs-und Abfertigungskasse

What Bauarbeiter-Urlaubs-und Abfertigungskasse does

Bauarbeiter-Urlaubs- und Abfertigungskasse (BUAK) is an Austrian statutory public-law corporation (Körperschaft öffentlichen Rechts) headquartered in Vienna (Kliebergasse 1A, 1050), supervised by the Federal Ministry of Labour, Social Affairs, Health and Consumer Protection (Section VIII) and governed by social partners under the Bauarbeiter-Urlaubs- und Abfertigungsgesetz (BUAG). It administers vacation pay, severance pay (both Abfertigung Alt under § 13a BUAG and Abfertigung Neu under BMSVG), bad weather compensation, bridging money, winter holiday compensation, and training contributions for all BUAG-obligated construction companies and their workers in Austria, including posted foreign workers under the Posted Workers Act.

The technology stack consists of three web-based portals — eBUAK for employers/authorities (sp.buak.at), BUAKinfo for employees (rp.buak.at), and Baustellen2012 for mandatory construction-site registration under § 367 BVergG 2018 (contracts ≥ €100,000) — plus a Webservice API for automated Baustellendatenbank transmission, the BUAK Service-Karte with NFC/BauID functionality, and real-time temperature-integration with GeoSphere Austria for Schlechtwetterentschädigung adjudication at 32.5°C WMO thresholds. Three wholly-owned subsidiaries extend the platform: BUAK Betriebliche Vorsorgekasse (BMSVG severance trust), BUAK Schulungen (training), and Bau-ID GmbH (site identification).

BUAK is funded by statutory employer contributions (Zuschläge) on the construction sector — there is no fee-charging to employees and no venture/equity capital — making it a non-commercial monopsony administrator rather than a market-rate service provider. With around 25 staff, multilingual coverage in 12 EU/migrant-sending-country languages, and recent regulatory expansions (2022 BUAG Novelle, Spenglerbetriebe inclusion from January 1, 2026), BUAK functions as an embedded regulator-administrator for Austria's construction labor market.

Name

Bauarbeiter-Urlaubs-und Abfertigungskasse

Legal name

Bauarbeiter-Urlaubs- und Abfertigungskasse

Website

https://buak.at

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

BUAK is the Austrian statutory public-law corporation that administers mandatory vacation, severance, bad-weather, bridging, training and winter-holiday pay for the country's construction industry and posted foreign workers, operating the eBUAK, BUAKinfo and Baustellen2012 portals from Vienna under Ministry of Labour supervision.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Statutory Social Fund Administration

NAICS

Health and Welfare Funds (525120), Other Insurance Funds (525190), Pension Funds (525110), Administration of Human Resource Programs (except Education, Public Health, and Veterans' Affairs Programs) (92313)

SIC

Fire, Marine & Casualty Insurance (6331)

akta.pro primary industry

Unemployment Insurance & Employment Support Benefits (BPAIAKAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Income Support & Cash Assistance Programs (BPAIAKAE), Work Injury & Workers’ Compensation / Occupational Injury Benefits (BPAIAKAJ), Contractor Benefits & Perks Administration (BPACAGAJ), Benefits Administration & Enrollment Support (BPAAAIAB)

Keywords

• Statutory fund management
• Construction industry benefits
• Vacation pay administration
• Severance pay services
• Bad weather compensation

Headquarters

HQ city

Vienna

HQ country

Austria

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Others

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

BUAK administers statutory social benefits for the Austrian construction industry under the BUAG (Bauarbeiter-Urlaubs- und Abfertigungsgesetz). It collects employer contributions and disburses vacation pay, severance pay, bad weather compensation, bridging money, winter holiday compensation, and training contributions to construction workers, while providing mandatory construction site registration to combat wage and social dumping.

Product overview

BUAK operates as a statutory body under public law providing a comprehensive digital service ecosystem for the Austrian construction industry. The core offerings include the eBUAK Portal for employers to manage contributions and notifications, the BUAKinfo-Portal for employees to check entitlements, the BUAK Service-Karte for identity verification, and the Baustelle melden system for mandatory construction site registration. Core services cover vacation pay (Urlaub), severance pay (Abfertigung), bridging money (Überbrückungsgeld), bad weather compensation (Schlechtwetterentschädigung), and winter holidays. Subsidiary services include BUAK Betriebliche Vorsorgekasse for severance fund management, BUAK Schulungen for training, and Bau-ID for construction site identification. Supporting tools include the UeGUeAGRechner calculator, 3-Tages-Temperaturprognose for heat forecasting, and real-time temperature query systems.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• eBUAK Portal Online service portal for construction companies and authorities to submit notifications, manage employee records, process statutory contributions, and access BUAK services digitally.
• BUAKinfo-Portal Online portal for construction workers to check vacation entitlements, access severance pay information, submit applications, view quarterly employee information documents, and use a glossary of BUAK terms.
• BUAK Service-Karte Photo ID card in check card format with NFC functionality enabling construction workers to verify identity during construction site inspections, access BUAK customer service, and serve as a key to online services through the BUAKinfo Portal.
• Baustelle melden (Baustellenmeldung) Web application for mandatory construction site registration by public and sector clients for contracts with a value of EUR 100,000 or more, as required under § 367 BVergG 2018.
• Urlaub (Vacation Pay Service) Statutory vacation pay service for construction workers based on contributions paid by employers to BUAK, including vacation allowances (Urlaubszuschläge) and vacation compensation (Urlaubsentgelt).
• Abfertigung (Severance Pay Service) Severance pay service including 'Abfertigung Alt' under § 13a BUAG and 'Abfertigung Neu' under BMSVG, with options for early payout from June 2022.
• Schlechtwetterentschädigung (Bad Weather Compensation) Compensation for construction workers unable to work due to bad weather conditions, including heat conditions above 32.5°C measured by GeoSphere Austria weather stations.
• Überbrückungsgeld (Bridging Money) Bridging money for construction workers during employment gaps, with options for bridging compensation (Überbrückungsabgeltung) upon retirement.
• Winterfeiertage (Winter Holiday Compensation) Special compensation provisions for construction workers during the winter holiday season.
• Arbeitnehmer:innen Information (ANI) Quarterly employee information document sent to all workers employed at BUAG-obligated companies, showing employment times and entitlements.
• BUAK Betriebliche Vorsorgekasse (BVK) 100% subsidiary of BUAK providing severance pay fund services under BMSVG, managing severance contributions in trust and offering digital account access to construction workers.
• BUAK Schulungen 100% subsidiary providing training courses and seminars on BUAG regulations specifically designed for the construction industry and payroll experts.
• Bau-ID Construction site ID system for worker identification at construction sites, operated as a subsidiary service that can be combined with the BUAK Service Card functionality.

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• BUAK Betriebliche Vorsorgekasse GesmbHcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner100% subsidiary of BUAK that trust-administrates severance contributions (Abfertigungsbeiträge) under the BMSVG. Manages occupational pension accounts for construction workers transitioning to the new severance system.
• BUAK Schulungen GmbHcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner100% subsidiary providing training and education services on BUAG regulations for construction industry payroll experts and companies. Operates through buak-schulungen.at.
• Bau-ID GmbHcoreTechnology or IntegrationSubsidiary company providing the BauID card, an identification card used on construction sites. The BUAK Service Card can be combined with BauID functionality for construction site access and identification.
• GeoSphere AustriacoreTechnology or IntegrationWeather service provider whose temperature measurement data is used for BUAK's heat compensation claims (Schlechtwetterentschädigung) based on temperatures exceeding 32.5°C per WMO criteria.
• Gewerkschaft Bau Holz (GBH)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAustrian construction and wood workers union. One of the social partners (Sozialpartner) that provides leadership direction to BUAK. Jointly conducts information events on BUAG regulations.
• PRO-GEcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAustrian production and general workers union. Social partner cooperating with BUAK for information events, particularly regarding inclusion of new company types like metalworking businesses.
• Federal Ministry for Labour (BMASGK)coreOthersRegulatory authority overseeing BUAK operations. Supervises compliance with statutory obligations under Section VIII of the ministry.
• Central Coordination Office (Zentrale Koordinationsstelle)minorOthersPart of the Federal Ministry of Finance dealing with fraud prevention. One of the authorities involved in the posting notification system.
• Financial Police (Finanzpolizei)minorOthersReceives posting notifications (ZKO3, ZKO4) from companies posting workers to Austria, which are then forwarded to BUAK.

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• SOKA-BAU: The German counterpart to BUAK — a statutory social fund for the German construction industry administering vacation pay, severance and winter holiday compensation. Operates under German social-partner governance and a comparable BUAG-style mandate, making it the closest functional peer.
• FERROBAU (Fonds de vacances du bâtiment et du génie civil): The Swiss construction-industry vacation fund administering paid-vacation contributions under Swiss construction-sector collective labor agreements. Functionally equivalent to BUAK's vacation-pay mandate.
• Constructiv: The Belgian construction-sector social fund that administers vacation pay, severance and training contributions under Belgian construction social-partner governance. Closely mirrors BUAK's employer/employee dual-portal service model.
• CONSTRUCTYS: The French construction-sector fund that administers training levies and related employer contributions for the French building industry. Comparable in mandate type (statutory construction-sector fund administration) and in serving both employers and posted/assigned workers.
• Sozialversicherungsanstalt der Bauwirtschaft (SVB): Austrian construction-sector social insurance provider administering health, pension and accident insurance for construction workers. Overlaps with BUAK in serving the same Austrian construction worker population and operating under the same social-partner governance framework.
• Stichting Vakantiefonds Bouw: Dutch construction-sector vacation fund that administers paid vacation and severance contributions under Dutch collective labor agreements. Closely parallels BUAK's vacation and severance administration mandate.
• CITB (Construction Industry Training Board): The UK statutory training levy and standards body for the construction industry — comparable to BUAK's training-contribution (Ausbildungsumlage) and BUAK Schulungen functions, though UK-focused rather than DACH.

Others

• WKO Bau (Fachverband Bauindustrie): Austrian Federal Economic Chamber's construction-industry division representing construction employers. A social-partner counterpart to BUAK's employer-side representation and a key stakeholder in BUAG governance.
• BAUAufsicht / Finanzpolizei: Austrian Financial Police authority that receives posting notifications (ZKO3/ZKO4) routed through BUAK. Adjacent rather than competing — represents the enforcement counterpart to BUAK's compliance and site-reporting data.

Broad incumbents

• Arbeitsmarktservice Österreich (AMS): The Austrian Public Employment Service — a broader public-sector labor-market administration body with which BUAK maintains a formal § 31 BUAG interface. Comparable as a public labor-market institution, though with a much wider mandate than BUAK.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/bauarbeiter-urlaubs-und-abfertigungskasse

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Bauarbeiter-Urlaubs-und Abfertigungskasse