Schuldnerhilfe

What Schuldnerhilfe does

Schuldnerhilfe OÖ (SCHULDNERHILFE OÖ) is a non-profit association (Verein) founded in 1979 and headquartered in Linz, Austria, that operates as a state-recognized debt and family counseling center under the Familienberatungs-Förderungsgesetz. The organization delivers free, in-person counseling across five Upper Austrian districts (Linz, Rohrbach-Berg, Perg, Freistadt, Kirchdorf/Krems) covering debt counseling, budget counseling, gambling and shopping addiction counseling, and family counseling, plus a supervised account service (Betreutes Konto) that helps clients maintain payment priorities during debt and private bankruptcy proceedings. Service delivery is supported by a multiprofessional team of social workers, lawyers, educators, and banking professionals.

The organization's second pillar is financial education, centered on the OÖ Finanzführerschein (Upper Austria Financial License) certification program — a tiered curriculum (BASIC, ADVANCED, PROFESSIONAL) delivered through a dedicated E-Learning platform (elearning.schuldner-hilfe.at) featuring interactive courses, Lernnuggets, age-tiered Learning Snacks (10+, 13+, 15+), Kahoot! quizzes, and accessibility-optimized content available with or without a narrator and across desktop, tablet, and smartphone. Over 50,000 certificates have been issued to date. Complementary resources include explanatory videos, money-saving tips, a "Kauf mit Hirn" awareness campaign, a debt dictionary (Schulden-Wörterbuch), and simple-language videos, all distributed through the website, YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram channels, plus formal seminars and workshops for schools, apprenticeship companies (Lehrbetriebe), and social institutions, and a dedicated financial training track for the Austrian Public Employment Service (AMS).

The revenue model is subsidy-based: the organization does not charge clients for any service and does not have a commercial product line. Operations are funded by government grants from the State of Upper Austria (Land OÖ) as the primary commissioning body, the Federal Chancellery (Family and Youth Section), the Federal Ministry for Social Affairs (BMSGPK), and the Arbeiterkammer OÖ (Chamber of Labor Upper Austria, which also hosts the Rohrbach counseling site). Governance is provided by a Vereinsvorstand led by Chairperson Mag. Brigitta Schmidsberger, with Johannes Kletzl serving as Managing Director. Membership in the ASB Schuldnerberatungen GmbH network places the organization within the broader Austrian debt-counseling ecosystem. The organization is an active operating non-profit with no subsidiaries, no parent company, and no equity funding.

Name

Schuldnerhilfe

Legal name

SCHULDNERHILFE OÖ

Website

https://schuldner-hilfe.at

Company type

Private

Founded year

1979

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Schuldnerhilfe OÖ is a non-profit, state-recognized debt and family counseling center in Upper Austria, founded 1979, that provides free in-person counseling across five districts and runs the OÖ Finanzführerschein financial education program, with over 50,000 certificates issued, funded entirely by government subsidies.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Debt Counseling and Financial Education Services

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710), Educational Support Services (6117)

SIC

Services-Consumer Credit Reporting, Collection Agencies (7320)

akta.pro primary industry

Credit Counseling & Debt Management Plans (DMP) (FSAKAJAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Credit & Debt Management (Credit Scores, Loans, Repayment) (EDAAAJAC), Budgeting & Cash-Flow Management (EDAAAJAA), Financial Education & Coaching (Digital Programs, Tools) (FSAGADAH), Financial Coaching & Budgeting Advisory (FSAEAAAH), Financial Literacy, Debt Counseling & Default Prevention (EDALAJAK)

Keywords

• Debt counseling services
• Financial education programs
• Budget counseling
• Addiction counseling services
• Family counseling

Headquarters

HQ city

Linz

HQ country

Austria

HQ region

Europe

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Government Subsidies and Funding: The organization receives government funding as a state-recognized counseling center. It operates in partnership with public institutions including the state of Upper Austria (Land OÖ), the Federal Chancellery - Family and Youth Section (Bundeskanzleramt Sektion Familie und Jugend), the Federal Ministry for Social Affairs (Bundesministerium für Soziales, Gesundheit, Pflege und Konsumentenschutz), and the Chamber of Labor Upper Austria (Arbeiterkammer OÖ).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels12 records

Core offering

SCHULDNERHILFE OÖ is a state-recognized non-profit debt and family counseling center that provides free professional debt counseling, budget counseling, gambling and shopping addiction counseling, and family counseling services. The organization also delivers financial literacy education through the OÖ Finanzführerschein certification program, an E-Learning platform, in-person seminars, and a Betreutes Konto (managed account) service to support individuals during debt repayment and private bankruptcy proceedings.

Product overview

SCHULDNERHILFE OÖ is a state-recognized debt counseling and family counseling center established in 1979 under Austrian family counseling law. The organization offers a comprehensive suite of services structured around three core pillars: (1) Counseling Services including Schuldnerberatung (debt counseling), Budgetberatung (budget counseling), Kaufsuchtberatung (shopping addiction counseling), Spielsuchtberatung (gambling addiction counseling), Familienberatung (family counseling), and Betreutes Konto (monitored account service); (2) Financial Education (Finanzbildung) programs centered on the OÖ Finanzführerschein (Upper Austria Financial License) program with e-learning courses, Lernnuggets (learning nuggets), Learning Snacks, Kahoot quizzes, seminars and workshops; and (3) Prevention and Information Resources including explanatory videos, money-saving tips, the Kauf mit Hirn awareness campaign, a debt dictionary, information cards, and cultural/media projects. The organization operates multiple locations in Upper Austria (Linz, Freistadt, Kirchdorf an der Krems, Perg, and Rohrbach-Berg) and is funded by the State of Upper Austria, the Federal Chancellery, the Federal Ministry for Social Affairs, and the Upper Austria Chamber of Labor.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• OÖ Finanzführerschein: Financial literacy certification program in Upper Austria offering courses and e-learning modules on financial education.
• Betreutes Konto
• Betreutes Konto

Products and services

• Schuldnerberatung (Debt Counseling)
• Budgetberatung (Budget Counseling) Budget counseling services helping clients understand their financial situation, create household budgets, and manage their money effectively.
• Kaufsuchtberatung (Shopping Addiction Counseling) Specialized counseling for individuals struggling with compulsive buying or shopping addiction, addressing both the psychological and financial aspects of this behavioral disorder.
• Spielsuchtberatung (Gambling Addiction Counseling) Counseling services addressing problem gambling behaviors and their financial consequences, supporting affected individuals in Upper Austria.
• Familienberatung (Family Counseling)
• Betreutes Konto (Managed Account Service)
• OÖ Finanzführerschein (Upper Austria Financial License)
• Seminare und Workshops (Seminars and Workshops)
• Finanztraining AMS (AMS Financial Training)

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 50,000 OÖ Finanzführerscheine (financial certificates) issued to participants
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• ASB Schuldnerberatungen GmbHcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOrganization represented in ASB Schuldnerberatungen GmbH, indicating membership in a broader network of debt counseling organizations.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Caritas Österreich (Social Counseling): Large Austrian non-profit providing overlapping social and family counseling, including financial hardship support; comparable in funding structure (state + donations) and population-served, though broader in scope than debt counseling.
• Diakonie Österreich (Social Services): Major Austrian social services non-profit offering comparable family and financial counseling under partial state funding; addresses an overlapping client base of vulnerable Austrian households.
• ASB Schuldnerberatungen GmbH: Austrian federal association/head organization of state-recognized debt counseling centers, of which Schuldnerhilfe OÖ is a member; directly comparable as the umbrella for the same non-profit debt-counseling model across Austrian states.

Direct peers

• Arbeit plus Schuldenberatung Salzburg: Salzburg-based state-recognized debt counseling center providing comparable free Schuldnerberatung, budgeting, and family counseling services to a different Austrian state.
• Schuldnerberatung Niederösterreich: Lower Austria's state-recognized debt counseling non-profit; directly comparable service mix, funding model, and statutory basis to Schuldnerhilfe OÖ.
• Schuldenberatung Tirol: State-recognized debt counseling center serving Tyrol with a similar Schuldner- und Familienberatung mandate under the same Austrian legal framework.
• ifs Schuldenberatung Steiermark: Non-profit debt counseling provider for Styria operating under the same Familienberatungs-Förderungsgesetz framework; directly comparable services and funding structure in another Austrian state.
• Schuldenberatung Wien: State-recognized debt counseling center for Vienna, offering comparable free debt counseling, budget counseling, and financial education services to a different Austrian federal state.

Emerging players

• Finanzführerschein Österreich: National-level financial-literacy certification program referenced by Schuldnerhilfe OÖ itself; emerging counterpart that could broaden the OÖ Finanzführerschein model to all of Austria.
• Bildungsberatung Österreich: Network of publicly funded adult-education and financial-literacy guidance providers in Austria; overlaps with Schuldnerhilfe OÖ's educational/prevention pillar (Finanzbildung) for adult learners.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@schuldnerhilfe
• Facebookfacebook.com/SCHULDNERHILFE
• Instagraminstagram.com/schuldnerhilfe_ooe

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 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 Schuldnerhilfe