Remuneration (recommendations 2026)

The guidelines provide non-binding recommendations for adequate remuneration for self-employed artistic labour. The recommendations are exclusively related to the labour costs of self-employed artists, i.e. the entrepreneurial salary. The focus is on activities in exhibition operations. These guidelines are not binding for artists and clients.

Entitlement to Fees

The entitlement to fees results from a concluded agreement between the contractor and the client. We recommend getting the agreement in writing. When assessing the adequacy of the (artist) fee, the actual expenditure for the agreed service to be provided should be taken into account.

The following rates (base rates) for various artistic activities assume the minimum amount of work involved, based on practical knowledge. The base rates serve as a starting point for determining an adequate fee. Projects with greater complexity will make it necessary to exceed the recommendations accordingly. For exceptionally less complex projects it might be appropriate to go below the recommendations. The scope of work and respective services for the non-binding, recommended base rates are explained in greater detail in the additional FAQ.

Invoice Preparation

The basis of every invoice for self-employed activities are the expenses incurred, including the entrepreneur’s salary. In their fee estimation, artists need to take into account both their fixed costs and their variable costs. Fixed costs are those expenses that are incurred even if no particular service is provided at all, e.g. the rent and operating costs of a studio, work tools, etc. Variable costs are only incurred when a particular service is provided, e.g. cost of materials, transportation expenses, travel expenses, licences, event-related childcare expenses, etc.

The following non-binding recommendations are exclusively related to the labour costs of the artist, i.e. the entrepreneur’s salary.

Exhibition Fees

Fee for the participation in an exhibition with one or more artistic works and the associated amount of work. Not for expenses, not for the production of new artistic work. General assumption: the fewer artists are involved, the greater the volume of work for the individual artist(s).

• Solo exhibition, base rate 1 875 euro
• Exhibition with 2 to 3 participating artists, base rate 1 000 euro per artist
• Exhibition with 4 to 7 participating artists, base rate 650 euro per artist
• Exhibition with 8 participating artists or more, base rate 450 euro per artist

If artist collectives participate in an exhibition, we recommend 1.5 times the amount as adequate remuneration for the work.

Performance Fees

Fee for the performance of a solo performance by the artists themselves. Not for the conception and production of a new performance, not for props, expenses, etc.

• one-time performance (or several run-throughs of a short performance on the same date), base rate 450 euro
• further performances at the same location on different dates, base rate 325 euro each

If the performance remains part of the exhibition project beyond the performance itself (e.g. through artefacts, video documentation, etc.), the (higher) exhibition fee is used instead of the performance fee. If the performance constitutes an additional item of the programme, the performance fee is paid in addition to the exhibition fee.

Artist Lecture Fees

Lecture, kick-off speech, presentation, screening, or comparable formats; including subsequent audience discussion or moderated discussion. Fee for the preparation, conception, and implementation.

• with a planned duration of up to 90 minutes, base rate 450 euro per artist

Artist Talk Fees

Moderated artist talk, guided tour through the exhibition, or comparable formats; including audience discussion or moderated discussion. Fee for the preparation and implementation.

• with a planned duration of up to 90 minutes, base rate 275 euro per artist

Presentation Fees

Artist talks, podium discussions, workshops, or comparable formats. Fee for the preparation and implementation.

• including content development, with a planned duration of up to 90 minutes, base rate 450 euro
• coordination of and guidance throughout the event, with a planned duration of up to 90 minutes, base rate 325 euro

Cancellation Fees

If exhibitions or other commissions are cancelled by the organizer, the cancellation fee should cover the expenses for the preparatory work performed.

If an exhibition is cancelled:

• within 1 week prior to the opening: 100% of the fee
• within 4 weeks prior to the event or – depending on the customary lead times of the organizers and long-term preparatory work required – at an earlier appointment to be arranged: 50% of the fee

In the case of larger projects (commissions) in particular, we recommend getting an agreement ensuring partial payments for partial services provided.

If an event, e.g. a talk, lecture, or performance, is cancelled:

• within 3 days prior to the event: 100% of the fee
• within 3 weeks prior to the event: 50% of the fee

Further Artist Fees

For the calculation of further artist fees (e.g. the production of new artistic work, such as performances, projects in public spaces, installation, artistic research, etc.) we refer to the additional Fee Chart with recommendations for hourly rates for fair remuneration for self-employed artistic labour in the visual arts. In addition, the hourly rates provide a calculation aid for a wide variety of (artistic) activities in the visual arts.

Concluding Notes

All rates do not include VAT and any other duties and taxes. Any variable costs (e.g. cost of materials, transportation expenses, travel expenses, etc.) have to be added.

Remuneration for the use and utilization of the work (e.g. in the case of rights management by collecting societies) have to be taken into account additionally by the client. Proportional fixed costs (e.g. studio expenses, basic work tools, etc.) need to be budgeted individually and in addition to other fees by the artist in their fee structure. 

In principle, the recommended base rates in the Guidelines are not adjusted annually but at the latest as soon as inflation exceeds 5%. 

For further information we refer to the additional FAQ.

The Fee Chart offers non-binding recommendations for hourly rates (benchmarks) for adequate remuneration for self-employed artistic labour in the visual arts. The recommendations listed in the Fee Chart focus on artistic production and represent a calculation aid in particular for the planning of individual projects. They complement the base rates listed in the Guidelines for fair remuneration in the visual arts since they are applicable to a wide range of artistic activities as well as organizational or technical work. 

The recommended hourly rates refer exclusively to the labour costs, i.e. the entrepreneur’s salary (fee, social security, taxes and duties; additionally, average vacation and sick days are taken into account). They do not include any proportionate fixed costs (e.g. for studio rent, infrastructure, etc.) or variable costs (e.g. project-related cost of material, travel expenses, etc.). The recommended hourly rates are not binding for contractors (e.g. artists) and clients.

Depending on the activity and whether it is taken on for one’s own project or assigned elsewhere, the labour may be self-employed or employed. We recommend clarification on a case-by-case basis in order to rule out ostensible self-employment. 

The Fee Chart builds on the Fair Pay Fee Chart for self-employed cultural work by the TKI – Tiroler Kulturinitiativen and is derived from the Fair Pay Salary Scheme for Cultural Associations – the key element of the social partners’ recommendation by the IG Kultur Österreich and GPA Union. The Fee Chart is also adjusted annually to take into account the results of collective bargaining agreements.

For further information we refer to the additional FAQ:
https://igbildendekunst.at/en/factsheets/remuneration

and the comments of the TKI (Tiroler Kulturinitiativen):
https://www.tki.at/projekt/fair-pay

The recommended hourly rates in the Fee Chart are adjusted annually to take into account the results of collective bargaining agreements. In principle, the recommended base rates in the Guidelines are not adjusted annually but at the latest as soon as inflation exceeds 5%. For more information see the sections in the FAQ Where do the base rates come from? How are they calculated? and Where do the hourly rates in the Fee Chart come from? How are they calculated? 

(Visual) artists are frequently told that the opportunity to present their work should be reward enough. Even though awareness is changing, (fair) fees for artists are still not self-evident in exhibition budgets. The processes of change are only gradually setting in. In the publicly funded sector, the discussion of fair pay is increasingly becoming more important. In June 2022, the Ministry of Culture (BMKÖS), the nine federal states and the Association of Cities and Municipalities finally adopted a common fair pay strategy. The signatories “strive to make a greater contribution to fair pay in art and culture” and commit themselves “to a common fair pay strategy that aims at fairer pay in art and culture”. 

The reluctance to ask for fees and to protest against non-payment seems to be disappearing more frequently. Exhibition fees are also less exotic today. Nonetheless, artists still experience that they have to raise the issue of the fee themselves. At the same time, there is a scarcity of calculation aids to help artists – especially young professionals – calculate adequate remuneration. Basic business knowledge is not sufficiently covered in the curriculum of artistic training.

The analysis of income data demonstrates the consequences of the status quo. Visual artists are typically self-employed and, according to a recent study on the social situation of artists as well as art and cultural mediators (2018), have the lowest income of all branches. Half of visual artists earn less than EUR 3,500 net per year with their art. The median annual net income [*] from all activities (artistic, art-related, and art-unrelated) is EUR 11,000. Visual artists, who exclusively work as artists full-time, earn a median income of EUR 8,800 per year – even though 64% percent are university graduates. 

Many visual artists depend on other forms of gainful employment in addition to their artistic activity in order to secure their livelihood. This in turn leads to structural disadvantages in the art field: lower artistic productivity and reduced flexibility in terms of travels and stays abroad due to additional jobs and/or care work does not fit the image of the prolific, “aspirational” artist. Periods of parental leave and “delayed” careers result in additional exclusion via age limits for funding and grants.    

The Guidelines and the Fee Chart are intended to present a way to achieve adequate remuneration and as an aid for calculating fair remuneration for exhibitions, events, and other projects in the visual arts.

We are aware that it is still unfeasible for many in the independent scene to implement the recommended figures. With the demand for adequate remuneration, however, we want to invite artists and everyone working professionally with visual artists to collaborate in the effort of establishing fair remuneration and to use the non-binding recommendations as a calculation aid in order to jointly and consistently highlight the financial requirements, e.g. with regard to funding applications.

This goes hand in hand with the demand for a significant increase in public spending on arts and culture, from the current 0.5% to at least 1% of the gross domestic product (GDP), 50% of which should go to the independent scene. Our demands are: Adequate remuneration for artistic labour! No public funding without adequate remuneration for artistic labour! Pay the artist now!

[*] Median income means that 50% of all people (visual artists) have an income above that amount and the other half an income below that amount. 

The Guidelines focus on activities in exhibition operations and provide non-binding recommendations in the form of base rates for adequate remuneration for self-employed artistic labour. The recommendations in the Guidelines are related exclusively to the labour costs of artists (entrepreneurial salary). The Guidelines are not binding for artists and clients. It represents a calculation aid.

Along with typical activities in the visual arts, the Guidelines lists non-binding but specific figures for the amount of base rates. These figures are intended as an adequate compensation for the customary minimum amount of labour (labour costs). A Fee Chart with non-binding recommendations for hourly rates for a further range of self-employed activities in the visual arts supplements the base rates recommended in the Guidelines.

The figures (for a selection of typical activities of visual artists in exhibition operations) are based on practical knowledge of the minimum amount of work, which as a rule cannot be undercut. Two examples: the figure for an artist talk is based on a minimum workload of around 3.5 to 7 hours – depending on professional experience and routine, from coordinating the request to preparing and carrying out the artist talk to invoicing the fee, including the proportionate workload for bookkeeping, tax declaration, etc. The figure for participation in a group exhibition with eight or more artists assumes a minimum workload of about 6 to 11 hours – depending on professional experience and routine.

In the case of projects with greater complexity, it will be necessary to exceed the recommendations accordingly. For exceptionally less complex projects it might be appropriate to go below the recommendations.

The fee recommendations in the Guidelines are adjusted regularly – in general not annually, but at the latest as soon as inflation has exceeded 5% since the last adjustment of the recommended base rates. If this is the case, then adjustments are made simultaneously along with the annual adjustments of the recommended hourly rates in the Fee Chart (to take into account the results of collective bargaining agreements). The extent of the adjustments in the Guidelines are also based on those in the Fee Chart, although we aim for rounded figures in the Guidelines. 

The non-binding recommendation for hourly rates for self-employed labour in the visual arts are based on the Fair Pay Fee Chart for Self-Employed Cultural Labour by TKI – Tiroler Kulturinitiativen, and are derived from the Fair Pay Salary Scheme for Cultural Associations – the key element of Austria’s first Social Partners’ Recommendation for Non-Profit Cultural Organizations (since 2024), concluded between IG Kultur Österreich and the Union of Private Sector Employees (GPA). 

‘Derived from’ means that we convert salary expenses into hourly rates. In doing so, we pursue the idea of considering labour costs in a financially equivalent manner, regardless of the form of employment. We therefore convert the annualized total expenses of salaried employment into an hourly rate – taking into account the chargeable working hours per year. The hourly rates determined in this way are then mathematically rounded (since 2025) to decimal-free figures before being published as non-binding recommended hourly rates in the Fee Chart for Fair Remuneration in the Visual Arts. 

The calculation follows the procedure and standardised approach described by Monika Manz (certified management consultant, generally sworn and court-certified expert) in the Explanatory Notes on the Fee Chart for Self-Employed Cultural Labour by TKI – Tiroler Kulturinitiativen: Special payments (14 monthly salaries in total) and ancillary wage costs (+30%) are also taken into account, as are vacation days, average sick leave, and other absences in line with the average values according to the Austrian Health Insurance Fund [ÖGK – Österreichische Gesundheitskasse]. From a standardised point of view and assuming a 38.5-hour workweek, this leaves 1,540 chargeable working hours per year in line with the Fair Pay Salary Scheme for Cultural Associations. 

Example (2025): employment group 6, 1^st working year 
3,466 euro gross monthly salary × 14 = € 48,524 + 30% (ancillary wage costs) =  63,081.20 euro : 1540 (chargeable working hours per year) = 40.96 euro per hour. Mathematically rounded = 41 euro. The recommended hourly rate in the Fee Chart for fair remuneration in the visual arts for self-employed activities in Group 6 (e.g. project implementation) in the first working year is therefore 41 euro.

The hourly rates in the Fee Chart are adjusted annually to take into account the results of collective bargaining agreements. Here, too, we follow the Fair Pay Salary Scheme for Cultural Associations by IG Kultur Österreich and GPA, which applies the concluded collective agreements for trade employees. (The Collective Agreement for Apprentices and Employees in Trade is the collective agreement in Austria that covers the largest number of employees.) 

More detailed information about the Fair Pay Fee Chart for Self-Employed Cultural Labour by TKI – Tiroler Kulturinitiativen can be found in the Explanatory Notes on the Fee Chart for Self-Employed Cultural Labour by TKI – Tiroler Kulturinitiativen. Further details about the Fair Pay Salary Scheme for Cultural Associations can be found in the Social Partners’ Recommendation for Non-Profit Cultural Organizations, while IG Kultur Österreich has also prepared supplementary information on practical application. 

The application of the non-binding recommended hourly rates listed in the Fee Chart for fair remuneration in the visual arts is ultimately based on two factors: type of activity and professional experience. Here, too, we build on the Fair Pay Fee Chart for Self-Employed Cultural Labour and the Fair Pay Salary Scheme for Cultural Associations.

Type of activity (Occupational Groups 1 to 8): The employment groups used in the Fair Pay Salary Scheme for Cultural Associations are explained in the social partners’ recommendation. Different occupations and activities – depending on qualification, level of responsibility, and, where applicable, managerial function – are assigned to different employment groups. TKI – Tiroler Kulturinitiativen adapted and specified this scheme for self-employed cultural labour. The Fee Chart for fair remuneration in the visual arts builds on this, expanding the activities to include examples from the visual arts in particular.

Occupational experience (1^st to 36^th working year): The Fair Pay Salary Scheme for Cultural Associations is based on the GPA’s long-established Salary Scale for Associations. The former provides for salary increases up to the 19^th year of employment, the latter up to the 36^th year of employment. In the Fee Chart for fair remuneration in the visual arts, we adhere to recommendations up to the 36^th working year.

Overview of the documents cited:

• Fair Pay Fee Chart for Self-Employed Cultural Labour
  by TKI – Tiroler Kulturinitiativen
• Fair Pay Salary Scheme for Cultural Associations
  by IG Kultur Österreich and the Union of Private Sector Employees (GPA)
• Social Partners’ Recommendation for Non-Profit Cultural Organizations  
  by IG Kultur Österreich and the Union of Private Sector Employees (GPA) 
• Salary Scale for Associations (2025) 
  by the Union of Private Sector Employees (GPA)
• Collective Agreement for Apprentices and Employees in Trade  
  negotiated between the trade division of the Austrian Federal Economic Chamber (WKO) and the Union of Private Sector Employees (GPA) in the Austrian Trade Union Federation (ÖGB) 

The non-binding, recommended base rates offer an initial orientation by way of example for fair remuneration for artistic labour, e.g. for the participation in an exhibition or an artist talk. The non-binding recommendations for hourly rates supplement the base rates according to requirement and can also be used for a wide range of artistic activities in terms of individual commissions and projects. They should help estimate appropriate remuneration for the actual workload required for the agreed service to be provided.

The Guidelines with recommendations for base rates focus on activities in exhibition operations, the supplementary Fee Chart with recommended hourly rates focuses on artistic production and represents a calculation aid, in particular for planning individual projects. In combination, the base rates and hourly rates represent a calculation aid for artists and everyone working with visual artists professionally.

No. The base rates recommended in the Guidelines and the hourly rates recommended in the Fee Chart are not legally binding – neither for artists, nor for clients. They are non-binding recommendations for fair remuneration for self-employed labour in the visual arts.

The entitlement to fees ultimately results from the agreement made between the contractor and the client. When agreeing on an adequate (artist) fee, the actual workload for the agreed service to be provided must be taken into account. In the case of projects with greater complexity, it will be necessary to exceed the base rates accordingly. In this case, the non-binding, recommended hourly rates offer a calculation aid. For exceptionally less complex projects it might be appropriate to go below the recommendations.

Whenever the assumed minimum amount of work – depending on professional experience and routine, e.g. 3.5 to 7 hours for the preparation and implementation of an artist talk or 6 to 11 hours for the participation in a group exhibition with eight or more artists – is exceeded, it will be necessary to exceed the base rates. Another example would be an artist lecture requiring extensive preparation – for example due to extensive research, or if the artist lecture is not agreed upon in German or not in the first language of the contractor.

Whenever the regular minimum amount of work should drop below the average workload, it might be appropriate to go below the base rate. For example, in the case of an artist lecture that has already been prepared and remunerated that is given again in the same context.

The exhibition fee is intended as remuneration for the labour involved in participating in an exhibition with one or more artistic works, in particular for communication and organization – regardless of whether existing or new artistic work is presented.

The exhibition fee exclusively comprises labour costs, i.e. the entire communication and organizational effort, from the initial inquiry to the completion of the project. The non-binding base rates recommended in the Guidelines for the participation in an exhibition will only be able to cover participations with a minimum amount of labour.

In particular, the exhibition fee is intended as remuneration for the labour involved in the following activities (detailed services): clarification of a participation in the exhibition (including conditions) and selection of the work/s (including, if necessary, an appointment with the curator in the studio); inspecting the condition of the selected work/s; for a physical work: inspecting/adapting the packaging and work preparation/packaging up to transportation; in the case of a digital work: verification of the formatting, clarification of upload or other data transfer procedures, preparation of data/storage media if necessary; for a performance: run-through/s, if necessary technical inspections/lights/sound check, if necessary preparation of shipping/transportation of props/stage elements/costumes; clarifying arrangements regarding the submission of the work or transport (when, how, etc.); instructions on art handling; providing work details (title, technique, date, etc.) and short texts with information about the work or about each work selected for the exhibition; providing information about possible co-authors, rights holders, and any rights management by collecting societies; in the exhibition venue: if necessary/on request by the curator, additional verification by the artist, participation in the exhibition opening; on-time invoicing (fees, if necessary invoicing of other agreed expenses).

The exhibition fee is intended as remuneration for the labour required to participate in an exhibition. Additional services and other project-related variable costs that (can) arise in the course of participating in an exhibition – e.g. transportation expenses, travel expenses, cost of materials, and other production costs for any new work that has been agreed as well as the adaptation of existing work – are to be paid additionally by agreement. Copyright claims are also not covered by the exhibition fee. Proportional fixed costs (e.g. studio rent) are to be taken into account individually in the artist’s fee structure. For the production of a new work for an exhibition (commissioned work), it is necessary to agree on a production budget and an adequate artist fee.

For artists, a solo exhibition means more work in the vast majority of cases compared to the participation in a group exhibition with many artists. In a solo exhibition, the collaboration with the curator is usually more intense, the number of works shown is larger, and the associated amount of work is more extensive. The base rates for the exhibition fee are therefore scaled according to the number of artists involved. In the case of a group exhibition with eight or more participating artists, the base rate no longer changes. This is based on the practical knowledge that in the case of exhibitions of this scope or greater, participation with only one work per artist is likely.

Exceptions prove the rule, so in any case the following consideration applies: when agreeing on the fee and when assessing the adequateness of the fee, the actual amount of work for the agreed service to be provided must be taken into account.

The non-binding, recommended base rates for exhibition fees are based on practical knowledge of the regular minimum amount of work. The base rates are based on the workload of the artist and exclusively comprise labour costs (entrepreneurial salary).

An exhibition with two or three participating artists (base rate of exhibition fee: 800 euro per artist) means more work for the individual artist in the vast majority of cases compared with the participation in a small group exhibition with four or more artists (base rate of exhibition fee: 500 euro or 350 euro per artist). (Also see 12. “Why do the non-binding, recommended base rates for exhibition fees depend on the number of participating artists?”) In any case, the following consideration applies: when agreeing on the fee and assessing the adequateness of the fee, the actual amount of work for the agreed service to be provided must be taken into account.

Working in a collective requires additional coordination efforts within the collective. If a collective is asked to participate in an exhibition, we recommend 1.5 times the base rate for an exhibition participation by an individual artist – for each artist collective (not per artist), regardless of the size of the collective.

Moreover, the following consideration equally applies in this case: when agreeing the fee and when assessing the adequateness of the fee, the actual amount of work for the agreed service to be provided must be taken into account.

The exhibition fee is due to each artist and each artist collective involved in an exhibition with one or more work/s.

There is no exhibition fee for exhibitions in cooperation with commercial galleries (art trade), since the gallery provides professional services for the commercial distribution of the art work. It may also be legitimate to forgo paying exhibition fees for exhibitions that are organized in the context of/as part of artistic training (e.g. classes, annual/end of term presentations, art tours).

The exhibition fee is paid by the clients – e.g. art venues, exhibition venues, festivals, or other organizers of exhibitions.

Art is labour and needs to be remunerated. Exhibitions are not possible without artistic labour. Our demand is fair remuneration of all (artistic and non-artistic) labour that is required for the implementation of an exhibition (as well as other projects, events, etc.).

We are aware that the non-binding fee recommendations are not yet feasible for many in the independent scene. With our demand for adequate remuneration, we also want to invite everyone working professionally with visual artists to collaborate in the effort of establishing fair remuneration and to use the Guidelines and the Fee Chart as a calculation aid in order to jointly and consistently highlight the financial requirements, e.g. with regard to funding applications.

Only a few established visual artists (including significantly more male artists) manage to make a living from sales of their work. Visual artists predominantly work in project-related, site-specific, interdisciplinary, or research-based contexts.

It is not uncommon for their work to represent contributions to socio-political disputes rather than items for sale. At the same time, exhibition venues usually do not sell artworks.

We recommend the cancellation fee – scaled according to the short-term nature of the cancellation – if exhibitions or other commissions are cancelled by the organizer. It is intended to cover the labour costs for preparatory labour that has been carried out. It should also be considered that artists (and other contractors in the visual arts) sometimes have to cancel other projects/commissions when agreeing to a specific project/commission – without a cancellation fee, this would mean an additional financial disadvantage/damage. In particular for larger projects/commissions, we recommend agreeing partial payments for partial services.

Visual artists are usually self-employed, as a one-person company. The entrepreneurial salary is the financial remuneration for the work of the entrepreneur, but cannot (in contrast to other forms of company) be paid out as a salary in one-person companies. Therefore, the entrepreneurial salary must be considered as an important part of the financial planning of the entrepreneurial activity (e.g. as a self-employed artist). The goal of financial planning is not only to cover expenses, but also to ensure that the entrepreneur is adequately remunerated.

The entrepreneurial salary covers personal living costs: rent, food, mobility, leisure time, financial obligations, etc. – for the entrepreneurs themselves as well as for people for whom there is a duty of care, e.g. children. Social security contributions, taxes and other charges also need to be covered by the entrepreneurial salary. Possible financial losses due to illness or accidents, as well as entitlement to holidays can and should also be taken into account. All of these items are part of the individual fee structure.

How is the entrepreneurial salary calculated? As a guideline: what would an employed person earn in a comparable job (e.g. with respect to qualifications and responsibility) in one year? In addition to that assumed gross annual income, surcharges have to be added for those costs that are partly covered by the employer (social security, taxes, etc.) in the case of employees. These costs are already taken into account in the Fee Chart (recommendations for hourly rates for fair remuneration for self-employed labour in the visual arts). For more detailed information on the calculation on which the recommended hourly rates are based, we refer to the explanatory notes in the fee chart for self-employed cultural labour of the TKI – Tiroler Kulturinitiativen.

Variable costs are incurred depending on the specific artistic activity and specific artistic project. These are those expenses that are incurred when a certain service is provided, e.g. cost of materials, transportation expenses, travel expenses, licenses, event-related childcare expenses, salaries of project staff, rent for exhibition venues, etc.

Certain variable costs (e.g. cost of materials, transport expenses, travel expenses, etc.) often can or should be invoiced directly and without changes to the client, which effectively makes them a transitory item. This is to be taken into account accordingly in the fee invoice. It is important to remember that such expenses do not change the entrepreneurial salary and have no impact on other cost items.

Fixed costs are incurred constantly, regardless of the order situation or specific, individually initiated projects and plans. These are running costs, e.g. the rent and operating costs of a studio, work tools, telephone and internet expenses, depreciations, business insurance coverage, etc.

Fixed costs are the expenses that artists have to bear even if a certain artistic activity or project-related service is not provided at all. The fixed costs are very different for each individual; they are to be taken into account proportionately in the fee structure.

The IG Bildende Kunst and Künstler:innen Vereinigung Tirol jointly developed the non-binding recommendations for fair remuneration in the visual arts (base rates and hourly rates) as a calculation aid in particular for visual artists and everyone working with visual artists professionally; for the self-empowerment of artists in fee agreements; as a personal commitment in the concerted struggle for fair remuneration; and as a political instrument to advocate jointly for the adequate financing of artistic projects and appropriate art and culture funding. 

With the Guidelines (recommendation for base rates) and the Fee Chart (recommendation for hourly rates) for fair remuneration for self-employed labour in the visual arts we want to promote the establishment of appropriate remuneration for artistic and non-artistic labour in the visual arts. After several years of research, in-depth reviewing of examples of good practice, continuous exchange with other interest groups (special thanks to TKI – Tiroler Kulturinitiativen), participation in symposia (in Austria and internationally), numerous workshops and discussion events of our own and, in particular, two networking and action meetings with artists’ associations, artists and other representatives of exhibition spaces in the independent scene throughout Austria (Vienna 2018 and Innsbruck 2020), these recommendations for base and hourly rates are tangible results of the exchange and knowledge acquired during recent years. We would like to thank everyone who has contributed with their experience and input! First published in July 2021, we consider the Guidelines, Fee Chart and FAQ as a work in progress and a starting point for further debate. Our original slogan still stands: pay the artist now! 

The IG Bildende Kunst is an interest group for visual artists in Austria. It is committed to improving the social and economic situation of visual artists as well as the prevailing conditions of artistic activity. Since 2016, the demand pay the artist now! has been at the centre of its advocacy work. 

The association Künstler*innen Vereinigung Tirol is a forum for art in Tyrol. It is a non-profit, politically independent association of visual artists based in Innsbruck. One of the purposes of the association is to represent and promote the cultural, economic, and social interests of visual artists. 

With the demand Pay the artist now! we are also politically committed to fair remuneration for artistic labour. Positions, actions, discours: www.igbildendekunst.at/themen/kunst-und-geld 

2025

• Guidelines for Fair Remuneration in the Visual Arts (baserates 2025) (220 KB)
• Fee Chart for Fair Remuneration in the Visual Arts (hourly rates 2025) (164 KB)

2024

• Guidelines for Fair Remuneration in the Visual Arts (2024) (180 KB)
• Fee Chart for Fair Remuneration in the Visual Arts (2024) (170 KB) 

2023

• Guidelines for Fair Remuneration in the Visual Arts (2023) (144 KB)
• Fee Chart for Fair Remuneration in the Visual Arts (2023) (139 KB)

In recent years, numerous initiatives and campaigns have been dedicated to the promotion and establishment of fair remuneration for artistic and cultural labour with particular intensity and gradual success – in Austria and on an international level. Self-organized interest groups in Austria have prepared recommendations for art and cultural mediation, design, cultural labour, rehearsal and performance time in the performing arts (e.g. performance), readings, compositions, live performances by musicians, etc. International examples for the visual arts supplement a collection of fee recommendations and guidelines located on the website of the IG Bildende Kunst.

Fee guidelines and recommendations for fair remuneration in artistic and cultural labour (on a national and international level):

• www.igbildendekunst.at/infomaterial/honorare/#oesterreich
• www.igbildendekunst.at/infomaterial/honorare/#international

With the publication of the Fair Pay Reader in 2021, the Kulturrat Österreich has for the first time presented a collection of fair pay tools, including salary scales, collective agreements, calculation aids and non-binding fee recommendations for the arts and culture sector. Text contributions on actual realities of work supplement the useful handbook and present, sector by sector, how work is done, what the earnings structures look like, and which instruments and problem-solving approaches can counteract rampant underpayment.

Fair Pay, Fair Play – For Fair Conditions in the Arts, Culture and Media
Reader, published by Kulturrat Österreich (second edition 2024)
www.kulturrat.at/fair-pay-reader