Swiss pension and tax guides
Plain-language guides on Swiss pensions, taxes and retirement planning: Pillar 3a, AHV, BVG, capital-withdrawal tax by canton, and early retirement. Written for Switzerland, with the official source linked in every article.
Living together without marrying: what Swiss law does not give you
Switzerland has a detailed rulebook for married couples. Property, pensions, inheritance, tax, divorce, all of it written down and applied automatically whether the couple ever thinks about it or not.
Part-time work and your Swiss pension
Drop to 60 percent and you lose 40 percent of your salary. That part is obvious, and people plan for it. What almost nobody is told is that the same decision can cost a larger share of your occupational pension than it…
How to read your Swiss pension statement (Vorsorgeausweis)
Once a year your pension fund sends you a Vorsorgeausweis. Most people glance at one number, decide it looks fine or it doesn't, and file it. That is a shame, because it is the single most informative document you own…
Understanding Switzerland's 3-Pillar System — and Where Most People Fall Short
Switzerland's three-pillar pension system is admired worldwide — but for most households the three pillars alone won't cover the retirement they expect. Here's why, and what to do.
AHV contribution gaps: how missing years shrink your Swiss pension (and how to close them)
A full Swiss state pension (AHV) assumes you paid in every year you worked. Years with no payments are common if you arrived in Switzerland mid-career, took a career break, or lived abroad. Those years leave an AHV…
The 13th AHV pension in 2026: how it works
From 2026, everyone who gets an AHV old-age pension (the Swiss state pension) also gets a 13th AHV pension payment each year. It's an extra amount on top of the usual twelve monthly payments — roughly one extra month's…
BVG buy-in (Einkauf): is paying extra into your Pillar 2 worth it?
A BVG buy-in (Einkauf) is money you choose to pay into your workplace pension (Pillar 2) to top it up. The main draw is tax. What you pay in is taken off your taxable income that year, so your tax bill can drop. The…
Leaving Switzerland: withdrawing your pension, vested benefits and Pillar 3a
When you leave Switzerland for good, your Swiss pension money doesn't disappear. But it doesn't just follow you either. Your private 3a savings (Pillar 3a) and your workplace-pension money (Pillar 2) — including money…
Pillar 3a (Säule 3a) in 2026: the maximum you can pay in, and the new catch-up
Pillar 3a (German: Säule 3a) is a private retirement savings account you open yourself (at a bank or insurer). It's tax-friendly: the money you pay in is taken off your taxable income — the part of your income you pay…
Early retirement (FIRE) in Switzerland: bridging the years to your AHV pension
Take early retirement in Switzerland (sometimes called FIRE) and stop working before 65, and you face a gap. It's the years between your last pay and the start of your state pension (AHV), and you have to bridge it…
AHV in early retirement: the non-employed contribution you still owe until 65
In Switzerland you owe the state pension (AHV) until age 65 - even after you stop working. Retire early and the AHV doesn't stop billing you. You're reassessed as non-employed (Nichterwerbstätige), and your AHV…
Capital or pension? Taking your Swiss Pillar 2 as cash or income
When you retire in Switzerland, you can usually take your workplace pension (Pillar 2) in one of three ways: as a monthly pension for life (Rente), as a lump sum of cash (Kapital), or a mix of both. This is the classic…
Capital-withdrawal tax by canton: what you pay when you take your pension as cash
When you retire in Switzerland, you can take your retirement savings - your workplace pension (Pillar 2) and private 3a savings (Pillar 3a) - as a monthly pension, or as one big cash payment (a lump sum). If you take…
Designing your financial future shouldn't feel like guesswork.
Live in ZH, BS, BL, AG, LU, SO, SZ, ZG, BE, SG, TG, and GR. More cantons rolling out through 2026.