New to Switzerland — or leaving? The deadlines that matter.
Pillars, health insurance, tax at source, vested benefits: Switzerland rewards the prepared and charges the late. Get a clear plan in English or French from a banking economist who knows the system from the inside.
- Your first-year checklist, in the right order
- What to do with pillars 2 and 3a when you leave
- Tax at source or ordinary return — which applies to you
Named client reviews · 20+ years in Swiss finance
Leave me two lines. I reply personally within one working day, with three times for a free 30-minute call.
Your Swiss checklist
Six steps for arriving, six for leaving — with the deadlines that cost money when missed.
Tick what is done. Your progress stays on this device.
- ✓Register with your communeFirst days
On arrival — deadlines vary by commune; bring your contract and permit documents.
- ✓Take out health insurance3 months
Basic insurance is mandatory. Join within three months of arrival and cover applies retroactively from your arrival date.
- ✓Pillars 1 and 2 start with your jobDay 1
Your employer registers you with AHV/AVS; the pension fund applies from an annual salary above CHF 22,680.
- ✓Read your pension certificateFirst 5 years
If you arrive from abroad, buy-backs into the pension fund are limited to 20% of your insured salary per year for the first five years.
- ✓Open a pillar 3aBy 31 Dec
Up to CHF 7,258 a year (2026) if you have a pension fund — deductible from taxable income.
- ✓Tax at source or a full return31 March of next year
With a B permit you are taxed at source. Above CHF 120,000 gross a year an ordinary assessment is mandatory; below, you can request one.
- ✓Deregister with your communeBefore departure
Keep the confirmation — pension funds and insurers will ask for it.
- ✓Decide what happens to your 2nd pillarPlan 3 months ahead
Leaving permanently, you can withdraw it — except the mandatory part if you move to an EU/EFTA country where you are insured; that part goes to a vested-benefits account.
- ✓Withdraw or keep pillar 3aWith proof of departure
Pillar 3a can be paid out when you leave Switzerland permanently. Withdrawals are taxed at source by the canton where the provider is based.
- ✓End your health insuranceDeparture date
Cover ends with your departure; send the deregistration confirmation to your insurer.
- ✓AHV/AVS stays creditedNo rush
Contributions are paid out as a pension later. A refund is possible only for nationals of countries without a social-security agreement with Switzerland.
- ✓Final tax settlementYear of departure
A final assessment or source-tax settlement is due for the year you leave.
General information for employees. Your permit, nationality, canton and employer’s pension fund decide the details.
Three things decide the outcome
Pillar 2 & buy-backs
What your certificate says, what a buy-back is worth for your taxes, and the five-year limit for newcomers.
Pillar 3a
Bank or insurance, how many accounts, and how to withdraw efficiently when you leave or retire.
Tax
Tax at source, an ordinary assessment and the deductions that only apply if you file.
“Twenty years inside banks, insurance and real estate taught me where clients lose money without noticing. My job is to show you — clearly, and before you sign.”
“No broken promises, but a clear and realistic opinion on the different markets and return possibilities.”Thierry Delacotte · client review
What people ask before booking
I am leaving Switzerland. Should I take my pension money?
It depends on where you move, the tax on withdrawal and what you would do with the money. Leaving it in a vested-benefits account is sometimes the better choice.
Do you work in English?
Yes — calls, documents and correspondence in English, French or Portuguese.
Can you help with a mortgage as a foreign national?
Yes. Permit type and residence status change what lenders accept, so it pays to compare.
Is the first call really free?
Yes. Thirty minutes by video or phone, no documents, no obligation. If there is nothing worth doing, you will hear that too.