Important aspects in advance
Avoid contribution gaps
Contribution gaps should be avoided. They lead to a reduction in the AHV pension (– 2.3 % per year). Therefore, even in years when you are not gainfully employed, you should pay in at least the minimum amount for non-employment.
Missing contributions can be made up within five years. To check whether you have any missing contribution years, you can order a statement of account from the relevant compensation office.
Please note: Child-allowances and care-credits do not exempt you from the obligation to pay contributions as a non-employed individual. However, income earned during a marriage is divided equally between the two spouses.
Claim care-credits on an ongoing basis
If you care for relatives in need of care (also disabled children), you can report these services to the AHV each year. You will receive a care-credit if you are not already receiving another care-allowance at the same time. Accumulation of care-credits and child-allowances within same year is not possible.
The notification of care for relatives must be made yearly. It is also possible to claim care credits retroactively, but only for the previous five years.
Register pension withdrawal
A pension withdrawal must be registered personally and in due time. We recommend to do register for the pension withdrawal three to six months before you retire. Thereby your AHV compensation fund has enough time to calculate the pension and you will receive your first pension in time.
You can also claim the pension retrospectively. However, this only applies to the past five years. Undeclared pension claims dating back more than five years are then lost.
The postponement of pension withdrawal must be notified one year after reaching the regular AHV retirement age.
Contribution years and full pensions
Pension with full contribution period (full pension)
You receive a full pension between the minimum and maximum AHV pension if you have no missing years of contributions. In order to receive a full pension, women (born in 1964 or later) and men must have made 44 full years of contributions. With a full contribution period, you receive a pension according to scale 44 (men and women according to the same scale).
| Minimum AHV pension (per month) | Maximum AHV pension (per month) | |
| For singles | 1 225 francs | 2 450 francs |
| For married people | 2,450 francs (together) | 3,675 francs (together) |
Maximum pension for cohabiting and married couples
Cohabiting couples can jointly receive up to CHF 4,900 per month in OASI pension, provided that both partners are entitled to the maximum pension. In contrast, the AHV pensions of married couples are limited (capped): They receive a maximum of 150 percent of the maximum pension for single persons, i.e. a maximum of CHF 3,675 per month. If the sum of the individual pensions exceeds the maximum amount, the pensions are reduced proportionately.
The pension of the spouse who retires first is based on his or her own average annual income and credits. When the second spouse retires, the income earned during the years of marriage is divided and credited equally to both partners. The resulting AHV pensions for spouses are then capped at a total of 150% of the maximum pension for single persons.
Pension for missing contribution years (partial pension)
Gaps in contributions lead to a reduction in the pension of at least 1/44 or 2.3 % per year.
Example of graduation according to contribution years:
| Number of contribution years | Minimum OASI pension | Maximum OASI pension |
|---|---|---|
| 44 | 1'195 | 2'390 |
| 43 | 1'168 | 2'336 |
| 42 | 1'141 | 2'281 |
| 41 | 1'114 | 2'227 |
| 40 | 1'086 | 2'173 |
| 39 | 1'059 | 2'118 |
| 38 | 1'032 | 2'064 |
| 37 | 1'005 | 2'010 |
| 36 | 978 | 1'955 |
| 35 | 951 | 1'901 |
| 34 | 923 | 1'847 |
| 33 | 896 | 1'793 |
| 32 | 869 | 1'738 |
| 31 | 842 | 1'684 |
| 30 | 815 | 1'630 |
| 29 | 788 | 1'575 |
| 28 | 760 | 1'521 |
| 27 | 733 | 1'467 |
| 26 | 706 | 1'412 |
| 25 | 679 | 1'358 |
| 24 | 652 | 1'304 |
| 23 | 625 | 1'249 |
| 22 | 598 | 1'195 |
| 21 | 570 | 1'141 |
| 20 | 543 | 1'086 |
| 19 | 516 | 1'032 |
| 18 | 489 | 978 |
| 17 | 462 | 923 |
| 16 | 435 | 869 |
| 15 | 407 | 815 |
| 14 | 380 | 760 |
| 13 | 353 | 706 |
| 12 | 326 | 652 |
| 11 | 299 | 598 |
| 10 | 272 | 543 |
| 9 | 244 | 489 |
| 8 | 217 | 435 |
| 7 | 190 | 380 |
| 6 | 163 | 326 |
| 5 | 136 | 272 |
| 4 | 109 | 217 |
| 3 | 81 | 163 |
| 2 | 54 | 109 |
| 1 | 27 | 54 |
Required contribution years
The period during which one must fulfil one’s obligation to contribute yearly begins on the first of january of the year during which one turns 21. The obligation to pay contributions ends at the end of the year preceding the year when one reaches the ordinary AHV retirement age.
Required contribution years: Example date of birth 12 March 1970
| Beginning | End | Difference | |
| women | 01.01.1991 | 31.12.2034 | 44 years |
| men | 01.01.1991 | 31.12.2034 | 44 years |
Reference age 65 for all
Since 01.01.2024, the reference age for women and men has been standardized, with the reference age for women gradually rising from 64 to 65, starting from the 1961 cohort and increasing by three months per year. Women born in 1960 are not affected by this change. Consequently, you can see the respective reference age for this transition phase:
- Year of birth 1961: 64 years + 3 months
- Year of birth 1962: 64 years + 6 months
- Year of birth 1963: 64 years + 9 months
- Year of birth 1964 and younger: 65 years
To cushion this change, women of the transitional generation (born between 1961 and 1969) receive financial compensation:
- A lifelong pension supplement is granted if the old-age pension is drawn at the reference age or later. This supplement amounts to a maximum of CHF 160, depending on the year of birth and average annual income.
- A lower reduction rate is applied if the pension is drawn before the reference age. The amount of the reduction depends on the age at the time of early withdrawal and the average annual income.
Minimum per contribution year
A contribution year is counted if you have paid AHV contributions of at least CHF 514 (2024) during a calendar year. Both employee and employer contributions are taken into account.
For spouses who are not gainfully employed, the obligation to pay contributions is deemed to have been fulfilled if the other spouse contributes at least twice as much, which means AHV contributions of at least CHF 1,028 (2024).
Anyone who does not have an AHV income from gainful employment or does not reach the minimum amount mentioned above is not considered to be gainfully employed. He or she must pay the minimum amount for non-employed individuals, which is 514 Swiss Francs (2024) per year. However, the AHV contributions paid as an employee can be taken into account. For this purpose, an application must be submitted to the competent compensation office. If this is approved, only the difference between the AHV contributions which are already paid and the minimum amount must be paid in order to fulfil the obligation to pay contributions.
As already mentioned at the very beginning, missed contribution payments in the past five years can be covered retrospectively.
Deposits before 21 years old
If AHV contributions have already been paid three years before the start of the calculation of the regular AHV contribution period, it can be used to fill in missing contribution years.
However, this is only possible for the past five years and the filling caps can no longer be filled up by additional payments.
Offsetting of AHV contributions after reference age 65
According to the reform , income and contribution periods after the reference age can be taken into account in the recalculation of the pension under certain conditions. This applies if the maximum pension of CHF 2,450 (CHF 3,675 for married couples) is not reached or in the case of entitlement to a partial pension due to gaps in contributions.
The pension can be recalculated up to the age of 70, taking into account the income earned up to that point. The income earned after the reference age must amount to at least 40% of the relevant average annual income.
People who continue to work after the reference age can earn up to CHF 16,800 per year without having to pay AHV contributions. However, contributions will always be levied on income above this amount. Employees can now decide for themselves whether or not they wish to use the tax-free allowance. Employees inform their employer of their decision, while self-employed persons inform their compensation office of their decision.
Persons with a pension under the old law can also apply for a recalculation to recognize earned income and contribution periods after the reference age, provided they have not yet reached the age of 70 on 1 January 2024.
Maximum AHV pension requires an average income of at least CHF 88,200
Calculation of the average income
The pension you receive between the minimum and maximum AHV pension depends on your income. The average income is made up of the following components:
- Average gross salary
- Average childcare credits
- Average childcare credits
Parental and childcare credits are added to the average gross salary as notional income. They increase the average income used to calculate the pension.
Example:
| Age | Contribution years | Gross salary | Education credits | Care credits | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 65 | Average | 62,422 | 8,018 | 4,009 | 74,450 |
| 64 | 44 | 76,699 | 76,699 | ||
| 63 | 43 | 75,939 | 75,939 | ||
| 62 | 42 | 75,188 | 75,188 | ||
| 61 | 41 | 74,443 | 44,100 | 118,543 | |
| 60 | 40 | 73,706 | 44,100 | 117,806 | |
| 59 | 39 | 72,976 | 44,100 | 117,076 | |
| 58 | 38 | 72,254 | 44,100 | 116,354 | |
| 57 | 37 | 71,538 | 71,538 | ||
| 56 | 36 | 70,830 | 70,830 | ||
| 55 | 35 | 70,129 | 70,129 | ||
| 54 | 34 | 69,435 | 69,435 | ||
| 53 | 33 | 68,747 | 68,747 | ||
| 52 | 32 | 68,066 | 68,066 | ||
| 51 | 31 | 67,392 | 67,392 | ||
| 50 | 30 | 66,725 | 66,725 | ||
| 49 | 29 | 66,065 | 66,065 | ||
| 48 | 28 | 65,410 | 22,050 | 87,460 | |
| 47 | 27 | 64,763 | 22,050 | 86,813 | |
| 46 | 26 | 64,122 | 22,050 | 86,172 | |
| 45 | 25 | 63,487 | 22,050 | 85,537 | |
| 44 | 24 | 62,858 | 22,050 | 84,908 | |
| 43 | 23 | 62,236 | 22,050 | 84,286 | |
| 42 | 22 | 61,620 | 22,050 | 83,670 | |
| 41 | 21 | 61,010 | 22,050 | 83,060 | |
| 40 | 20 | 60,405 | 22,050 | 82,455 | |
| 39 | 19 | 59,807 | 22,050 | 81,857 | |
| 38 | 18 | 59,215 | 22,050 | 81,265 | |
| 37 | 17 | 58,629 | 22,050 | 80,679 | |
| 36 | 16 | 58,048 | 22,050 | 80,098 | |
| 35 | 15 | 57,474 | 22,050 | 79,524 | |
| 34 | 14 | 56,905 | 22,050 | 78,955 | |
| 33 | 13 | 56,341 | 22,050 | 78,391 | |
| 32 | 12 | 55,783 | 55,783 | ||
| 31 | 11 | 55,231 | 55,231 | ||
| 30 | 10 | 54,684 | 54,684 | ||
| 29 | 9 | 54,143 | 54,143 | ||
| 28 | 8 | 53,607 | 53,607 | ||
| 27 | 7 | 53,076 | 53,076 | ||
| 26 | 6 | 52,551 | 52,551 | ||
| 25 | 5 | 52,030 | 52,030 | ||
| 24 | 4 | 51,515 | 51,515 | ||
| 23 | 3 | 51,005 | 51,005 | ||
| 22 | 2 | 50,500 | 50,500 | ||
| 21 | 1 | 50,000 | 50,000 | ||
| 18-20 | * |
Child-raising and care credits
The child-raising credit corresponds to three times the annual minimum pension, i.e. currently CHF 44,100. As the child-raising credit only applies to the first 16 years of the child’s life and must be shared with the spouse, this results in an average annual credit of around CHF 8,000 (44,100 x 16 / 44 / 2).
The child-raising credit is not granted per child. It is granted for each year if you have children under the age of 16.
The credit for caring for dependent relatives is also three times the minimum pension (44,100 per year).
As the pension calculation is relatively complex, we recommend that you have your expected pension calculated if necessary. From the age of 40, such a pension forecast is free of charge.
Advance or postpone pension withdrawal
The AHV pension can be drawn one or two years earlier. A deferral of at least one year and a maximum of five years is also possible.
- An early withdrawal leads to a reduction of the pension of 6.8 % per early withdrawal year. As a rule, an early withdrawal is not worthwhile.
- A deferral leads to an increase of the pension of 5.2 to 31.5 % (depending on the duration of the deferral). It is more worthwhile for women to postpone because they have a longer life expectancy.
If the pension is deferred, it can be accessed at any time during the deferment period. This means that you do not have to decide in advance on a fixed period of deferral.
A deferral must be claimed within one year of reaching the normal AHV retirement age.
Partial withdrawal / partial deferral
AHV 21 makes retirement more flexible. The pension can be drawn between the ages of 63 and 70, for women of the transitional generation from the age of 62. It is also possible to draw only part of the pension, with an early withdrawal of at least 20% to a maximum of 80%. This partial pension is reduced for each month of early withdrawal. This facilitates a gradual transition from working life to retirement. The early withdrawal percentage can be increased once, after which the remaining part of the pension must be drawn in full.
It is now also possible to defer part of the pension payment. This makes it possible, for example, to reduce working hours and compensate for the missing earnings with a pro rata retirement pension. As before, a deferral of at least one year is required before the pension can be drawn monthly as usual. As with partial early withdrawal, there is the option to increase the portion of the pension paid out once. After this increase, however, the remaining part of the pension must be paid out in full.
The new law means that part of the pension can now be withdrawn early and the rest deferred. However, this option can only be changed once between the ages of 63 and 70.
Calculate the pension
A not very intuitive calculator is offered by the federal government. From the age of 40, you can request a pension projection free of charge.