- AHV and the pension fund are automatic: they are deducted from your salary every month, and your employer pays at least half.
- Pillar 3a is optional, and opening it is up to you. It is often the simplest way to cut your tax bill.
- In retirement, AHV pays at most about 2'500 francs a month, and the pension fund adds a pension based on your capital.
1st pillar: AHV
You have nothing to do: AHV is deducted from your salary automatically. You pay 5.3% of your gross salary, and your employer pays the same. Your pension then depends on two things: your years of contributions and your average income over your career.
A full record takes 44 years. Each missing year costs about 2% of your pension, for life. That is the weak spot for anyone who started their career abroad. If you arrived as an adult, this gap is normal: pillar 3a and your own savings are how you make up for it. How much you will get after 10, 20 or 30 years: the AHV pension for late arrivals.
The reference age is 65. Retiring earlier lowers your pension, retiring later raises it. A 13th AHV pension is paid for the first time in December 2026.
AHV pensions in 2026 and 2027
| Per month, full record | 2026 | 2027 |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum | CHF 1'260 | CHF 1'280 |
| Maximum | CHF 2'520 | CHF 2'560 |
| Married couple, maximum | CHF 3'780 | CHF 3'840 |
2nd pillar: BVG, your pension fund
It is automatic too: your share is deducted from your salary every month, and your employer pays at least as much. The rate rises with age: about 7% of the insured part of your salary at 25, up to 18% after 55, shared between you and your employer. You are enrolled once you earn about 23'000 francs a year.
Unlike AHV, this capital is in your name. It grows with contributions and interest, then becomes your pension.
Often overlooked: the law does not cover your whole salary. It only covers a slice, the coordinated salary, capped at about 64'000 francs. Whatever your fund insures beyond that is the extra-mandatory part: its rules are set by the fund, usually less generously than the legal minimum. Your certificate shows both parts.
At retirement, you choose between a lifelong pension and a lump sum, or a mix. How the pension is calculated is in our article on the conversion rate. A gap (part-time work, years abroad) can be bought back and deducted from your taxes: see the pension fund buy-in.
The legal BVG amounts and contributions by age
| Legal amount | 2026 | 2027 |
|---|---|---|
| Entry threshold | CHF 22'680 | CHF 23'040 |
| Coordination deduction | CHF 26'460 | CHF 26'880 |
| Maximum salary taken into account | CHF 90'720 | CHF 92'160 |
| Maximum coordinated salary | CHF 64'260 | CHF 65'280 |
| Age | Savings contribution (% of coordinated salary) |
|---|---|
| 25 to 34 | 7% |
| 35 to 44 | 10% |
| 45 to 54 | 15% |
| 55 to 65 | 18% |
Legal minimum (BVG art. 16), at least half paid by the employer. Minimum interest in 2026: 1.25% on the mandatory part.
3rd pillar: 3a, up to you to open
Pillar 3a is optional, and nobody opens it for you. You open a 3a account with a bank, an insurer or an app, and you choose how much to pay in, up to the annual limit.
It is often the simplest way to cut your tax bill: every franc you pay in is deducted from your income, and the state gives part of it back this year. On a typical professional's income, paying in the maximum saves about 2'000 francs in tax a year in French-speaking Switzerland.
The money stays locked until age 60, except to buy your home, to leave Switzerland for good, or to become self-employed. A tip: open several 3a accounts. Withdrawn in different years, they are taxed at a lower rate than one large account. Details in our article on the 3a limit.
Example: arriving in Switzerland at 35
Example: Mark moves to Geneva at 35 and earns 100'000 francs a year. He works there until retirement, and his pension fund applies the legal minimum.
In retirement, AHV and his fund will pay him about 3'500 francs a month together. That is just over 40% of his salary, far from the official target. He is short by about 1'400 francs a month. A maxed-out 3a for 30 years closes a good part of the gap; a pension fund buy-in and his own savings do the rest.
The detailed calculation
| Per month at 65 | |
|---|---|
| AHV: 30 years out of 44 | about CHF 1'720 |
| BVG: about CHF 325'000 of capital, converted at 6.8% | about CHF 1'840 |
| Total | about CHF 3'560 |
In 2026 francs, with the legal retirement credits and 1.25% interest a year, without the 13th AHV pension. A maxed-out 3a for 30 years at 4% a year would reach about CHF 407'000. A fund more generous than the minimum pays more: your certificate shows the projected pension.
If you leave Switzerland
Your AHV rights stay yours and are paid as a partial pension at retirement age, wherever you live. Your 3a can be withdrawn in full. For the pension fund, the extra-mandatory part can be withdrawn; the mandatory part stays in Switzerland if you move to the EU or EFTA and are insured there. How to get back the tax on these withdrawals is in our B permit guide.
Going further
Check your AHV years. Your individual account statement is free, on request from your compensation office (form on ahv-iv.ch). A missing year can only be made up within 5 years: after that, it is lost.
Read your fund's conversion rate, not the legal one. The legal rate only applies to the mandatory part. Many funds apply a lower rate to all your savings. On a capital of half a million, a single point of difference is worth 5'000 francs of pension a year, for life.
Plan the exit in stages. Pension capital and 3a are taxed separately, and more heavily the more you withdraw in the same year. Several 3a accounts withdrawn in different years, and a mix of pension and lump sum, lighten the bill.
Married couples. Your two AHV pensions are capped together at one and a half times the maximum pension, even if each of you has a full record. 3a and BVG are not capped per couple.
Your 3a tax savingBased on your salary and your canton.
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Frequently asked questions
What are the 3 pillars of the Swiss pension system?
The 1st pillar (AHV) pays a basic state pension. The 2nd pillar (BVG) is your pension fund, linked to your employer. The 3rd pillar is individual savings, and its most common form, pillar 3a, is tax deductible.
What is the maximum AHV pension in 2026?
CHF 2'520 a month for a full contribution record with a high income. The minimum with a full record is CHF 1'260. A married couple receives at most CHF 3'780, which is 150% of the maximum pension.
From what salary am I covered by the BVG?
From CHF 22'680 a year in 2026 (CHF 23'040 in 2027). Below that, membership is not compulsory, although some employers enrol everyone. The self-employed are not subject to the BVG, but they get a higher 3a limit.
What changes in 2027?
On 1 January 2027, AHV pensions rise by 1.59%: CHF 1'280 to 2'560 a month. The BVG entry threshold rises to CHF 23'040 and the 3a limit to CHF 7'373 for an employee.
How much can I deduct with pillar 3a in 2026?
CHF 7'258 for an employee with a pension fund. Up to CHF 36'288 (20% of net earned income) for the self-employed without a 2nd pillar.
Are the 3 pillars enough to keep my standard of living?
The official target of pillars 1 and 2 is about 60% of your last salary. Contribution gaps, part-time work, low conversion rates and high salaries often push that figure down. Pillar 3a and free savings close the gap.
What happens to my pension money if I leave Switzerland?
Your AHV rights stay with you and are paid as a partial pension at retirement age. Pillar 3a can be withdrawn in full. For the 2nd pillar, the extra-mandatory part can be withdrawn; the mandatory part stays in Switzerland if you move to an EU or EFTA country and are insured there.
Sources: FSIO, 2026 limits (AHV pensions, BVG thresholds) and 2026 AHV/IV/EO contribution rates ; Federal Council, press release of 2 October 2026 (2027 amounts) ; BVG art. 15 (minimum interest), art. 16 (retirement credits), art. 79b (buy-ins) ; BVV 3 / OPP3 art. 7 (3a limits) ; AHV scale 44 (partial pensions) ; Vested Benefits Act (FZG / LFLP) art. 5 and the agreement on the free movement of persons (leaving Switzerland) ; FTA tax calculator (2026 tariffs), for the 3a saving.