Guides
Understand your money in Switzerland.
Clear, practical guides to help you make confident financial decisions. Free, independent and based on official sources.
IndependentBased on official sources
Easy to understandClear, practical explanations
Swiss-focusedTailored to life in Switzerland
Always up to dateReviewed regularly
Guides by life situation
Choose your current situation to find the most relevant guides.
Starting a jobSalary, taxes, social securityBuying or renting homeMortgages, affordability, property costsFamily & childrenAllowances, taxes, childcarePlanning for retirementAHV, BVG, Pillar 3a, withdrawalsMoving to SwitzerlandTaxes, health insurance, residenceSelf-employmentTaxes, social security, business costsTaking a loanLoans, credit cards, debt and repaymentInvesting and Wealth BuildingETFs, funds, taxes and long-term wealthBudgeting and savingCost of living, savings and everyday expenses
Featured guides
Our most popular and helpful guides to get you started.
The Swiss Three-Pillar Pension System Explained
Pillar 3a: The Complete Guide to Tax-Free Retirement Saving
Buying Property in Switzerland: Equity, Affordability and CostsAll guides (100)
Browse all guides or filter by category.
- The Swiss Three-Pillar Pension System ExplainedAHV, pension fund and private savings: how the three pillars work together and what each one gives you.
- Pillar 3a: The Complete Guide to Tax-Free Retirement SavingContribution limits, how to choose between a bank account and securities, and how to cut tax on withdrawal.
- AHV: How Your State Pension Is CalculatedContribution years, average income, the scale 44, early and late retirement and the 13th pension.
- Your Pension Fund (BVG): Buy-Ins, Conversion Rates and ChoicesHow the second pillar works, why conversion rates matter and when a voluntary purchase pays off.
- Buying Property in Switzerland: Equity, Affordability and CostsHow much equity you need, what banks calculate and which costs surprise first-time buyers.
- SARON vs. Fixed-Rate Mortgage: Which One Should You Choose?Understand the mortgage types available in Switzerland and how to weigh certainty against cost.
- The End of the Eigenmietwert: What Changes for HomeownersSwiss voters decided to abolish the imputed rental value. Here is what it means for taxes and mortgages.
- Renting in Switzerland: Deposit, Reference Rate and Your RightsHow much rent you can afford, what the deposit rules are and when you can ask for a rent reduction.
- How Swiss Taxes Work: Federal, Cantonal and MunicipalWhy where you live matters so much, which deductions are available and how the tax return works.
- Your Swiss Payslip Explained: From Gross to NetAHV, ALV, pension fund, accident insurance – what each deduction means and what you can influence.
- Wealth Tax in Switzerland: Who Pays and How to Reduce ItWhy Switzerland taxes net wealth, typical rates and legal ways to limit the burden.
- Swiss Health Insurance: Choosing Your Franchise and ModelHow the deductible, 10 % co-payment and managed-care models affect your yearly cost.
- Swiss Insurance Essentials: What You Need and What You Do NotMandatory insurance, the sensible extras and the policies that are often oversold.
- Budgeting in Switzerland: Cost of Living and Smart SavingsHigh salaries, high prices. How to build a realistic budget and where Swiss households can save.
- Investing in Switzerland: ETFs, Brokers and Taxes for BeginnersWhere to invest, why fees matter, and how Swiss tax rules treat dividends, interest and capital gains.
- Self-Employment in Switzerland: Social Insurance, Taxes and VATWhat freelancers and sole traders must register, insure and set aside.
- Early Retirement (FIRE) in SwitzerlandHigh salaries make FIRE realistic, but pensions, health insurance and tax need careful planning.
- Consumer Credit and Debt in Switzerland: Rules and Smart PayoffThe legal interest cap, how leasing works, and how to get out of debt.
- Moving to Switzerland: Money Basics for Expats and Cross-Border WorkersWithholding tax, banking, insurance deadlines and what happens to your pensions when you move.
- Family Finances in Switzerland: Allowances, Leave and Childcare CostsChild allowances, parental leave pay, childcare costs and saving for your children.
- Changing Jobs: What Happens to Your Pension Fund SavingsVested benefits, the transfer to your new fund and what to do in a gap between jobs.
- Using Your Pension Fund to Buy a Home (WEF)How the early withdrawal for home ownership works, its tax effect and the risks for your cover.
- Pension or Lump Sum? How to Choose at RetirementCompare lifelong annuities with capital withdrawals: taxes, risk, flexibility and deadlines.
- Pension Fund Buy-Ins: A Step-by-Step StrategyHow to find your buy-in potential, spread purchases over several years and avoid common traps.
- Retirement Planning in Switzerland: A Checklist by AgeWhat to do in your 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s and 60s to reach retirement with enough money.
- Mortgage Amortization: Direct, Indirect or Not at All?Compare the ways to repay a Swiss mortgage and the effect of the Eigenmietwert reform.
- How to Negotiate a Better Mortgage in SwitzerlandWhere margins differ, when to ask and why brokers and early renewals can save thousands.
- Maintenance and Renovation Costs for Swiss HomeownersHow much to budget each year, what is tax-deductible and how condominium funds work.
- Can Foreigners Buy Property in Switzerland? The Lex Koller RulesWhich permits allow a home purchase, what is restricted and where to check the rules.
- Moving Out of a Rental: Notice, Handover and Getting Your Deposit BackThe steps from termination to a clean handover and the release of the rent deposit.
- Filling In Your Swiss Tax Return: A Practical GuideDocuments, deadlines, deductions people forget and what to do if you disagree with the assessment.
- Tax at Source (Quellensteuer): Who Pays and When to Ask for a CorrectionHow tax at source works for foreigners, when ordinary assessment is mandatory and how to claim deductions.
- Charitable Giving in Switzerland: How Donations Reduce Your TaxWhich donations are deductible, the limits and how to document gifts.
- Inheritance in Switzerland: Law, Wills and Cantonal TaxesCompulsory portions after the 2023 reform, how wills work and why tax depends on your canton.
- Supplementary Health Insurance and Premium SubsidiesWhat supplementary insurance covers, when it pays off and how to claim cantonal premium reductions.
- Disability and Income Protection: How Switzerland Covers YouIV, pension fund and daily sickness allowance: what they pay and where gaps appear.
- Risk Life Insurance in Switzerland: How Much Cover Do You Need?What AHV and the pension fund pay to survivors and how to fill the rest with term cover.
- Building a Simple ETF Portfolio as a Swiss InvestorAsset allocation, home bias, currency, accumulating vs. distributing funds and rebalancing.
- Bonds for Swiss Investors: Yields, Risks and TaxHow bond prices and yields move, what Swiss Confederation bonds offer and how interest is taxed.
- Inflation and Your Money: Protecting Purchasing Power in SwitzerlandWhy low inflation still matters, which assets keep up and how to keep your savings working.
- Currency Risk for Swiss Investors: Why the Strong Franc MattersHow exchange rate moves change returns on foreign assets and when hedging helps.
- Your First Job in Switzerland: Money Basics for Young AdultsRead your contract, pick insurance, start saving and avoid the early debt traps.
- Where to Keep Your Cash: Savings Accounts, Emergency Funds and Deposit ProtectionHow much cash to hold, where to put it and what happens if a bank fails.
- Car or No Car? The True Cost of Mobility in SwitzerlandCompare owning a car with public transport, car sharing and the GA travelcard.
- Marriage and Money in Switzerland: Property Regime, Taxes and PensionsHow the default property regime works, what marriage changes for taxes and AHV, and why a contract can help.
- GmbH or Sole Proprietorship? Choosing a Legal Form in SwitzerlandLiability, capital, taxes and administration compared.
- VAT for Small Businesses in Switzerland: Registration, Rates and MethodsWhen you must register, how input tax works and how the flat-rate method can simplify things.
- Hiring Your First Employee in Switzerland: Costs and ObligationsContracts, social insurance registration, payroll and the real cost on top of gross salary.
- Debt Collection in Switzerland (Betreibung): Process and Your RightsWhat happens after an unpaid bill, how to object and how to avoid a record in the register.
- Credit Cards and Overdrafts in Switzerland: Costs and Smarter AlternativesInterest, fees and the habits that keep card debt from growing.
- AHV Contribution Gaps: How to Find and Close ThemWhy missing years reduce your pension, how to check your account and when you can still pay back.
- AHV 21: What the Reform Means for Retirement Age and FlexibilityThe higher reference age for women, flexible retirement from 63 and the compensation for the transition generation.
- Pillar 3a Withdrawal: How to Plan the TaxWhen you can withdraw, why staggering helps and what to coordinate with your pension fund.
- Retiring Before 65: Accessing Pension Money and Bridging the GapFrom which age you can draw each pillar and how to finance the years in between.
- Your Pension Fund’s Health: Funding Ratio, Interest and Conversion RateWhich figures show whether your fund is stable and what to do if it is not.
- Retiring Abroad: What Happens to Your Swiss Pensions and TaxesPaying out AHV abroad, pension fund options and the tax consequences of leaving.
- Stress-Testing Your Mortgage: Can You Handle Higher Rates?A simple way to test your budget against rate rises and falling income.
- Rent or Buy? A Decision Guide for Swiss HouseholdsThe factors that matter beyond the monthly payment: equity, risk, flexibility and tax.
- Property Taxes and Tax Values in SwitzerlandWhat the tax value is, which property taxes exist and how land transfers are taxed.
- The Home Purchase Process in Switzerland: From Offer to Land RegisterThe steps, the role of the notary and how long each part takes.
- Renting Out Property: Income, Costs and TaxHow rental income is taxed, what you can deduct and what to check in the lease.
- Building Your Own Home: Budget, Financing and PitfallsWhat to include in the budget, how construction loans work and why a reserve matters.
- Legal Tax Optimization for Employees: Seven Levers That WorkPillar 3a, buy-ins, deductions and timing: the main ways employees lower their tax bill legally.
- Tax Differences Between Swiss Cantons: What to Compare Before You MoveIncome, wealth and property taxes vary widely. How to compare and what else matters.
- Church Tax in Switzerland: Who Pays and How to LeaveHow church tax works, what it finances and the steps to leave a church.
- Professional Expenses and Home Office: What You Can DeductFlat rates versus actual costs, meals, commuting and the treatment of a home office.
- Tax-Free Capital Gains: When Does Trading Become Professional?Why private gains are tax-free in Switzerland and the criteria that can change that.
- Stamp Duty on Securities: A Hidden Cost for Swiss InvestorsWhat the securities transfer tax is, when it applies and how brokers show it.
- How to Switch Your Health Insurer: Steps, Deadlines and PitfallsThe yearly process for changing basic insurance and what to do with supplementary cover.
- Family Doctor, HMO and Telemedicine Models: Cheaper Insurance With RulesHow alternative insurance models work, who benefits and what you give up.
- Accident Insurance (UVG) Explained: Who Is Covered and for WhatOccupational and non-occupational accidents, daily allowances and what to do when you change jobs.
- Liability and Household Insurance: What Cover Makes SenseWhat the two policies protect, how to choose sums insured and common exclusions.
- Legal Protection and Travel Insurance: Are They Worth It?What these optional policies cover, typical exclusions and who should consider them.
- Long-Term Care in Switzerland: What It Costs and Who PaysNursing home and home care costs, what health insurance and AHV contribute and how to plan.
- Investing for Beginners: Your First Five StepsFrom emergency fund to your first ETF purchase: a simple order of operations.
- Dollar-Cost Averaging or Lump Sum? How to Invest a Larger AmountThe trade-off between investing all at once and spreading purchases over time.
- Swiss Real Estate Funds and Property Shares: A Way to Invest Without Buying a HomeHow real estate funds work, what drives their price and how they are taxed.
- Gold and the Swiss Franc as Safe Havens: What Role in Your Portfolio?How gold behaves, what it costs to hold and how much is reasonable.
- Sustainable Investing in Switzerland: How to Choose ESG FundsWhat the labels mean, how to compare funds and the trade-offs with cost and performance.
- Choosing a Broker in Switzerland: Fees, Safety and Features ComparedThe cost items to compare, how client assets are protected and what to check before opening an account.
- Saving on Groceries and Everyday Costs in SwitzerlandPractical ways to cut spending on food, shopping and daily life without losing quality.
- Energy Costs at Home: Electricity, Heating and SubsidiesHow to estimate your energy bill, where the savings are and what support exists.
- Phone, Internet and Subscriptions: Cutting Recurring CostsHow to review contracts, compare providers and cancel what you do not use.
- Managing Money as a Couple: Accounts, Goals and Fair SharingHow couples can organise accounts, split costs and plan together.
- Teaching Children About Money: Pocket Money, Saving and First AccountsAge-appropriate ways to build good money habits.
- Saving for Big Purchases: Car, Wedding, Holiday or RenovationHow to set a target, pick the right account and automate the plan.
- Starting a Business in Switzerland: A Practical ChecklistFrom idea to first invoice: registration, insurance, banking and budgeting.
- Freelancer Pricing and Invoicing in SwitzerlandHow to set a rate, write invoices and handle late payers.
- Retirement Provision for the Self-Employed: AHV, 3a and Voluntary Pension FundsHow to build retirement savings without an employer pension fund.
- Bookkeeping Basics for Small BusinessesWhat records to keep, how long and how to track profit and margin.
- Insurance for Small Businesses: What Protects Your Income and AssetsLiability, income protection, property and cyber cover: what to prioritise.
- Cash Flow Management: Staying Solvent When Clients Pay LateForecasting, payment terms and tools to reduce the risk of running out of cash.
- Car Loan, Leasing or Cash: Which Is the Cheapest Way to Pay?How the three options compare in cost, flexibility and risk.
- Personal Loans: How to Compare Offers and Avoid Hidden CostsThe effective rate, fees and insurance add-ons that decide the true price.
- Refinancing and Early Repayment: When Does It Pay Off?How to compare switching costs with interest savings and what contracts allow.
- Avoiding the Debt Spiral: Warning Signs and First AidHow to recognise trouble early, prioritise payments and get help.
- The Swiss National Bank, the Franc and Interest Rates: What Savers and Borrowers Should KnowHow the policy rate affects savings, mortgages and the exchange rate.
- Salaries and the Cost of Living in Switzerland: Is the Gap Worth It?How to compare a Swiss salary with a foreign one after prices, tax and insurance.
- Shopping Across the Border: Savings, VAT Refunds and Customs RulesHow much you can save, what the allowance is and how to declare goods.
- Financial Checklist for Big Life Events: Baby, Divorce, Job Loss and InheritanceWhat to review and update when your situation changes.
No matches.
Helpful calculators
Use our calculators to get personalized results for your situation.
Gross-to-Net Salary Calculator
Estimate your net monthly pay after Swiss social security contributions and income tax.
Insurance Premium Comparison
What switching to a cheaper health insurer saves over several years.
Mortgage Affordability Calculator
Check the Swiss banks’ rules: 20 % equity and housing costs below one third of income.
Pillar 3a Contribution & Tax Saving
Your maximum 3a contribution and the tax you save by paying it in.
Ready to put what you learned into practice?
Explore our calculators and get personalized results for your situation.
Browse all calculators →