The birth of a child may entitle you to the following benefits:

• Family allowances for employees (notification via employer)
• Family allowances for self-employed persons (notification directly to the compensation office)
• Maternity benefit
• Maternity Insurance Scheme of the Canton of Geneva
• Paternity Allowance
• Child benefit in addition to the daily DI daily cash benefit
• Children's Pension in addition to the DI pension
• Children's Pension in addition to the old-age pension
• Supplementary benefits

For this reason, you should notify the competent office of the birth of any children.

I am in education

• I am over 20 and have no earned income: you have to pay contributions as a non-working person.
• I am under 25 and my mother or father receives an old-age or invalidity pension : my mother or father can apply for an OASI or DI children's pension for me.
• My father or mother has passed away and I am under 25: You are entitled to an orphans' pensio.
• Despite being entitled to an orphans' pension, my income is too low to cover my basic expenses: You might be entitled to supplementary benefits.
• You might be entitled to financial grants. Contact your community of residence.

My child is under 25 and in education

• I am gainfully employed: have you already registered your child for the education allowances?
• I receive an old-age or invalidity pension: have you already registered with the compensation office for receipt of the children's pension ?
• I am a solo parent and the other parent of the child receives an old-age or invalidity pension: the parent entitled to a pension can apply for an OASI or DI children's pension .
• The father or mother of my child has passed away: you or your child (if he or she has reached the age of majority) can apply for an orphans' pension.

Employees pay OASI/DI/EO and ALV-contributions. Self-employed people do not pay any ALV-contributions, as they are not insured against unemployment.

More information on this topic:

Equal contributions

The EO (income compensation allowance) regulates the loss of income for persons who do military, civil defence or community service. The EO also pays loss of income in case of motherhood (maternity benefit), paternity leave (paternity benefit) as well as child-care benefits for parents who have to interrupt their working activity for the care of their minor child who suffers from heavy health problems.

Assignment

You are assigned by your Swiss employer to work in a contracting state for a limited period. You can continue to be insured in Switzerland. More information is available here.

You are assigned by your Swiss employer to work in a non-signatory state. If you move abroad, it is possible under certain circumstances to continue your compulsory insurance coverage or to join the voluntary insurance scheme.

More useful information is available here:

Leaflet 10.02 - The voluntary old-age, survivors' and disability insurance scheme (pages 23-29)
Leaflet 10.03- Citizens of States with which Switzerland has not concluded an Agreement on Social Security (pages 41 to 52).

Marriage can affect the entitlement to or the amount of a benefit. If you receive any of the following benefits, it is important to inform us if you get married:

• Family allowances (notification via the employer)
• DI daily cash benefits
• Invalidity pension
• Widows'/widowers' pension
• Old-age pension
• Supplementary benefits

The marriage can also affect the amount of a non-working person's contributions. For this reason, it is important to notify the competent compensation office if you get married.

Women are entitled to 14 weeks' maternity leave in accordance with the Swiss Code of Obligations as well as a maternity benefit pursuant to the Erwerbsersatzgesetz (Income Compensation Act).

They receive 80 per cent of their average earned income before the birth for a period of 14 weeks, but no more than CHF 220.00 a day.

Parents who have to interrupt their working activity for the care of their minor child who suffers from heavy health problems either due to illness or accident, have a right to receive child-care benefits of 14 weeks.

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Folgemeldung Betreuungsentschädigung

Like the OASI and health insurance, the Swiss disability insurance (DI) is a compulsory Switzerland-wide insurance. The aim is to protect the livelihood of insured persons by means of integration measures or monetary benefits if they become disabled.

Persons who have no or only a small earned income are deemed to be non-working. Such persons include:

• People who take early retirement
• Recipients of DI pensions or daily cash benefits in case of illness
• Divorced or widowed persons without employment
• Spouses of retired persons
• Students over 20

More details:

Leaflet 2.03 - Non-employed contributions to Old-Age and Survivors' Insurance (OASI), Disability Insurance (DI) and Income Compensation Insurance (IC)

In order to avoid pension cuts, non-employed persons are requested to register: Registration form

What consequences does a legal separation have?

Separation can affect entitlement to family allowances and payment of DI and OASI pensions for children.
After a legal separation, the upper limit of the two invalidity or old-age pensions is abolished.

What should be noted?

Notify the competent compensation office of the separation if any of the following points apply to you:

• I receive family allowances (employees: notification via the employer; self-employed persons: notification directly to the compensation office)
• I receive a DI daily cash benefit
• I receive an old-age or invalidity pension
• I receive supplementary benefits
• I pay contributions as a non-working person

What consequences does a divorce have?

A divorce results in income splitting. When it comes to calculating the old-age or invalidity pension of divorced persons, the incomes which the spouses earned during their marriage are split in half. It is advisable to submit the income splitting application immediately after the divorce.

Application of splitting on divorce (in German)
Leaflet 1.02 - Division of pension rights for divorced couples

The DI or OASI pensions need to be recalculated after a divorce.

What should be noted?

Notify your compensation office of the divorce if any of the following points apply to you:

• I receive family allowances (employees: notification via the employer; self-employed persons: notification directly to the compensation office)
• I receive a DI daily cash benefit
• I receive an old-age or invalidity pension
• I receive supplementary benefits
• I pay contributions as a non-working person

Early retirement - what should I do?

People who retire early are deemed to be non-employed under OASI legislation. In order to ensure that no contribution gaps occur and that a full pension can be paid later on, people who retire early must pay OASI, DI and EO contributions as non-working persons. To pay your contributions as a non-working person, contact the OASI office of your most recent employer or if your spouse already receives a pension from another one, contact that office using the following form :

Application for non-working people
Leaflet 2.03 - Non-employed contributions

Bringing forward the pension

Leaflet 3.04 - Flexible retirement age

The pension can be brought forward by 1 or 2 years, but it will be reduced accordingly. The obligation to pay contributions will continue even if the pension is brought forward.

Obligation to pay contributions in case of early retirement

The obligation for non-working persons to pay contributions ends when women turn 64 and when men turn 65. Your own contributions will lapse if your spouse is deemed to be employed (minimum 50%) within the meaning of OASI and pays contributions amounting to at least double the minimum contribution (CHF 1028).

A comparative calculation is performed for persons who are employed for fewer than 9 months a year or who work less than 50% of the normal full-time workload. If the contributions resulting of the earned income amount to less than 50% of the contributions owed from non-employment, the person will be deemed to be non-employed and accordingly pays the contributions as a non-working person. The contributions from earned income can be offset.

Individuals who have reached the reference age of 65 (women born between 1961 and 1963 are gradually being raised from 64 to 65) and have been insured in Switzerland for at least one year are entitled to an old-age pension.

The old-age pension can be drawn flexibly between 63 and 70. Women of the transitional generation (born between 1961 and 1969) can continue to draw their pension early at the age of 62. In addition to the option of a monthly early withdrawal or deferral, a partial early withdrawal or partial deferral (the proportion must be between 20% and 80% in each case and may also be stated in Swiss francs) can also be applied for, as well as a combination of both. During the entire term between the ages of 63 and 70, you have the opportunity to change the early withdrawal or deferral percentage once. For more details, please refer to Leaflet 3.04 - Flexible retirement

For children who have not yet reached the age of 18 or who have not yet reached the age of 25 and are still in education, a child's pension is paid in addition to the old-age pension.

Where and by when must I apply for the OASI old-age pension?

Only individuals who apply for an OASI pension will receive one. We recommend you submit your application in time (approx. 3 to 4 months before reaching the reference age). As a rule, the compensation office which most recently received contributions is responsible. Employees get the address of the compensation office in question from their employer. If the spouse already receives a pension, the application must be lodged with the compensation office which pays the pension of the spouse

Registering an early pension withdrawal in time

The application for early pension withdrawal must be submitted no later than the last day of the month preceding the desired payment date. The pension withdrawal can be claimed from the following month at the earliest. Retroactive application is excluded.

Pension deferral - don't miss the deadline!

The deferral must be declared at the latest within one year of reaching the reference age by means of a so-called deferral declaration on the normal registration form.

You can find more useful information on OASI benefits here

Leaflet 3.01 - OASI old-age pensions and helplessness allowances
Leaflet 3.04 - Flexible retirement
Leaflet 3.06 - Pension forecasts

Who is entitled to a disablement allowance?

Whether someone is entitled to a disablement allowance does not depend on their income and assets but rather on the level of their disability. A disabled person constitutes someone who permanently relies on the assistance of others for essential daily tasks, such as getting up, getting dressed, going to the toilet, eating, etc. and requires permanent care or personal supervision.

Only persons who live and normally reside in Switzerland are entitled.

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If you move into a new home in Switzerland, this can affect the right to family allowances, the amount of the disablement allowance (when moving into a nursing home) and supplementary benefits.

Notify your compensation office of the new address if any of the following points apply to you:

• I receive family allowances (employees: notification via the employer; self-employed persons: notification directly to the compensation office)
• I receive a DI daily cash benefit
• I receive an old-age, invalidity, widows', widowers' or orphans' pension
• I receive a disablement allowance
• I receive supplementary benefits
• I pay contributions as a non-working person
• I am self-employed

Please don't forget to also report any change in payment details.

All personal claims to social security pensions lapse in case of death.

For this reason, it is important that you notify your compensation office of the death of any relative if any of following points apply to the deceased person:

• He/she receives an old-age, invalidity, widows', widowers' or orphans' pension
• He/she receives a DI daily cash benefit
• He/she receives a disablement allowance
• He/she receives supplementary benefits
• He/she pays contributions as a non-working person
• He/she is self-employed

However, death can also result in entitlement to survivors' benefits.