Swiss social insurance system: Period of stay in Switzerland and departure. Information for foreign nationals

Swiss social insurance system:

Period of stay in Switzerland

and departure

Information for foreign nationals

Contents

A Important information on the Swiss social insurance system 4

1. How is Swiss old-age, survivors’ and disability insurance set up? 5

2. Key facts about the OASI/DI 6

3. Key facts about the occupational pension scheme (2

pillar) 8

4. What do I have to do if I change jobs? 9

5. What do I have to do if I stop working and stay in Switzerland

but am not yet entering retirement? 10

6. Which certiﬁcates and documents do I have to keep? 11

B What do I have to do to prepare for a permanent departure from

Switzerland, and what are my entitlements? 12

7. OASI/DI 13

7a. If a social security agreement is in place 13

7b. If no social security agreement is in place 15

8. The occupational pension scheme (2

pillar) 17

8a. How do I request a cash pay-out of the termination beneﬁt? 17

8b. How can I receive 2

pillar beneﬁts after leaving Switzerland? 18

8c. What happens to my termination beneﬁt if I do nothing? 19

9. Drawing an accident insurance pensions 19

C What are my entitlements if I no longer live in Switzerland? 20

10. My entitlements under the OASI/DI 21

11. My entitlements under the occupational pension scheme (2

pillar) 23

D Appendix 24

Important Addresses 25

Possible claims upon and following departure from Switzerland 26

Glossary 28

1 These persons come

under the Treaty

on the Free Movement

of Persons signed

with EU or EFTA.

Cf. Leaﬂet No. 880

«Leaving Switzerland»

(on the Internet at

www.ahv-iv.ch/en/

Leaﬂets-forms/Leaﬂets/

International

2 Cf. footnote 1.

Notes

What is the purpose of this brochure?

This brochure explains the basic elements of the Swiss social

insurance system, namely the Old-Age, Survivors’ and Disability

Insurance scheme (OASI /DI, 1

pillar) and the occupational

pension scheme (2

pillar). It is also intended to provide practical

guidance on these topics for persons preparing to leave

Switzerland permanently.

Who is this brochure for?

The brochure is for foreign nationals who live and/or work in

Switzerland or have done so in the past:

 Persons with an annual residence permit or a permanent

residence permit (Permit B or C);

 Asylum seekers, temporarily admitted aliens or persons in

need of protection (Permit N, F or S);

 Recognised refugees or stateless persons;

 Persons without legal residence, if they are gainfully employed.

However, the brochure is not intended for:

 Citizens of EU or EFTA member states,

 Recognised refugees or stateless persons who leave Switzer-

land for an EU or EFTA member state.

This brochure cannot, of course, address every individual case

and describes many aspects only in a very simplifed way.

Leaﬂets addressing speciﬁc questions are available at the com-

pensation ofﬁces or on the Internet. Furthermore, there

are specialized ofﬁces which provide reliable information. You

will ﬁnd the addresses on page 25.

A Important information on

the Swiss social insurance system

1. How is Swiss old-age, survivors’ and

disability insurance set up?

Swiss old-age, survivors’ and disability insurance is divided into

two sectors:

 the OASI/DI (1

pillar) is the basic insurance. It is compulsory

for all persons who live or work in Switzerland.

 the occupational pension scheme (2

pillar) is an occupa-

tional insurance. It is compulsory for all those working in

Switzerland with an annual income of at least 21 150 francs

(as per 1.1.2018).

It is quite possible that you are insured under both insurance

schemes at the same time. Thus you can draw beneﬁts from

both forms of insurance at the same time.

The OASI /DI and the occupational pension scheme are

compulsory and cover:

 retirement (old-age pensions),

 disability (disability pensions),

 the death of the spouse or a parent (survivors’ pensions).

The OASI /DI and the occupational pension scheme are organized

differently and managed by different institutions:

 The OASI /DI is run by compensation ofﬁces.

 The occupational pension scheme is run by the pension fund

institutions (e.g. pension funds), which vary greatly in their

structures. All employers with employees subject to mandatory

insurance must be afﬁliated to a registered pension fund

institution.

2. Key facts about the OASI/DI

What does being insured mean for me personally?

Afﬁliation with the OASI /DI entails rights and obligations,

the main obligation being payment of contributions. These

generate beneﬁts (e.g. pensions) when you enter retirement or

if you become disabled. In the event of your death, your

family members receive survivors’ pensions.

When am I insured?

All persons living or working in Switzerland, including children,

are insured.

When you become insured, you receive an OASI insurance

number. You must quote this number in all correspondence with

the compensation ofﬁce. You will also ﬁnd the number on your

health insurance card.

How do I pay the insurance?

As long as you are working, you must pay contributions.

The obligation to pay contributions does not commence before

1 January following your 17

birthday. If you are not gainfully

employed, you must pay contributions starting from 1 January

following your 20

birthday until, at the latest, the end of

the month in which you reach the legal retirement age (women:

64 years of age, men: 65 years of age).

If you are an employee, the contributions are equally split between

you and your employer. Your share is directly deducted from

your salary and credited, together with your employer’s share, to

your account with the compensation ofﬁce.

If you are are self-employed or not gainfully employed, you must

pay the full contributions, at a minimum however the minimum

contribution, which is a ﬁxed amount (478 francs per year, as per

1 January 2018).

Asylum seekers, temporarily admitted aliens and persons

in need of protection without a residence permit who are not

gainfully employed do not pay contributions until:

 they have been recognised as refugees;

 they have a permanent residence permit;

 they have a claim to OASI/DI beneﬁts

Contributions received by compensation ofﬁces are kept in

individual accounts.

If you are not gainfully employed, you must report to the compensation

ofﬁce in your home canton. It is your responsibility; compensation

ofﬁces will not become active on their own initiative. You will ﬁnd the address

on the Internet at www.ahv-iv.ch

Contacts

. Non-payment of contributions

may result in a reduction of beneﬁts (e.g. of pensions).

How much is my contribution to the insurances

(OASI/DI and ALV/AC) if I am gainfully employed?

The amount corresponds to 6.225 per cent of your gross salary

(Exception: the rate is 5.625 per cent for portions of salaries over

148 200 francs).

Does my insurance cover my family members as well,

or do they have to be individually insured?

The OASI /DI is a personal insurance scheme. Your family

members are covered only if they meet the conditions them-

selves, i.e. if they either live in Switzerland or work here.

Where can I ﬁnd further information?

You can ﬁnd additional information at your compensation ofﬁce

or on the Internet under www.ahv-iv.ch

Contacts.

3. Key facts about the occupational

pension scheme (2

pillar)

What does the being insured mean for me personally?

Afﬁliation to the occupational pension scheme entails rights and

obligations, the main obligation being the payment of contribu-

tions. These generate beneﬁts (e.g. pensions) when you enter

retirement or if you become disabled. In the event of your death,

your family members or heirs may receive survivors’ pensions.

When am I covered?

All persons who are insured under the OASI/DI ( Section 2) and

whose earnings from a single employer amount to at least

21 150 francs annually (as per 1.1.2018) are insured. Persons with

multiple jobs who do not receive earnings of at least that amount

from any one employer, are not auto matically insured, even

if their total salaries amount to more. In such a case, voluntary

insurance is possible.

The insurance begins upon commencement of employment, but

no sooner than on one’s 18th birthday.

How do I pay for the insurance?

The contributions are split between you and your employer, who

pays at least half of the amount. Your share is directly deducted

from your salary and sent, together with your employer‘s share,

to the pension fund institution.

If you change employers, you will most likely change to the new

employer’s pension fund institution. The total amount of your

accu mulated capital (termination beneﬁt) is transferred. The pre-

vious pension fund institution transfers the termination beneﬁt

to the new pension fund institution. This capital must therefore

always remain in the pension fund institution of your current

employer. You cannot dispose of the money freely.

Withdrawal of the money is possible only under certain speciﬁc

conditions.

How much is my contribution to the insurance scheme?

Each pension fund institution determines the amount of the con-

tribution itself, within the statutory limitations. The amount

of your contribution may therefore vary from one institution to

another. It also depends on your age.

Does my insurance cover my family members as well,

or do they have to be individually insured?

The 2

pillar is a personal insurance scheme. Your family

members subject to the obligatory insurance only if they are

themselves employed and earn at least 21 150 francs annually

(as per 1.1.2018).

Where can I ﬁnd further information?

You can ﬁnd additional information at your pension fund

institution. Your employer will give you the address.

4. What do I have to do if I change jobs?

For the OASI/DI:

Please give your new employer your OASI insurance number.

For the occupational pension scheme (2

pillar):

You have to give the address of the pension fund institution of

your new employer to your previous employer’s pension fund

institution (you can obtain the address from your new employer)

so that the accumulated capital (termination beneﬁt) can be

transferred.

5. What do I have to do if I stop working and

stay in Switzerland but am not yet entering

retirement?

Regarding the OASI/DI:

You have to report to the cantonal compensation ofﬁce in your

canton of residence. You will ﬁnd the address on the Internet

under www.ahv-iv.ch

Contacts.

Regarding the occupational pension scheme (2

pillar):

You cannot have the accumulated capital (termination beneﬁt)

paid out to you in cash. You do have three options though:

1. The capital can be paid into a special blocked bank account

(vested beneﬁts account).

2. The capital can be paid into a blocked insurance policy

(vested beneﬁts policy).

3. You also have the option of leaving the capital in

the auxiliary fund.

Tell your pension fund institution which option you have chosen.

Information may be obtained from the pension fund institution

of your previous employer.

6. Which certiﬁcates and documents

do I have to keep?

Always keep all certiﬁcates and documents that you receive from any

social insurance ofﬁce!

If you apply for social insurance beneﬁts, it is possible that you

will be required to present certiﬁcates and documents. So please

keep the following:

 The OASI insurance number.

 Any extract from your OASI/DI individual account:

You can order a free extract from your account at any time by

writing to your compensation ofﬁce.

 Individual earnings statements: These are the documents

that you normally receive from your employer each month.

They show your salary and the relevant deductions. Thus you

can always prove that you were employed and for how long

and that contributions were deducted from your salary. This

may be useful if you apply for beneﬁts or for reimbursement of

your OASI contributions ( Section 7b) and your records do not

match the OASI/DI records. You should also know the names

and addresses of all your employers.

 Salary declarations serve the same purpose. These are the

documents issued by your employer for the tax authorities.

They are issued once a year and show the total amount of your

salary and deductions.

 Beneﬁt certiﬁcate from the 2

pillar: This shows the

amount of the beneﬁts due when you retire or if you become

disabled or die. It also shows the amount of the termination

beneﬁt and regulations regarding the contributions. You can

apply for the certiﬁcate from your pension fund institution at

any time.

 Regulations of the pension fund institution: Each pension

fund institution has its own regulations. They contain the

general rights and obligations of the insured.

B What do I have to do to prepare

for a permanent departure

from Switzerland, and what are

my entitlements?

It is essential to prepare well for your departure. There are certain

points you must bear in mind to ensure that you do not encounter

problems in connection with obtaining your beneﬁts. The OASI/

DI and the occupational pension scheme (2

pillar) are governed

by different sets of rules. The procedures you must follow are

therefore also different.

If you leave Switzerland without giving notice of your departure,

and remain for a period in a third country illegally, your depar-

ture from Switzerland will be difﬁcult to prove. That can make it

difﬁcult to request beneﬁts from the insurance schemes.

7. OASI/DI

We recommend that you verify your employer’s and your own personal

payments into your individual OASI/DI account before leaving Switzerland.

Write to your compensation ofﬁce or visit www.ahv-iv.ch Contacts and ask for

a free copy of your individual account (cite your OASI insurance number).

Before processing your claim, the insurance ofﬁce will check

whether a social security agreement is in place between

your country and Switzerland. There are also special provisions

for recognised refugees or stateless persons.

7a. If a social security agreement is in place

Switzerland has concluded social security agreements

with

the following countries: Australia, Chile, China, Bosnia

and Herzegovina, India, Israel, Japan, Canada, Macedonia,

Montenegro, Philippines, San Marino, Serbia, South Korea,

Turkey, Uruguay and USA.

3 Cf. Leaﬂet No. 1.01

«Extract from the indi-

vidual account (IA)»,

published by the OASI/

DI Information Centre,

available at the com-

pensation ofﬁce, at

the Federal Social Insu-

rance Ofﬁce (FSIO) or

on the Internet under

www.ahv-iv.ch

Leaf-

lets/General

4 There are also social

security agreements

with EU states (agree-

ments on the free

movement of persons)

and EFTA states

(EFTA Convention).

Cf. footnote

If you are a citizen of one of the above-mentioned countries,

the social security agreement applies when you leave Switzerland

for good. The same applies if you have been recognised as a

refugee or stateless person in Switzerland and settle in one of

these countries and are also recognised there.

Social security agreements mean that the pensions from the OASI /

DI are also paid abroad, as a rule.

For this reason, you cannot

generally apply for any reimbursement of your accumulated OASI

contributions ( Section 7b) when leaving Switzerland (special

provisions exist for Australian, Chilean, Chinese, Korean, Indian,

Philippine and Uruguayan nationals).

You can get more information about each social security agree-

ment from the Federal Social Insurance Ofﬁce (FSIO).

You can ask your compensation ofﬁce to calculate the expected

pension for you. There may be a fee for this.

If you have been drawing an OASI/DI pension in Switzerland,

the pension can, in principle, also be paid out abroad.

Supple-

mentary beneﬁts, in contrast, are generally not paid abroad.

Please keep the Swiss Compensation Ofﬁce (SCO) in Geneva informed

of your address abroad at all times!

5/6 There are restrictions,

depending on the

agreement.

7b. If no social security agreement is in place

OASI /DI pensions are not paid out to foreign nationals abroad.

You can, however, apply for reimbursement of your accumulated

OASI contributions.

Reimbursement is only possible if you:



have paid OASI /DI contributions for at least one full year;

 leave Switzerland permanently. Your spouse and children

under 25 years of age also have to leave the country;

 are not already receiving an OASI /DI pension.

Exception: Should you have received OASI or DI beneﬁts and

no longer receive these after leaving Switzerland, you

may nevertheless apply for the reimbursement. OASI beneﬁts

already received will be deducted from the total amount.

Please note:



Receiving the reimbursement means that you are no longer

entitled to any beneﬁts from OASI /DI. Any OASI /DI payments

will stop.



Only employees’ and employers’ actual contributions to the

OASI are reim-bursed, without interest. Contributions paid for

you by social assistance authorities are not reimbursed.



DI contributions are not reimbursed.

 If the reimbursable OASI contributions exceed a certain sum,

the amount is reduced.

 In the event of your death, your spouse or your children

may also apply for reimbursement, if they would be eligible for

a survivor’s pension.

7 OASI contributions

amount to 8.4

of the gross salary

(employer’s and emp-

loyee’s contributions

together).

8 Exception: children

18 years of age or

older who have com-

pleted their education

and training may

stay in Switzerland.

9 The so-called expecta-

tion of pension:

this corresponds to

the capitalized,

anticipated pension.

10 Children up to 18 years

of age, those still stu-

dying or in training up

to 25 years of age.

How do I apply for reimbursement of my OASI

contributions?

You have to apply to your compensation ofﬁce or to the Swiss

Compensation Ofﬁce (SCO). For this purpose, please complete the

form application for reimbursement of OASI contributions

(«reimbursement request form»). This form is available at all com-

pensation ofﬁces or on the Internet (www.ahv-iv.ch/en/Leaﬂets-

forms/Forms/General-administration-forms) and must be submit-

ted together with the following documents:

 OASI insurance number;

 conﬁrmation of your departure from Switzerland;

 valid proof of nationality or a copy of the valid passport for

you and your spouse;

 divorce decree, if applicable, indicating the date of entry into

legal force;

 recognised refugees and stateless persons have to provide

proof of their status.

 The address of your intended domicile abroad or conﬁrmation

of your current address abroad. The conﬁrmation must also

include your spouse and your children under 25.

Please note:

 Married couples apply separately.

 As a rule, reimbursement amounts are only paid out for

receipt in another country.

 Payment may take several months.

 Payments can only be effected into to your personal bank

account or to you personally.

8. The occupational pension scheme (2

pillar)

If you are leaving Switzerland deﬁnitively and relocating to a

state outside of the EU/EFTA, you can choose whether to

 apply for payment of your accumulated capital (termination

beneﬁt); or

 maintain the pension fund institution cover

(for the three

options:

Section 5 «Regarding the occupational pension

scheme»). When you retire or if you become disabled you can

receive beneﬁts (e.g. a pension). In the event of your death,

your family members or your heirs will receive a survivor’s pen-

sion if the necessary conditions are met.

Pensions and other beneﬁts are paid abroad in accordance with

the regulations of the pension fund institution (e.g. pension fund).

8a. How do I request the cash pay-out of the

termination beneﬁt?

You have to contact your last employer’s pension fund institution

(e.g. pension fund).

An application must be submitted to your last employer’s pension

fund institution. You can do this before leaving Switzerland.

Please ask your last employer for the necessary form. The form

indicates which documents you must enclose, which include:

 Documents conﬁrming that you intend to leave Switzerland

deﬁnitively or have already left the country (e.g. conﬁrmation

from the commune of your notice of departure).

 If you are married, your spouse has to submit his/her written

consent.

Once you have received the termination beneﬁt, you cannot

request any further payments from the pension fund institution.

Thus you can no longer draw any pensions.

In most cases, the termination beneﬁt is not paid out until after

the departure.

8b. How can I receive 2

pillar beneﬁts after

leaving Switzerland?

You have to contact the pension fund institution (e.g. pension fund)

of your last employer or the vested beneﬁts institution where you have

a vested beneﬁts account or a vested beneﬁts policy ( Section 5)

If you have not applied for a cash pay-out of the beneﬁt

( Section 8a) you continue to be covered by the 2

pillar pen-

sion scheme. Please inform your pension fund institution in which

form you would like to maintain the pension scheme cover.

There are three options ( Section 5 «Regarding the occupa-

tional pension scheme»).

The previous pension fund institution can give you the necessary

information.

All changes of address, also abroad, are to be reported to the

bank or insurance company where your capital is deposited.

8c. What happens to my termination beneﬁt

if I do nothing?

Check to make sure that all termination beneﬁts were transferred to the

new employer’s pension fund institution each time you changed jobs

in the past. If you are unsure whether this was done, make an enquiry at the

Pillar Central Ofﬁce.

The pension fund institution of your last employer will transfer

your

termination beneﬁt to the auxiliary fund no sooner than six

months

and no later than two years after you leave your job. An

application for payment must then be addressed to the auxiliary

fund.

By enquiring at the 2

Pillar Central Ofﬁce, you can ﬁnd out if

you still have any money in the auxiliary fund or in a pension

fund institution.

9. Drawing an accident insurance pensions

We recommend that you contact your employer’s accident insurance

company before leaving Switzerland if you had an accident in Switzer-

land covered by the compulsory accident insurance scheme.

If you are already receiving an accident insurance pension, this will

also be paid to you abroad.

20 20

C What are my entitlements if I

no longer live in Switzerland?

10. My entitlements under the OASI/DI

If you did not apply for reimbursement of your accumulated

OASI contributions before leaving Switzerland, you can also do

this from abroad ( Section 7b).

Please note:

 Reimbursement is only possible if there is no social security

agreement in place with your country (except Australia, Chile,

China, India, Philippines, South Korea and Uruguay).

 The entitlement to reimbursement expires 5 years after the

insurance contingency. After that point you cannot claim any

money.

If there is a social security agreement

in place with your country

or with the country in which you reside as a recognised refugee

or stateless person ( list of countries Section 7a):

 You will have a claim to a (partial) old-age pension on reaching

the Swiss retirement age;



You will have a claim to a (partial) disability pension in the event

of disability understood as such under Swiss law. Disability

pensions are only paid out abroad if the degree of disability is

at least 50 %;

 Your qualiﬁed family members will have a claim to survivors’

beneﬁts in the event of your death.

As a general rule:

If you were covered under OASI /DI for a short time only, either

you or your family members can receive a lump sum payment

corresponding to the value of a pension in lieu of a pension.

11 You can get informa-

tion about each

security agreement

from the Federal

Social Insurance Ofﬁce

(FSIO).

What do I have to do in order to receive a pension only if a

social security agreement is in place?

You have to apply for a pension yourself. The OASI /DI does not take

action automatically. You can apply for yourself only. If you are married

and your spouse was insured in Switzerland, he/she must apply for a pension

separately as soon as he/she is qualiﬁed.

OASI pensions:

 If you live in your country of origin, please send your applica-

tion to the social security ofﬁce in your place of residence;

 If you live in another country, please send your application

directly to the Swiss Compensation Ofﬁce (SCO) in Geneva.

DI pensions:

 If you live in your country of origin, please send your applica-

tion to the social security ofﬁce at your place of residence;

 If you live in another country, please send your application

directly to the DI Ofﬁce for Persons Insured Abroad in Geneva.

OASI /DI pensions or single lump sum payments will only be paid into a

personal bank account.

12 You can get the

address from

the Federal Social

Insurance Ofﬁce

(FSIO).

11. My entitlements under the occupational

pension scheme (2

pillar)

If you did not apply for your accumulated capital (termination

beneﬁt) to be paid out in cash before your departure, you can

also do this from abroad at any time ( Section 8a).

If you wish to maintain the pension scheme cover (for the

three options Section 5 «Regarding the occupational pension

scheme»), you will receive a (partial) pension or a lump sum

payment as deﬁned deﬁned in the the regulations of your

pension fund institution (e.g. pension fund) or in the contract

with a bank or insurance company:

 on reaching the retirement age;

 in the event of disability as deﬁned by Swiss law;

 in the event of your death, for your family members, if they

meet the requirements.

What do I have to do in order have the beneﬁts paid

out to me?

You have to apply for your beneﬁts yourself. The pension fund institution,

insurance company or bank will not take action on their own initiative.

Please submit an application to your pension fund institution,

insurance company or bank.

D Appendix

Important Addresses

Adresses, factsheets and forms

relating to AHV/IV at www.ahv-iv.ch.

Compensation ofﬁces:

The addresses of the compensation

ofﬁces are to be found at

www.ahv-iv.info.

Swiss Compensation Ofﬁce (SCO):

Postfach 3100

1211 Genf 2

022 795 91 11

cc27@zas.admin.ch

www.zas.admin.ch

DI Ofﬁce for Persons

Insured Abroad:

Postfach 3100

1211 Genf 2

022 795 91 11

cc27@zas.admin.ch

www.zas.admin.ch

Pillar Central Ofﬁce:

LOB Guarantee Fund

Postfach 1023

3000 Bern 14

031 380 79 75

info@zentralstelle.ch

www.zentralstelle.ch

Federal Social Insurance

Ofﬁce (FSIO):

Efﬁngerstrasse 20

3003 Bern

058 462 90 11

info@bsv.admin.ch

www.bsv.admin.ch

Substitute Occupational

Beneﬁt Institution

FZK vested beneﬁts accounts

administration

Postfach

8036 Zürich

D 041 799 75 75

F 021 340 63 33

I 091 610 24 24

fzk@chaeis.ch

www.aeis.ch

For questions regarding

special charge:

State Secretariat for Migration (SEM)

OSP AG

Quellenweg 6

3003 Bern-Wabern

058 463 36 39

Cantonal return counselling services:

You can obtain the addresses from

the aliens police or from the migration

ofﬁce in your canton.

26 27

Possible claims

upon and

following departure

from Switzerland

from the OASI/DI

A social security

agreement is in place

with your country

( Sections 7a and 11)

No reimbursement

possible (except Australia,

China, Chile, India, the

Pilippines, South Korea

and Uruaguay)

Pension or lump sum

payment

No social security

greement is in place

with your country

( Section 7b)

Reimbursement

of the accumulated

OASI contributions

No insurance cover:

no beneﬁt

Claims on

departure

Claims on

retirement, disa-

bility and death

from the occupational pension scheme

Pension scheme cover is

ot wanted

( Section 8a)

Cash pay-out

of the termination

beneﬁt

No pension scheme

over: no beneﬁt

Pension scheme cover

s upheld

( Sections 8b and 12)

No cash pay-out

of the termination

beneﬁt possible

Pension or lump

um payment

Glossary

Auxiliary fund

The auxiliary fund of the Substitute Occu-

pational Beneﬁt Institution is a special

pension scheme fund. If you leave your

job without instructing your employer’s

pension fund institution what to do with

the accumulated capital (termination

beneﬁt), the fund will transfer the termi-

nation beneﬁt to the auxilliary fund

within 2 years. This does not affect your

pension scheme cover.

Beneﬁts

These are all the payments a person

receives from an insurance. Beneﬁts may

be received regularly; this is normally in

the form of a pension. Lump sum beneﬁts

are only paid once (reimbursement of

the accumulated OASI contributions);

thereafter the beneﬁciary can make no

further insurance claims.

Compensation ofﬁces

These are the ofﬁces which administer

the OASI /DI. They collect the contributions,

calculate and pay the pensions. Each

canton has its own cantonal compensation

ofﬁce and there are also compensation

ofﬁces for certain trade associations; you

will ﬁnd the addresses on the Internet

under www.ahv-iv.ch.

Disability/disabled

A person is considered disabled when, due

to an illness or accident, he or she is no

longer able to work and the inability to

work will continue for a long period.

Individual OASI/DI account (IA)

These are accounts which compensation

ofﬁces manage for the insured. If you have

worked for several employers, you may

have an individual account at several com-

pensation ofﬁces.

Insurance contingency

This is the moment when a person reaches

retirement age, becomes disabled or

dies, and thus insurance entitlements are

created.

OASI/DI (Old-Age and Survivors‘

Insurance/Disability Insurance)

This is the basic State insurance for pen-

sions and other social security beneﬁts in

Switzerland (1

pillar).

OASI insurance number

The insurance number serves to identify

you within the insurance. You will ﬁnd it

on the back of your health insurance card.

Occupational pension scheme

pillar)

The occupational pension scheme covers

the same risks as the OASI /DI. It supple-

ments the OASI /DI and is compulsory for

all persons who are gainfully employed

and earn more than 21 150 francs annually

(as per 1.1.2018).

Pension fund institution

(for example pension funds)

Pension fund institutions administer the

occupational pension scheme. They

may take the form of a pension fund, an

insurance company or a bank. The pen-

sion fund institution collect contributions,

calculate and pay pensions. Your entire

accumulated capital in the occupational

pension scheme must always be held at a

single pension fund institution.

Pension scheme cover (in the 2

pillar)

If you meet the conditions ( occupational

pension scheme), you are insured and

thus, in the event of an insurance contin-

gency you will receive beneﬁts from the

pension fund institution. In order to main-

tain a good pension scheme cover, the

accumulated capital (termination beneﬁt)

can only be paid out under certain condi-

tions (e.g. on departure from Switzerland).

Reimbursement of the accumulated

OASI contributions

Foreign nationals may claim reimbursement

of the accumulated OASI contributions

on leaving Switzerland if no social security

agreement is in place between Switzer-

land and their native country (except Aus-

tralia, Chile, China, India, the Philippines,

South Korea and Uruaguay).

Retirement / retired

Retirement age.

Retirement age

This is the age when a person retires and

can receive an old-age pension. In the

OASI it is 64 for women and 65 for men.

In the occupational pension scheme it

may be lower, depending on the particular

pension fund institution.

Social security agreement

These are international agreements

between countries which coordinate the

rights and obligations of their nationals in

the social security system.

Survivors

In the event of your death, these are your

surviving family members (spouse,

children under 18 or children in education

until 25 years of age).

Swiss Compensation Ofﬁce (SCO)

This ofﬁce has the same function as the

compensation ofﬁces and is responsible

for all persons living abroad who were

insured under the OASI /DI.

Termination beneﬁt

This is the amount (accumulated capital

or credit balance) available at the pension

fund institution when a person changes

jobs or stops working. When a person

changes jobs, the termination beneﬁt is

transferred to the new employer’s pension

fund institution. A cash pay-out is possible

only in certain cases, for example on

departure from Switzerland.

Vested beneﬁts account

This is a blocked account at a bank into

which the termination beneﬁt may

be paid when gainful employment ends

before retirement.

Vested beneﬁts policy

This is a blocked policy with an insurance

company into which the termination

beneﬁt may be paid if gainful employment

ends before retirement.

Impressum

Edition 2018

Publisher: State Secretariat for Migration (SEM), in cooperation with the Federal Social

Insurance Ofﬁce (FSIO) Layout: typisch.ch Illustrations: www.tomz.ch Contact:

State Secretariat for Migration, Quellenweg 6, 3003 Bern-Wabern, 058 465 11 11,

info@sem.admin.ch

Federal Social Insurance Ofﬁce, Efﬁngerstrasse 20, 3003 Bern,

Tel. 058 462 90 11, info@bsv.admin.ch Distribution

BBL, Distribution of Publications,

www.bundespublikationen.admin.ch

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