FAQ
Yes. Students must pay OASI contributions.
If you have little or no income, you will be classified as non-employed. The following then apply:
You must start paying contributions from 1 January following your 20th birthday.
You will pay the minimum contribution until 31 December of the year in which you reach the age of 25.
Thereafter, your contributions will be calculated based on your financial circumstances, e.g., your assets and any pension income (recurring benefits).
In most cases, no action is required on your part. Universities and colleges transmit student data to the compensation office once a year.
Yes. You are liable for contributions even if you don’t have your own income.
However, contributions are deemed to have been paid if the following conditions are met:
Your spouse or civil partner is in gainful employment and pays at least double the minimum contribution.
He or she works at least at 50 per cent and for more than 9 months of the year.
If these conditions are met, you are covered by the OASI and do not need to register.
Yes. In this case, you must pay contributions as a non-employed person.
The reason: Because the Swiss OASI does not receive any contributions from your partner’s employment.
The minimum contribution is currently CHF 530 per year.
This ensures you avoid contribution gaps and a reduction in your pension.
This statutory minimum applies to non-employed persons with low income (earnings, pension income) and limited assets. This includes, amongst other things:
Students with no earned income (only until the end of the year in which they reach the age of 25)
Persons with very low income or those receiving social assistance
Persons receiving supplementary or bridging benefits
The minimum contribution is deemed to have been paid if you have already paid OASI contributions based on an annual gross income of at least CHF 5,000.
OASI contributions are based on your assets and pension income (recurring payments). The compensation office will notify you of your total annual contribution.
It is not possible to make voluntary contributions above the assessed amount.
Yes. Even if you receive supplementary benefits, you must still pay OASI contributions.
There is one concession – you only pay the minimum contribution. Prerequisites: You still receive these benefits on 31 December of the contribution year. And you register as a non-employed person. By doing so, you remain insured and avoid contribution gaps.
If you receive a disability pension (DI) and have not yet reached the reference age, you are classified as non-employed for OASI purposes – provided you are not working at all or only a little. In all cases, you must pay OASI contributions.
Yes. If you take early retirement, you are classified as a non-employed person until you reach the reference age and must continue to pay OASI contributions.
Please register with your compensation office to ensure you avoid contribution gaps.
Request a statement from your individual record from any compensation office. This will show which years have recorded contributions and whether there are any gaps.
Usually, you can only make back payments for up to five years. You can order the statement here.
Default interest is payable in two cases:
If you register too late
If your final contributions are more than 25 per cent higher than your provisional contributions
This does not depend on your income alone.
The compensation office also takes into consideration your assets and pension income (recurring benefits) (LINK to glossary). It uses these to calculate the contributions you would pay as a person with no earned income. The higher your assets and pension income, the higher this comparison amount becomes.
If your income is low, the office compares your actual contributions against this calculated amount. The contributions you have paid must:
Meet the minimum contribution threshold and
Be at least half the value of the calculated comparison amount.
If either of these values is not met, you must register as a non-employed person and pay additional contributions.
General guideline: If your annual gross income (LINK to Glossary) is below CHF 5,000 (as of 2025), contributions are insufficient.
If in doubt, please register.
If you work part-time or on an irregular basis, the compensation office compares two amounts:
The OASI contributions you have actually paid
The contribution you would be required to pay as a non-employed person
The contributions you paid must meet the minimum amount and equal at least half the amount you would owe if you did not work.
If your paid contributions fall below either of these thresholds, you must pay contributions for the entire year as a non-employed person.
As a non-employed person, your contributions are based on your assets and income (LINK to glossary).
You can estimate your contribution using the online calculator. The compensation office will determine the binding amount.
Further information can be found here.
In this case, the level of your contributions is determined by your assets and any pension income. (This refers to recurring benefits, such as from a pension fund, accident insurance benefits, or an early-drawdown pension.)
The compensation office calculates the basis as follows: Your assets plus 20 times your annual pension income.
Based on this total, the compensation office determines your annual contribution using the contribution table for non-employed persons. As your assets grow or pension income (LINK to Glossary) increases, your contributions will rise accordingly.
You can estimate your expected contribution using our online calculator.
Once you are registered, the compensation office will usually send you a quarterly invoice. You initially pay provisional contributions based on the information you provided. Once your tax data are available, the office will determine the final contributions. This can take up to five years.
If the provisional and final contributions differ, you will either pay the difference or receive a credit payment.
The compensation office will record your details and calculate your contributions. This calculation is based on your tax data (assets and pension income) as well as your personal information.
The compensation office may request the following documents, among others:
Tax certificate or unemployment insurance statement
Evidence of financial support
Certificate of enrolment
Statements for accident insurance or sickness daily allowance
Current payslips or your most recent salary certificate
Contribution notices
Tax return or notice of assessment
The compensation office may request additional documentation.
The compensation office in your canton of residence is generally responsible for non-employed persons.
There are two exceptions:
Non-employed students should contact the compensation office at their place of study.
Persons in early retirement remain with the compensation office they have used to date. This applies if they stop working after the age of 58 and previously paid contributions to that specific office.
Please use the online form to ensure your registration is sent directly to the right compensation office.
To register, use the online form provided by your compensation office.
You can find further information on "Non-employment" and the relevant application form here.
Non-employed refers to persons who earn little or no income from work.
This includes, amongst other things:
Persons with no income from gainful activity throughout the entire year
Persons with an incapacity for work
Persons providing family care with no earned income
Students without a holiday job
Persons on a world trip or a sabbatical
Jobseekers not receiving unemployment daily allowance
Persons in early retirement
Persons working on an irregular basis or not in full-time permanent employment may also be classified as non-employed.
Yes. Students must pay OASI contributions.
If you have little or no income, you will be classified as non-employed. The following then apply:
You must start paying contributions from 1 January following your 20th birthday.
You will pay the minimum contribution until 31 December of the year in which you reach the age of 25.
Thereafter, your contributions will be calculated based on your financial circumstances, e.g., your assets and any pension income (recurring benefits).
In most cases, no action is required on your part. Universities and colleges transmit student data to the compensation office once a year.
Yes. You are liable for contributions even if you don’t have your own income.
However, contributions are deemed to have been paid if the following conditions are met:
Your spouse or civil partner is in gainful employment and pays at least double the minimum contribution.
He or she works at least at 50 per cent and for more than 9 months of the year.
If these conditions are met, you are covered by the OASI and do not need to register.
Yes. In this case, you must pay contributions as a non-employed person.
The reason: Because the Swiss OASI does not receive any contributions from your partner’s employment.
The minimum contribution is currently CHF 530 per year.
This ensures you avoid contribution gaps and a reduction in your pension.
This statutory minimum applies to non-employed persons with low income (earnings, pension income) and limited assets. This includes, amongst other things:
Students with no earned income (only until the end of the year in which they reach the age of 25)
Persons with very low income or those receiving social assistance
Persons receiving supplementary or bridging benefits
The minimum contribution is deemed to have been paid if you have already paid OASI contributions based on an annual gross income of at least CHF 5,000.
OASI contributions are based on your assets and pension income (recurring payments). The compensation office will notify you of your total annual contribution.
It is not possible to make voluntary contributions above the assessed amount.
Yes. Even if you receive supplementary benefits, you must still pay OASI contributions.
There is one concession – you only pay the minimum contribution. Prerequisites: You still receive these benefits on 31 December of the contribution year. And you register as a non-employed person. By doing so, you remain insured and avoid contribution gaps.
If you receive a disability pension (DI) and have not yet reached the reference age, you are classified as non-employed for OASI purposes – provided you are not working at all or only a little. In all cases, you must pay OASI contributions.
Yes. If you take early retirement, you are classified as a non-employed person until you reach the reference age and must continue to pay OASI contributions.
Please register with your compensation office to ensure you avoid contribution gaps.
Request a statement from your individual record from any compensation office. This will show which years have recorded contributions and whether there are any gaps.
Usually, you can only make back payments for up to five years. You can order the statement here.
Default interest is payable in two cases:
If you register too late
If your final contributions are more than 25 per cent higher than your provisional contributions
This does not depend on your income alone.
The compensation office also takes into consideration your assets and pension income (recurring benefits) (LINK to glossary). It uses these to calculate the contributions you would pay as a person with no earned income. The higher your assets and pension income, the higher this comparison amount becomes.
If your income is low, the office compares your actual contributions against this calculated amount. The contributions you have paid must:
Meet the minimum contribution threshold and
Be at least half the value of the calculated comparison amount.
If either of these values is not met, you must register as a non-employed person and pay additional contributions.
General guideline: If your annual gross income (LINK to Glossary) is below CHF 5,000 (as of 2025), contributions are insufficient.
If in doubt, please register.
If you work part-time or on an irregular basis, the compensation office compares two amounts:
The OASI contributions you have actually paid
The contribution you would be required to pay as a non-employed person
The contributions you paid must meet the minimum amount and equal at least half the amount you would owe if you did not work.
If your paid contributions fall below either of these thresholds, you must pay contributions for the entire year as a non-employed person.
As a non-employed person, your contributions are based on your assets and income (LINK to glossary).
You can estimate your contribution using the online calculator. The compensation office will determine the binding amount.
Further information can be found here.
In this case, the level of your contributions is determined by your assets and any pension income. (This refers to recurring benefits, such as from a pension fund, accident insurance benefits, or an early-drawdown pension.)
The compensation office calculates the basis as follows: Your assets plus 20 times your annual pension income.
Based on this total, the compensation office determines your annual contribution using the contribution table for non-employed persons. As your assets grow or pension income (LINK to Glossary) increases, your contributions will rise accordingly.
You can estimate your expected contribution using our online calculator.
Once you are registered, the compensation office will usually send you a quarterly invoice. You initially pay provisional contributions based on the information you provided. Once your tax data are available, the office will determine the final contributions. This can take up to five years.
If the provisional and final contributions differ, you will either pay the difference or receive a credit payment.
The compensation office will record your details and calculate your contributions. This calculation is based on your tax data (assets and pension income) as well as your personal information.
The compensation office may request the following documents, among others:
Tax certificate or unemployment insurance statement
Evidence of financial support
Certificate of enrolment
Statements for accident insurance or sickness daily allowance
Current payslips or your most recent salary certificate
Contribution notices
Tax return or notice of assessment
The compensation office may request additional documentation.
The compensation office in your canton of residence is generally responsible for non-employed persons.
There are two exceptions:
Non-employed students should contact the compensation office at their place of study.
Persons in early retirement remain with the compensation office they have used to date. This applies if they stop working after the age of 58 and previously paid contributions to that specific office.
Please use the online form to ensure your registration is sent directly to the right compensation office.
To register, use the online form provided by your compensation office.
You can find further information on "Non-employment" and the relevant application form here.
Non-employed refers to persons who earn little or no income from work.
This includes, amongst other things:
Persons with no income from gainful activity throughout the entire year
Persons with an incapacity for work
Persons providing family care with no earned income
Students without a holiday job
Persons on a world trip or a sabbatical
Jobseekers not receiving unemployment daily allowance
Persons in early retirement
Persons working on an irregular basis or not in full-time permanent employment may also be classified as non-employed.
