Am I economically inactive?
People are classed as economically inactive if they earn nothing or very little.
In other words, they essentially have no income from work.
They include:
People who have retired ahead of time (early retirement)
Employees working part-time
People receiving IV pensions,
daily sickness benefits, daily accident benefits or welfare supportSpouses of retired people
Spouses of people working abroad (including Liechtenstein)
Widowed or divorced people
Students
Unemployed people with no further entitlement to benefits
Travellers
As well as employees who meet these conditions:
They earn less than 5,000 francs a year.
For married couples: together, they earn
less than 10,000 francs a year.
They work for fewer than 9 months a year.
They have a part-time workload of less than 50 per cent.
Do any of these points apply to you?
Contact the compensation office in the canton where you live.
The office will check your situation.
Life Situations
Here you can find more information on the individual cases
Click on the heading to see more details.
Why do I need to pay contributions?
Your contributions finance AHV, IV and EO.
These are 3 social insurance plans.
These social insurance plans pay pensions,
family allowances and compensation for loss of earnings.
This money helps people manage their situation.
Where does the money come from?
Employers and employees pay contributions.
Economically inactive people pay contributions, too.
The federal government also contributes money.
3. How does social insurance help?
You can get benefits in the following circumstances:
After retirement:
you get an OASI pension.If you lose your earnings – e.g. during military service,
or during maternity and paternity leave:
you get your salary.To support families:
they get a family allowance.If an accident or illness leaves you disabled:
you get a DI pension.
How much do I have to contribute to AHV, IV and EO?
The contributions depend on your age and income.
The minimum amount is 530 francs a year (in 2026).
You need to pay contributions to AHV, IV and EO every year.
If you don’t, you will have a gap in contributions.
This can reduce your pension, giving you less money to live on.
So, avoid contribution gaps:
pay your contributions every year!
Your contributions to AHV, IV and EO
are calculated using your net assets and pension income.
Access the online calculator for economically inactive people here.
This gives you an approximate figure for your contributions.
This calculation is not definitive.
The bill from the compensation office is decisive.
Not yet registered?
Then register with your compensation office.
When do I have to register?
The duty to pay contributions starts on 1 January after your 20th birthday:
from then on, you will pay contributions to AHV, IV and EO.
Moved to Switzerland from abroad?
Then you have to pay contributions from the following month.
It is important to remember that you are responsible for
paying your contributions in full.
Have you taken a break from your work?
Or do you work very little?
At the end of the year, ask your compensation office
if you need to pay contributions.
What documents do I need?
You can find the registration form on this website.
In addition to this, you need certain documents.
The compensation office will check your situation.
The compensation office can request the following documents:
Tax return or tax assessment
Tax statement or statement from unemployment insurance
Confirmation of support (for example, from welfare support)
Confirmation of studies
Statement of daily benefits for accident or illness
Current payslips or last salary statement
Contribution orders (IV)
How do I register?
Do you have all the necessary documents?
Then complete the registration form.
The website forwards the application to your compensation office.
You do not need to register if you are a student.
Universities and schools report their students’ information
to the compensation office every year.
What happens after I have registered?
The compensation office will record your information and check your documents.
The compensation office might have questions:
if so, they will get in touch with you.
Then, the compensation office will decide how much your contributions are.
These contributions are based on your tax information
and your personal details.
You will get a written decision once the compensation office has checked everything.