Working in Switzerland
Salary, permit, insurance and budget, made simple.
Your estimated money left
4’951 CHF
per month
- Capital
- Lausanne
- Language
- French
- Your tax
- in France (1983 agreement)
- Rank for your salary
- 26 of 26
- Average LAMal premium
- 209.30 CHF/month
26 cantons · tap the map
6’500 CHF/month × 13 Vaud cross-border
Permits in Switzerland
See the guide →Left to live on
2’651 CHF/month
Useful facts
The essentials for working in Switzerland, in plain words
Withholding tax: who is concerned?
- Foreign employees without a C permit (B, L, G permits) are taxed at source: the employer deducts the tax from the payslip.
- The rate depends on the canton, income, marital status and children (tariffs A, B, C, H).
- From CHF 120,000 a year an ordinary tax return becomes mandatory; below that you can request one until 31 March of the following year to claim deductions.
Health insurance: the basic rules
- Mandatory within 3 months of arriving or starting work, backdated to the first day.
- Deductible of your choice from CHF 300 to 2,500 (0 to 600 for a child), then a 10% co-payment up to CHF 700 a year.
- You can switch insurer every year: the cancellation must reach the insurer by 30 November at the latest, effective 1 January.
Social contributions 2026
- AVS/AI/APG: 5.3% of gross pay, no ceiling. Unemployment (AC): 1.1% up to CHF 148,200 a year.
- Pension fund (LPP): mandatory from CHF 22,680 a year and age 25 for savings; the rate rises with age (7% to 18%), the employer pays at least half.
- Non-occupational accident (AANP) and sick-pay insurance (IJM): deducted according to your employer’s contract, often 1 to 2%.
13th salary and bonus
- The 13th salary is not required by law: it depends on the contract or collective agreement. It is very common.
- It is usually paid in December, sometimes in two parts, and contributions apply as for salary.
- For withholding tax, the month of payment is often taxed more: see the “13th salary and bonus” tool in the simulator.
Cross-border worker: what to know
- G permit: you work in Switzerland and return home abroad at least once a week.
- In 8 cantons (BE, SO, BS, BL, VD, VS, NE, JU) you are taxed in France if you return daily (at most 45 nights in Switzerland) and hold the 2041-AS certificate; otherwise withholding tax, as in Geneva.
- Health insurance: Swiss LAMal or French CNTFS, to choose within 3 months; the choice is in principle final.
Employment contract: holidays, trial, notice
- Holidays: at least 4 weeks a year (5 weeks up to age 20).
- Trial period: 1 month as a rule, 3 months at most. Notice period after that: 1 month in the 1st year, 2 months from the 2nd to the 9th year, 3 months from the 10th.
- Maximum working time: 45 hours a week in offices, industry and large retail, 50 hours elsewhere. Overtime: compensated with time off or paid with a 25% supplement, unless agreed otherwise in writing.
Finding a flat: the rental application
- Agencies almost always ask for: ID and permit, employment contract or your last 3 payslips, a debt-collection extract less than 3 months old, proof of personal liability insurance.
- Common agency rule: the rent should not exceed one third of gross income. Our housing budget shows what you really have left after rent.
- Cross-border workers: rents on the French side are often half as high, but count commuting, LAMal or CNTFS and French tax in the comparison.
Residence permit: the deadlines
- Register with your municipality within 14 days of arriving and before starting work.
- Contract of 3 to 12 months: L permit. Contract of one year or more: B permit (5 years). After 5 years of regular residence (EU/EFTA, depending on the agreement): C permit.
- The G cross-border permit lasts 5 years with a contract of one year or more, otherwise as long as the contract.
Your net salary in Switzerland
Free, no ads, no account. 2026 rates.
6’500 CHF/month × 13 Vaud cross-border
- AHV, IV, EO350
- Unemployment, accident, sickness182
- Pension fund (BVG)179
Taxed in France, 1983 Franco-Swiss agreement
How it works for you
- Nothing is withheld in Switzerland: your employer pays the salary minus social contributions. You declare and pay the tax in France, afterwards.
- Every year you give your employer the 2041-AS tax-residence certificate and you return home daily (at most 45 nights in Switzerland per year). Otherwise the canton withholds the tax at source, as in Geneva.
- In France: return 2042 + 2047, salary converted into euros, then instalments computed by the tax office. Our “left” already includes this French tax: about €14’586 per year.
- Difference with Geneva: there the tax is taken from the payslip every month; here it comes later, in France. To compare two offers, look at what is left, not the net.
Left after taxes and health insurance
4’951 CHF/month
Taxes −1’111Health −209
From every 100 CHF gross, you keep 70 CHF. 13th salary spread over 12 months.
Recommended rent: CHF 1’450 to 1’750/month (25 to 30% of net)
LAMal or CNTFS?
Right of option: within 3 months of starting work, generally irrevocable. Indicative comparison. CNTFS estimated on your current salary. Enter your RFR N-2 for the exact amount.
13th salary and bonus
What you really get each month
- Jan5’789
- Feb5’789
- Mar5’789
- Apr5’789
- May5’789
- Jun5’789
- Jul5’789
- Aug5’789
- Sep5’789
- Oct5’789
- Nov5’789
- Dec13th11’578
No withholding tax on your payslip: the 13th and the bonus only change contributions.
With 12 payments:
6’272 CHF/month
±0 CHF net over the year
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Health insurance (LAMal)
LAMal for cross-border workers living in France
209.30 CHF/month
cheapest 2027 premium (Priminfo EU/EFTA), without accident · 2’512 per year
Employed 8 hours or more per week: accidents are covered by your employer (LAA), choose LAMal without accident.
Which deductible to choose?
Balance versus the ordinary deductible, for CHF 1’000 of costs per year
- Deductible 300Max. rebate −0 · Out of pocket 370±0Balance / year
- Deductible 500Max. rebate −140 · Out of pocket 550+40Balance / year
- Deductible 1’000Max. rebate −490 · Out of pocket 1’000+140Balance / year
- Deductible 1’500Max. rebate −840 · Out of pocket 1’000−210Balance / year
- Deductible 2’000Max. rebate −1’190 · Out of pocket 1’000−560Balance / year
- Deductible 2’500best choiceMax. rebate −1’540 · Out of pocket 1’000−910Balance / year
Legal maximum rebate: 70% of the extra risk, your insurer may grant less. Co-payment: 10% above the deductible, at most CHF 700 per year (350 for a child).
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Housing budget
Left after tax and health insurance
4’951 CHF/month
Examples to adjust, in CHF per month
Left to live on
2’651 CHF/month
Rent 19%
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Permits and tax
GCross-border
- Return to your home abroad at least once a week
- Tax: withholding tax, except under the 1983 agreement (BE, SO, BS, BL, VD, VS, NE, JU, with conditions): taxed in France
- Health insurance: LAMal or CNTFS, choice within 3 months (right of option)
- Duration: 5 years with a contract of one year or more
General information for EU/EFTA nationals (SEM, FTA). Check your situation with your canton.
PDF export
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Hours log
Your hours and overtime, made clear
Month total
0h00
- Per contract (0 d.)
- 0h00
- Overtime
- +0h00
Hours beyond your contract: compensated with time off or paid with a 25% supplement, unless agreed otherwise in writing. Beyond the legal maximum (45 or 50 hours a week) it is excess work: 25% supplement or equal time off, with your consent.
No hours logged this month. Add your first day above.
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The same salary in all 26 cantons
6’500 CHF/month × 13 Vaud cross-border
What you keep per month
same gross salary, after tax and health insurance
“France” cantons: nothing is withheld from the payslip, the tax is paid in France afterwards. “Withholding” cantons: the tax is deducted every month, then the salary is declared in France without being taxed twice. The ranking compares what is left after tax in both cases. Left per month after tax and health insurance, in the cantonal capital. Tap a canton to pick it. Cantonal capital. Residents: ordinary tax. B permit and cross-border workers outside the agreement: official withholding scales.
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What gross should you ask for?
Ask for at least
87’620 CHF gross/yr
that is 6’740 CHF × 13 payments
That is +240 CHF gross per month more than today
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