--- title: "Maximum AHV Pension (2,520 CHF): The Expert Guide for Future Retirees" url: https://www.ibani.com/en/guides/maximum-avs-pension lang: en date_modified: 2026-09-30 author: "Brice DELHOME" --- ![Optimization of the AHV Pension and retirement in Switzerland](https://www.ibani.com/images/retraite-avs-maximale.jpg) # Maximum AHV Pension (2,520 CHF): The Expert Guide for Future Retirees Read time: 8 minutes | **Updated: 30 September 2026** By [Brice DELHOME](https://www.ibani.com/en/author/brice-delhome) 📌 In short: the maximum AHV pension in 2026 - **Maximum AHV pension:** 2,520 CHF per month in 2026 for a single person; for a married couple, the two pensions are capped together at 3,780 CHF (150%). - **Two cumulative conditions:** a full contribution period (44 years for a reference age of 65, Scale 44) and a revalued average annual income of at least 90,720 CHF. - **Gaps:** each missing year reduces the pension by at least 1/44, and a contribution can no longer be paid five years after the end of the year concerned. - **13th pension:** from December 2026, one twelfth of the annual pension is added, i.e. 32,760 CHF a year for a maximum pension received all year. Preparing for retirement in Switzerland requires a rigorous understanding of the first pillar, the Old-Age and Survivors' Insurance (AHV). Based on the principle of solidarity, it aims to cover basic living needs adequately. However, reaching the maximum ceiling of 2,520 CHF per month is far from automatic, even for insured persons who have earned high incomes at the end of their careers. ## What conditions must you meet to receive the maximum AHV pension? Unlike the LPP (2nd pillar), which is strictly based on accumulated capital, the calculation of the AHV pension relies on an algorithm that considers two fundamental variables. A failure in either of them will prevent you from achieving the maximum pension. ### 1\. Scale 44: The Uninterrupted Contribution Period The first variable is time-related. To be entitled to a full pension, you must be part of what the administration calls **Scale 44**. This means you must have contributed without any interruption from January 1st following the year you turn 20 until December 31st of the year before you reach the reference age: 44 years for a reference age of 65 (men; for women, 64 raised by three months a year up to 65 for those born in 1964 or later). **The impact of gaps:** The legislation is strict. In principle, each missing year (studies abroad not compensated, expatriation without voluntary affiliation, sabbatical leave without contributions) leads to a permanent reduction of your pension by **at least 1/44 (about 2.3%)** per missing year. ### 2\. The Decisive Average Annual Income Having contributed for 44 years is not enough. The exact amount of your pension is defined by your Average Annual Income. This is not your final salary, but a complex average integrating all your income from gainful employment, revalued according to wage and price developments, plus potential credits (for childcare or caretaking tasks). To unlock the 2,520 CHF ceiling, this Average Annual Income must reach a specific threshold set at **90,720 CHF**. If your average is 60,000 CHF, it is rounded up to the next value in the table (60,480 CHF): your pension will be 2,117 CHF per month, below the ceiling despite a flawless 44-year career. | Insured Status | Minimum Pension (Avg. Income ≤ 15,120 CHF) | Maximum Pension (Avg. Income ≥ 90,720 CHF) | | --- | --- | --- | | Single Person | 1,260 CHF / month | **2,520 CHF / month** | | Married Couple (sum of both pensions, capped at 150%) | 2,520 CHF / month (2 × 1,260 CHF, below the cap) | **3,780 CHF / month** | **The 13th AHV pension:** from December 2026, a 13th old-age pension is paid every year together with the December pension. It is equal to one twelfth of the pension received during the year: for a maximum pension of 2,520 CHF received all year (30,240 CHF), it adds 2,520 CHF, i.e. 32,760 CHF a year. It applies to all old-age pensions, not only the maximum pension. ## How do splitting and credits change the calculation? Marital status structurally modifies the calculation of your pension. Swiss law provides mechanisms to balance rights between spouses. ### The Principle of Splitting (Income Sharing) As soon as you are married, the law imposes the "Splitting" mechanism. The income earned by both spouses during their years of marriage is added together, then divided by two and equally attributed to each person's individual account. This calculation takes place when the second spouse asserts their right to retirement, or in the event of a divorce. ### The Ceiling for Spouses A crucial provision to remember: the sum of the two individual pensions of a married couple cannot exceed 150% of the maximum pension for a single person. If the sum of your two theoretical pensions exceeds this threshold, they will be reduced proportionately so as not to exceed **3,780 CHF per month** in total for the household. * * * ## Cross-border workers and expatriates: how do you receive your AHV pension abroad? If you decide to spend your retirement in France, Italy, Germany, or anywhere else outside Swiss borders, the issue of repatriating your pension becomes central. Pensions are paid abroad by the Swiss Compensation Office (SCO), usually in the currency of your country of residence; only payments to a bank or postal account in Switzerland are made in Swiss francs. Two costs can then reduce the amount that reaches you: 1. **Receiving fees** that your bank may charge on a payment from abroad (the SCO bears its own transfer costs). 2. **The cost of conversion:** if the SCO converts the pension, it does so at the day's rate, over which it has no influence; if the pension arrives in francs in a Swiss account, your bank's exchange margin applies. **Beware of the erosion of your purchasing power:** If you convert a monthly pension of 2,520 CHF yourself with an exchange margin of 1.5% to 2%, the loss ranges from **38 CHF to 50 CHF every month**, i.e. about 450 to 600 CHF a year. Compare the rate applied by your bank with the interbank rate. ### Optimize the Transfer with a Financial Specialist To reduce the cost of converting your pension, you can entrust the exchange to a specialized intermediary rather than to your retail bank. By using a Swiss financial intermediary affiliated with the SRO SO-FIT such as ibani, you benefit from: - **A transparent exchange rate:** Indexed to the interbank rate, with a sliding margin from 0.40% to 0.15% depending on the amount. - **A personal Swiss IBAN (CH):** Give this IBAN to the Swiss Compensation Office (SCO), which pays your pension. The pension then arrives in francs on your IBAN; on receipt, the funds are converted and transferred to your local account (in EUR), with no transfer fees charged by ibani. - **Automation:** once the IBAN has been given to the SCO, each pension payment is converted and transferred without any action on your part. #### Secure Your Retirement Purchasing Power [Open my account and get my IBAN (Free)](https://www.ibani.com/en/app) 100% digital registration; IBAN provided within 24 hours (business days). ## Frequently Asked Questions (AHV Pension) For a married couple, Swiss law imposes a cap at 150% of the maximum individual pension. In 2026, the sum of a couple's two pensions is therefore limited to 3,780 CHF per month; if it exceeds this cap, each of the two pensions is reduced proportionately. You must submit a request for an Individual Account (IK) extract to the AHV compensation office you are affiliated with. This free document summarizes all declared income and identifies any non-contributed years. Unlike purchases into the 2nd pillar (LPP), AHV gaps cannot be bought back freely: a year's contributions can no longer be paid five years after the end of that calendar year (Art. 16 AHVG). In principle, only gaps from the last five years can therefore still be filled, by paying the outstanding contributions. ## Official sources - [Leaflet 3.01 – OASI Old-age Pensions and Helplessness Allowances (position as of 1 January 2026)](https://www.ahv-iv.ch/p/3.01.e) — OASI/DI Information Centre, accessed 29 September 2026 - [Federal Act on Old-Age and Survivors' Insurance (AHVG/LAVS), arts 16, 29ter and 35](https://www.fedlex.admin.ch/eli/cc/63/837_843_843/fr) — Fedlex (official French text), accessed 29 September 2026 - [Exchange rates, financial fees and charges, withholding taxes](https://www.zas.admin.ch/en/exchange-rates-financial-fees-and-charges-withholding-taxes) — Swiss Compensation Office (SCO), accessed 29 September 2026 **Regulatory Disclaimer:** The data, ceilings, and calculations mentioned in this article reflect the legal provisions of the AHV in force for the year 2026. As federal legislation is subject to revisions, this information is provided purely for educational purposes and cannot replace a personalized consultation with your compensation office or a certified pension advisor.