---
title: "Understanding OASI: Old Age and Survivors' Insurance in Switzerland"
url: https://www.ibani.com/en/guides/oasi-old-age-and-survivor-insurance
lang: en
date_modified: 2026-09-29
author: "Brice DELHOME"
---

# Understanding OASI: Old Age and Survivors' Insurance in Switzerland

What is the OASI? Discover in this guide the goals and the workings of the first pillar of the Swiss retirement and pension fund system.

Updated on 29 September 2026 · By [Brice DELHOME](https://www.ibani.com/en/author/brice-delhome)

📌 In brief: OASI (AHV/AVS) in 2026

-   **Contributions:** 10.6% of gross salary for OASI, disability insurance and income compensation, of which 5.3% is paid by the employee and 5.3% by the employer.
-   **Pensions:** the full old-age pension ranges from 1,260 to 2,520 CHF a month; for a married couple, the two pensions are capped together at 3,780 CHF.
-   **13th pension:** paid for the first time in December 2026, it is equal to one twelfth of the annual old-age pension.
-   **Reference age:** 65 for men; for women, it is rising gradually from 64 to 65 between 2025 and 2028 (AHV 21 reform).

Swiss retirement provision rests on [three pillars](https://www.ibani.com/en/guides/the-swiss-three-pillars-system). If you work or live in Switzerland, you are covered by:

1.  State pension provision (OASI / DI / income compensation): compulsory for people who live or work in Switzerland;
2.  [Occupational pension provision (BVG/LPP)](https://www.ibani.com/en/guides/op-the-swiss-pension-fund-system): compulsory for employees above a certain salary level;
3.  Private pension provision (3rd pillar): optional.

## What is OASI?

Old-age and survivors' insurance (OASI, known in Switzerland as AHV in German and AVS in French and Italian) is the first pillar of [Swiss retirement provision](https://www.ibani.com/en/guides/the-swiss-three-pillars-system). It pays a pension to people who have reached the reference age, and survivors' pensions to widows, widowers and orphans. Its purpose is to cover basic living needs adequately.

OASI is a pay-as-you-go system: the contributions deducted from the earnings of people in work, together with contributions from the Confederation and a share of VAT, fund the pensions paid out in the same year.

The first pillar also includes:

-   **Disability insurance (DI, IV/AI)**, which first seeks to maintain or restore earning capacity through rehabilitation measures. If these are not enough, it pays a pension from a degree of disability of 40%; the pension is paid in full from 70%.
-   **Income compensation (EO/APG)**, which replaces part of the income lost during military service, civilian service or civil protection, and funds maternity and paternity allowances. Paternity leave is two weeks, to be taken within six months of the birth.

## What is the reference age since the AHV 21 reform?

Since the AHV 21 reform came into force on 1 January 2024, the law no longer speaks of a "retirement age" but of a **reference age**: the age at which the old-age pension is paid with neither a reduction nor a supplement. It is 65 for men. For women, it was 64 and has been rising by three months a year since 2025:

OASI reference age for women by year of birth (AHV 21 reform)
| Women born in | Reference age | Year of application |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 1960 | 64 | 2024 |
| 1961 | 64 and 3 months | 2025 |
| 1962 | 64 and 6 months | 2026 |
| 1963 | 64 and 9 months | 2027 |
| 1964 and later | 65 | 2028 |

Women born between 1961 and 1969 form the "transitional generation". If they do not draw their pension early, they receive a lifelong pension supplement whose amount depends on their average annual income and their year of birth. If they draw it early, they benefit from lower reduction rates than the ordinary ones.

The pension is due from the first day of the month following the month in which the reference age is reached. It is advisable to apply three to four months in advance to the compensation office that collected your most recent contributions.

## Who pays OASI contributions?

### People in gainful employment

Employees pay contributions from 1 January following their 17th birthday. Contributions are deducted directly from the salary, half paid by the employee and half by the employer. A salary of no more than 2,500 CHF a year per employer is only subject to contributions if the employee asks for it; this threshold does not apply to people employed in a private household, who in principle contribute from the first franc.

A person who keeps working after the reference age still pays contributions, but benefits from an allowance of 16,800 CHF a year (1,400 CHF a month) per job. They can waive it to improve their pension, for example by filling a contribution gap.

### People not in gainful employment

Even without a job, you pay OASI contributions from 1 January following your 20th birthday until the reference age. This applies in particular to:

-   people who have taken early retirement;
-   recipients of disability (DI) pensions;
-   recipients of daily sickness or accident allowances;
-   students;
-   unemployed people whose entitlement to benefits has run out;
-   divorced people, widows and widowers;
-   spouses of retired people who have not yet reached the reference age;
-   spouses of people working abroad.

A married person with no gainful employment is exempt from contributions if their spouse, who counts as gainfully employed for OASI purposes, pays at least 1,060 CHF in contributions a year, i.e. twice the minimum contribution.

A person who works less than nine months in the year or less than 50% of normal working time may also have to contribute as a non-employed person, if the contributions deducted from their salary (including the employer's share) do not reach half of what they would pay without any employment.

## What are the OASI contribution rates in 2026?

### Employees

To find the amount deducted on your payslip, apply the employee's share to your gross salary:

OASI, DI and income compensation contribution rates on salary in 2026: employee's share, employer's share and total
|  | Employee's share | Employer's share | Total |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| OASI (AHV/AVS) | 4.35% | 4.35% | 8.7% |
| DI (IV/AI) | 0.7% | 0.7% | 1.4% |
| Income compensation (EO/APG) | 0.25% | 0.25% | 0.5% |
| **Total** | **5.3%** | **5.3%** | **10.6%** |

Example: on a gross salary of 6,000 CHF a month, the OASI/DI/income compensation deduction is 318 CHF (5.3%). Unemployment insurance contributions and, where applicable, occupational pension (BVG/LPP) contributions come on top.

### Self-employed people

Self-employed people pay the full contribution themselves: 10.0% of income (8.1% OASI, 1.4% DI, 0.5% income compensation) from an annual income of 60,500 CHF. Below that, a sliding scale applies, down to 5.371% for an income between 10,100 and 17,600 CHF. Below 10,100 CHF, the minimum contribution is 530 CHF a year.

### People not in gainful employment

Their contribution depends on their assets and their income received in the form of pensions (multiplied by 20). It ranges from 530 CHF a year, for a total below 350,000 CHF, to a maximum of 26,500 CHF a year.

Compensation offices also charge an administrative costs contribution. Detailed scales: information leaflets from the AHV/IV Information Centre, [2.02 – Self-employed contributions](https://www.ahv-iv.ch/p/2.02.e) and [2.03 – Non-employed contributions](https://www.ahv-iv.ch/p/2.03.e).

## How much is the OASI pension in 2026?

The amount of the old-age pension depends on three factors: years of contributions, income from gainful employment, and child-raising or care credits. The amounts below, in force since 1 January 2025, remain unchanged in 2026:

Minimum and maximum monthly OASI old-age pensions and child's pensions in 2026, for a full contribution period (scale 44)
| Full pension (scale 44) | Minimum per month | Maximum per month |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Individual old-age pension | 1,260 CHF | 2,520 CHF |
| Married couple (sum of both pensions, capped at 150%) | – | 3,780 CHF |
| Child's pension | 504 CHF | 1,008 CHF |

-   **Contribution period:** the pension is paid in full if you have contributed without interruption from 1 January following your 20th birthday until the reference age, i.e. 44 years for people whose reference age is 65. In principle, each missing year reduces the pension by at least 1/44.
-   **Average annual income:** the minimum pension corresponds to a revalued average annual income of up to 15,120 CHF; the maximum pension is reached from 90,720 CHF.
-   **Credits:** for each year in which you looked after a child under 16 or a relative receiving a helplessness allowance, a credit equal to three times the annual minimum pension, i.e. 45,360 CHF, is added to the calculation. For the years of marriage, it is split equally between the spouses.
-   **Splitting:** the income earned by the spouses during the calendar years of marriage is added together and then divided equally between them, on divorce or when both spouses are entitled to a pension.

A year's contributions can no longer be claimed or paid five years after the end of that calendar year: an older gap can in principle no longer be filled. To check your years of contributions, ask your compensation office for a free extract of your individual account (IK/CI). To find out more about the conditions for the maximum pension, see our guide to the [maximum OASI pension](https://www.ibani.com/en/guides/maximum-avs-pension).

## What is the 13th OASI pension?

Approved by popular vote on 3 March 2024, the 13th OASI pension is paid for the first time in **December 2026**. It goes to everyone entitled to an old-age pension in the month of December and takes the form of a supplement to the December pension.

-   Its amount is one twelfth of the old-age pension received during the calendar year. For a pension of 2,520 CHF a month received all year, the 13th pension is 2,520 CHF.
-   Only old-age pensions are concerned: survivors' pensions, disability pensions and child's pensions are still paid twelve times a year.
-   Its funding has not yet been settled: in June 2026, Parliament approved a 0.4-point VAT increase from 2028, which is subject to a vote of the people and the cantons on 29 November 2026. The December 2026 payment does not depend on it.

## Can you draw your pension early or defer it?

Since AHV 21, the old-age pension can be drawn between the ages of 63 and 70, in full or in part (between 20% and 80% of the pension).

-   **Early withdrawal:** possible from 63 (from 62 for women born between 1961 and 1969). The pension is reduced for life by 6.8% for one year of early withdrawal and by 13.6% for two years, excluding the specific rates for the transitional generation. During the early-withdrawal period, people not in gainful employment continue to pay contributions and no child's pension is paid.
-   **Deferral:** possible for one to five years after the reference age. The pension is increased for life by 5.2% after one year and by up to 31.5% after five years. Deferral must be requested no later than one year after reaching the reference age.

## Which pensions are paid to survivors?

When an insured person dies, OASI pays widow's, widower's or orphan's pensions, provided the deceased had contributed for at least one full year. For a full contribution period, the monthly amounts for 2026 are as follows:

Minimum and maximum monthly OASI survivors' pensions (widow, widower, orphan) in 2026, for a full contribution period (scale 44)
| Survivors' pension (scale 44) | Minimum per month | Maximum per month |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Widow's or widower's pension | 1,008 CHF | 2,016 CHF |
| Orphan's pension | 504 CHF | 1,008 CHF |

-   **Widows:** a married woman is entitled to a pension if she has at least one child at the time of the death, whatever the child's age, or if she is at least 45 and had been married for at least five years.
-   **Widowers:** a married man is entitled to a pension if he has at least one child at the time of the death. Since a judgment of the European Court of Human Rights of 11 October 2022, this pension no longer ends when the youngest child turns 18; widowers without children are not entitled to it.
-   **Orphans:** the pension is paid until age 18, or until the end of education or training but no later than age 25.

If a person meets the conditions for both a survivors' pension and an old-age pension, the higher of the two is paid.

## What changes for cross-border workers and expats?

A [cross-border worker](https://www.ibani.com/en/cross-border-workers) employed in Switzerland pays OASI contributions on their Swiss salary, just like a resident. Every year of contributions in Switzerland counts towards their future pension, which will be paid to them even if they live in the European Union or in an EFTA state.

-   **Pension application:** if you have contributed in Switzerland and in one or more EU or EFTA states, a single application filed in your country of residence is enough to start the procedure in all the countries concerned. Otherwise, contact the Swiss Compensation Office (SCO).
-   **Payment abroad:** the Swiss Compensation Office (SCO) in Geneva pays pensions to beneficiaries living abroad, usually in the currency of their country. The conversion is made at the exchange rate on the day of the transaction, over which the SCO has no influence. Only payments to a bank or postal account in Switzerland are made in Swiss francs.

**💡 And your salary in the meantime?** Contributions are deducted from a salary paid in francs. If you live in the eurozone and convert that salary every month, the gap between the rate applied by your bank and the interbank rate is a recurring cost, charged on every transfer. [ibani](https://www.ibani.com/en/app), a Geneva-based financial intermediary (not a bank), converts your francs into euros with a sliding margin from 0.40% to 0.15% depending on the amount.

## How can I estimate my OASI pension?

The easiest way is to use [ESCAL](https://www.acor-avs.ch/), the online calculator provided by the Swiss Compensation Office: based on the information you enter, it gives a non-binding estimate of your future old-age pension. The estimate is only as reliable as your data: an extract of your individual account (IK/CI), which you can request from your compensation office, lets you check that all your earnings have been recorded.

## What is the OASI (AHV) number and where can you find it?

The OASI number (AHV/AVS number) is your personal Swiss social insurance identifier. It has thirteen digits, begins with 756 and stays with you for life. To find it:

![OASI number](https://www.ibani.com/images/numero-avs.svg)

-   If you are insured with a Swiss health insurer, your OASI number appears on your health insurance card.
-   As a [cross-border worker](https://www.ibani.com/en/cross-border-workers), ask your employer in Switzerland, who can also tell you which compensation office it is affiliated with.

## Frequently asked questions

### What is OASI (AHV/AVS)?

Old-age and survivors' insurance (OASI, AHV/AVS) is the first pillar of Swiss pension provision. It pays an old-age pension from the reference age and pensions to widows, widowers and orphans. It is funded mainly by contributions deducted from the earnings of people in work.

### What is the OASI retirement age in 2026?

The reference age is 65 for men. For women, it is rising by three months a year: 64 and 6 months for women born in 1962, 64 and 9 months for those born in 1963, then 65 for those born in 1964 and later.

### What is the OASI contribution rate in 2026?

For an employee, OASI, disability insurance and income compensation contributions amount to 10.6% of gross salary: 5.3% paid by the employee and 5.3% by the employer. Self-employed people pay 10.0% from an income of 60,500 CHF a year, with a sliding scale below that. The minimum contribution is 530 CHF a year.

### What are the minimum and maximum OASI pensions in 2026?

For a full contribution period, the old-age pension ranges from 1,260 CHF to 2,520 CHF a month. For a married couple, the sum of the two pensions is capped at 3,780 CHF a month.

### When is the 13th OASI pension paid?

The 13th OASI pension is paid for the first time in December 2026, then every year in December, together with that month's pension. It is equal to one twelfth of the old-age pension received during the year and applies only to old-age pensions.

### Can you draw your OASI pension before 65?

Yes, from 63, or from 62 for women born between 1961 and 1969. The pension is then reduced for life, by 6.8% per year of early withdrawal at the ordinary rates. It is also possible to draw only part of the pension early, between 20% and 80%.

### Is a cross-border worker entitled to an OASI pension?

Yes. A cross-border worker pays OASI contributions on their Swiss salary and acquires rights for each year of contributions. The pension is paid even if they live in an EU or EFTA country. If they have also contributed in their country of residence, a single application filed with that country's pension institution is enough; otherwise, they contact the Swiss Compensation Office (SCO).

## Sources

-   AHV/IV Information Centre, information leaflets: [2.01 – Salary contributions](https://www.ahv-iv.ch/p/2.01.e), [3.01 – Old-age pensions](https://www.ahv-iv.ch/p/3.01.e), [3.03 – Survivors' pensions](https://www.ahv-iv.ch/p/3.03.e), [3.04 – Flexible retirement](https://www.ahv-iv.ch/p/3.04.e).
-   Federal Social Insurance Office (FSIO), in French: [AVS 21](https://www.bsv.admin.ch/fr/avs-21) and [implementation of the 13th OASI pension](https://www.bsv.admin.ch/fr/misenoeuvre-13-rente-avs).
-   Swiss Compensation Office (SCO): [payment methods](https://www.zas.admin.ch/en/payment-methods) and [exchange rates and fees](https://www.zas.admin.ch/en/exchange-rates-financial-fees-and-charges-withholding-taxes).
-   [Federal Act on Old-Age and Survivors' Insurance (AHVG/LAVS, SR 831.10)](https://www.fedlex.admin.ch/eli/cc/63/837_843_843/fr), in French.

This article sets out the general OASI rules for 2026 for information purposes. For your personal situation, only your compensation office can determine your entitlements.

## Get our next guide by email

Don't miss our next article on life and work in Switzerland, and receive it straight into your mailbox when published!

[Subscribe](https://eepurl.com/gbPvhf)

## Have a question?

Our FAQ gathers the most frequent questions that our clients ask us. Your question is probably answered there!

[To the FAQ](https://www.ibani.com/en/support)

If you don't find the answer you're looking for, our team will help you by [email](https://www.ibani.com/en/contact), on the [phone](https://www.ibani.com/en/contact) (Monday to Friday), on [Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/ibani.exchange) or on [Twitter](https://x.com/ibani_change).

[Back to guides](https://www.ibani.com/en/guides)