Old-age pensions
The old-age pension is intended for persons who reach the reference age and meet certain conditions. However, payment of this pension can be brought forward or deferred.
Reference age
In Switzerland, the term “reference age” corresponds to “retirement age”.
The reference age for men is 65.
The reference age for women will gradually increase from 64 to 65, as follows:
Conditions
- you have paid OASI/DI contributions for at least twelve months, or
- you have been insured by your spouse who has been gainfully employed and has paid at least double the minimum contribution, or still
- you are entitled to parental or care credits.
Payment of your old-age pension begins in the month following the reference age and ends at the end of the month in which you die.
Early pension
You can bring forward the payment of your old-age pension to the nearest month, from 1 to 24 months after your 63rd birthday.
However, women born between 1961 and 1969 can continue to draw their pension early from the month following their 62nd birthday.
You can ask to receive between 20% and 80% of your pension gradually.
Reduction rate applied throughout your retirement:
- 6,8% per year of early retirement for men and for women born up to 1960 or from 1970 onwards
- from 1st January 2025, women born between 1961 and 1969 who draw their pension early benefit from favourable reduction rates
No child pension is paid during the period of early retirement.
You must submit your request no later than the month before you reach the age at which you wish to draw your pension early.
Payment of the early old-age pension can begin at the earliest in the month following your application.
Deferring your pension
You can defer payment of your old-age pension for between 1 and 5 years maximum and thus benefit from a monthly supplement.
You can defer all or part of your pension. The proportion of the partial deferment can be expressed, from a minimum of 20% to a maximum of 80% of the pension.
You must submit your request within 1 year of reaching the reference age without fixing the duration of the deferment in advance.
When you defer payment of your old-age pension, you also defer any potential children’s pensions.
Revocation of deferment
The deferred pension can be revoked at any time for a specific month.
The revocation (in whole or in part) can take place at the earliest 12 months after the reference age and at the latest when you reach the age of 70.
To do so, please complete and send it back to the Swiss Compensation Office:
This form also allows you to change the deferred portion of your pension (for example, going from a deferral of 80% to a deferral of 50% of the pension). Such a change can only be requested once.
Gainful employment after the age of 65
Persons who are gainfully employed in Switzerland and are of retirement age are still required to pay contributions either on their entire salary or with a deductible of 1’400.- Swiss francs per month.
In return, they may, under certain conditions, benefit from the following advantages:
- Consideration of OASI contributions paid after the age of 65;
- Filling in contribution gaps;
- Improvement of the annual qualifying income;
- Improvement of the old-age pension (up to the maximum pension).
If you continue to pay contributions after the reference age, you may request a recalculation of your pension, but only on request and only once. Insured persons who were already receiving an OASI benefit on 1st January 2024 and who had not yet reached the age of 70 on that same date, may also request a recalculation of their OASI benefit.
To do so, please complete and send it back to the Swiss Compensation Office:
Entitlement begins at the earliest in the month following the month in which the recalculation is requested.
Old-age pension calculation
The calculation elements of the old-age pensions are as follows:
- The contribution years, which can be taken into account;
- The income from gainful employment;
- Bonus years for the educative and/or assistance tasks.
You are entitled to a full pension if you have fulfilled your obligation to pay contributions without gaps from the year in which you turn 21 until the reference age.
If the contribution period is incomplete, you will receive a partial pension.
Find out more : Leaflet 3.01 OASI old-age pensions and helplessness allowances
Income sharing or “splitting”
In Switzerland, the division of income between spouses is referred to as “splitting”.
The income earned by the spouses during the calendar years of marriage is divided and allocated equally to each spouse.
This splitting is made when:
- each of the two spouses is entitled to an old-age or disability pension;
- the marriage has been dissolved by a divorce or by a declaration of annulment or
- one of the two dies and the surviving spouse is already in receipt of a pension.
Leaflet 1.02 Division of pension rights for divorced couples
318.269 - Application form for income splitting upon divorce
Upper limit of a married couple's pensions
The sum of the two individual pensions of a married couple must not be superior to 150% of the maximum pension. If this limit is exceeded, the two individual pensions are reduced accordingly.
OASI pension supplement for women
Women born between 1961 and 1969 who retire at or after the reference age are entitled to a pension supplement.
Find out more : Leaflet 31 Stabilisation of the OASI