How we calculate
Every figure on My Swiss Chapter is an estimate from public, mostly official sources. This page shows the calculation, the source and reference year of each part, what is left out, and what happens to what you enter.
From gross salary to disposable income
- Gross salaryThe annual salary you enter, divided by twelve. A 13th month’s salary counts if it is part of the annual figure you enter.
- Social insuranceEmployee contributions 2026: AHV/IV/EO 5.3%, unemployment insurance 1.1% up to CHF 148’200, and the occupational pension (BVG) age credit for your age band, half of which the employer pays. Pension funds and accident insurance can deduct more.
- Income tax (estimate)Federal, cantonal and communal income tax for the cantonal capital, calculated with the official ESTV calculator for tax year 2026, with standard deductions, for one income, without church tax.
- RentThe canton’s average net rent of a 3–4-room flat, all leases (FSO, 2024). New leases are usually higher; service charges come on top.
- Health insuranceThe canton’s average monthly premium 2027 for adults and children, including the deductibles and models people choose (FOPH).
- ChildcareOnly if you enter childcare days: an example rate of CHF 130 a full day, before subsidies (familienleben.ch, December 2025).
- Radio and television feeThe household fee of CHF 312 a year from 2027 (DETEC).
- Disposable incomeWhat you have each month after social insurance, income tax, rent, health insurance, childcare and the radio and television fee, for all other expenses and for savings, such as food, transport and leisure. It is not the net salary on a payslip, which deducts only social insurance.
Sources and reference years
| Item | Source | Reference year | Next update |
|---|---|---|---|
| Social insurance | Federal Social Insurance Office (FSIO): contribution rates and BVG thresholds | 2026 | Each January |
| Income tax (estimate) | Federal Tax Administration (ESTV): official tax calculator, 26 cantonal capitals | 2026 | Each February, when the new tax year is available |
| Rent | Federal Statistical Office (FSO): structural survey | 2024 | When the FSO publishes new figures |
| Health insurance | Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH): average premiums per canton | 2027 | Each autumn, when the new premiums are published |
| Childcare | familienleben.ch: overview of childcare costs | 2025 | Once a year |
| Radio and television fee | Federal Department of the Environment, Transport, Energy and Communications (DETEC) | 2027 | When the fee changes |
What is not included
- Church taxAdded if you are a member of a recognised church.
- Your own communeTax is estimated for the cantonal capital; other communes of the same canton can be higher or lower.
- Personal deductionsPillar 3a, commuting, childcare and other deductions beyond the standard ones lower the tax.
- Tax at sourceForeign employees without a C permit are taxed through the payroll under separate tariffs; the yearly total is similar but not identical.
- Service chargesHeating and other charges come on top of the net rent.
- Owning your homeThe free tools assume a typical rent. Owners pay mortgage interest, amortisation and running costs instead, and until 2028 the imputed rental value is taxed while interest and maintenance are deducted; it is abolished from 2029.
- Living costsFood, transport, phone, leisure and savings are paid from disposable income.
- Other insuranceOnly basic health insurance is included. Supplementary, liability and contents insurance are not included.
- Subsidies and reductionsPremium reductions and childcare subsidies depend on income and the commune and are not deducted.
The checklists
The steps and deadlines for moving to and leaving Switzerland come from federal and cantonal sources, checked in October 2026 and linked beside each step. Rules can differ by canton and commune; the authorities have the final word.
What happens to what you enter
- In your browser. The free tools calculate in your browser. Salaries, households and ticked steps are not sent to My Swiss Chapter; the checklists keep your selection in this browser so that you can continue later.
- Anonymous counts. My Swiss Chapter counts page visits and the use of each tool as daily totals, without an IP address, a cookie or a visitor identifier.
- With an account. Only what you save in a My Swiss Chapter account is stored on My Swiss Chapter’s servers, in the EU (Frankfurt), and you can delete your account at any time.
What My Swiss Chapter is not
My Swiss Chapter is an independent information and planning service. It is not a recruitment or employment agency, does not place candidates or advertise vacancies, and gives no tax, legal or financial advice. For binding figures, ask the tax office, your employer or a qualified adviser.