AHV (old-age and survivors’ insurance)
The first pillar of the Swiss pension system, paying a pension from the reference age based on income and contribution years.
Everyone living or working in Switzerland pays in. The full pension needs 44 contribution years; each missing year reduces it by about 1/44. From December 2026 a 13th pension is paid once a year. Early retirees must keep paying contributions as non-employed people until the reference age.
Tools that use it
Related terms
- Three pillarsThe Swiss pension system: AHV (state), BVG (occupational) and private savings (3a and 3b).
- Reference ageThe AHV age at which the regular old-age pension starts: 65, with a transition for women born 1961 to 1963.
- AHV contribution gapA year without the required AHV contributions, which reduces your pension by about 1/44 for life.
- 13th AHV pensionAn extra monthly AHV old-age pension paid once a year, every December, from 2026.
Read more
Swiss pensions
The three pillars when you retire early
AHV, pension fund and Pillar 3a: what each one pays, when you can reach it and what that means if you stop working before 65.