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Pension question, Switzerland

What happens to my Swiss pension fund when I leave Switzerland?

If a person left Switzerland without telling their occupational pension fund (2nd pillar) where to send their vested benefits, and did not take a cash payment, the fund must transfer the money to the Substitute Occupational Benefit Institution (Auffangeinrichtung) at the latest two years after they left. In the second pillar, money left behind moves off the employer's books within six months to two years, then moves again ten years after reference age.

What to do next

  1. List each Swiss employer and the name of its pension fund, if you know it.
  2. Note the date you left each job and the date you left Switzerland.
  3. Run our free check, then order a report if you want us to identify where the money is held.

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Questions people also ask

When can a cash payment be looked at after a move to the EU?

For someone who has moved to an EU or EFTA state, the clarification with the foreign social insurance authority needed for a cash payment of Swiss 2nd pillar vested benefits can take place only from 90 days after departure from Switzerland.

Do you give advice on what to do?

No. We identify where a pension is likely held and the official route to it, and we name each source with the date we read it. We do not give financial, tax or legal advice.