Skip to content

Insurance & Obligation

UVG accident insurance for household staff: compulsory from the first hour

Salvador Jovells

What does accident insurance cost?

Hours per week
4
Hourly wage
CHF 25

CHF 26a year for occupational accident cover, on CHF 5'200 of annual wage. You pay it, and it is mandatory from the first hour.

Under 8 hours a week there is no non-occupational cover.

Register and insure her →

30 days free, then CHF 19.90/month · cancel anytime

The whole premium bill ↓
Smiling household helper cleaning a tall window in a period apartment, a green cloth in her hand
Accident insurance (UVG) is mandatory from the very first hour of work, and the premium is small.

Accident insurance (UVG) is mandatory for every cleaner or domestic helper, from the very first hour of work. Without a policy, the Ersatzkasse UVG pays and charges you substitute premiums up to 5 years back. The premium itself is small: at 4 hours a week and CHF 25 an hour it is about CHF 26 a year.

Answer in 30 seconds

Yes, from the first hour of work: occupational accident insurance (BU) is mandatory for every domestic worker and is always paid by the employer. From 8 hours a week with you, non-occupational cover (NBU) is added, which you may deduct from the wage. Through VAVplus, which you can tick at registration in every canton, it costs 0.505 % (BU) and 1.432 % (NBU) of the gross wage in 2026.

This applies when

For anyone who privately employs domestic help, a cleaner, a nanny or a carer - the UVG duty applies from the first franc of wage, no matter how few the hours.

Official sources

See an example premium

More on insuring your household help: Insuring a cleaner: all mandatory insurances & costs·VAVplus: UVG cover via the Ausgleichskasse·Find your UVG insurer: calculator & wizard·Sick-pay insurance (KTG): where it is mandatory

What happens after an accident

  1. Day 1

    Accident

    At work or on the way to work

  2. From day 1

    Treatment costs

    Doctor, hospital, therapy: 100%, no deductible

  3. From day 4

    Daily allowance

    80% of the wage until she can work again

  4. Long-term

    Pension

    For disability, or for survivors in case of death

The UVG policy pays

Without a policy the Ersatzkasse UVG pays the benefits anyway and bills you replacement premiums for up to five years, double if inexcusable (Art. 95 UVG).

Official data 2026Source: BSV + SUVA

Who Needs UVG Insurance?

Wooden step stool with a folded cleaning cloth on a hard kitchen floor, casting a long shadow in the sunlight
One misstep while cleaning a cupboard is enough. Occupational accident insurance is compulsory from the first working hour, even at two hours a week.

Short answer: every employer in Switzerland. The detailed answer depends on the workload:

1

Cleaner, housekeeper or domestic helper - BU mandatory from the 1st working hour

2

Babysitter, nanny, au pair - UVG mandatory like any other employment

3

Gardener, caretaker, care assistant - all count as employees in a private household

4

Even part-time workers paid hourly are full employees under UVG law

Accident insurance is only one of your duties as an employer. To see which insurances apply to your domestic worker overall, use a quick check of all mandatory insurances.

BU vs. NBU: The Two Pillars of Accident Insurance

The UVG distinguishes two categories of accidents - and the rules differ:

Occupational Accident (BU)
Non-Occupational Accident (NBU)
What is covered?
Accidents at work (under 8 h/week also on the commute)
Accidents in leisure time - skiing, cycling, at home
Mandatory from when?
From the very first hour of work
From 8 hours per week with you
Who pays the premium?
Always you, the employer
The employee - you may deduct it from her wage
Premium rate (VAVplus)
0.505% of the gross wage
1.432% of the gross wage

Occupational Accident (BU): Also covers occupational diseases

So what applies in your case?

< 8 h

Less than 8 hrs/week with you

You only insure occupational accidents. If something happens in her free time, her health insurer takes over.

≥ 8 h

8 hrs/week or more with you

You insure occupational and non-occupational accidents. You deduct the NBU premium from her wage, unless you agree in the written employment contract that you will pay it.

Understanding the 8-Hour Rule: Important: The 8-hour threshold refers to working hours with a single employer. If your cleaner works 4 hours with you and 9 hours with another household, the NBU obligation only applies to the second employer. The wage ceiling and the pension fund are also checked per household, as the guide on cleaners with several employers shows.

What Does UVG Insurance Cost?

For a cleaner working 4 hours a week at CHF 25, you pay about CHF 26 of BU premium a year. From 8 hours a week the NBU is added, which you may deduct from her wage. This is what the bill looks like:

Anatomy

What accident insurance really costs in a year

UVG premium invoice

Private household, one year

Annual wage (CHF 25/hr × 4 hrs/week)CHF 5'200
Occupational premium (0.505%) · employerCHF 26.26
Non-occupational premium (1.432%)falls away
Total annual premiumCHF 26.26

  1. Both premiums are calculated on the same gross wage. At CHF 25 an hour and 4 hours a week that is CHF 5'200 a year.

  2. Occupational cover is mandatory from the very first hour and is always carried by the employer. It may not be deducted from the wage.

  3. Non-occupational cover falls away here: 4 hours a week is under the eight-hour threshold. From eight hours it adds 1.432%, which may be passed on to the employee.

  4. The whole year costs around CHF 26.26. That is the number most people guess far too high.

Next step: registration with the compensation office, with VAVplus ticked. Clino pre-fills the form with these numbers.

Register with 4 h/week at CHF 25 →

UVG Registration: Step by Step

Here is how to correctly register your domestic helper for UVG insurance:

Stop 1 · Create an employment contract

Document working hours, salary, tasks and notice period in writing. The employment contract is the basis for all social insurances.

What Happens Without UVG Insurance?

Anyone who fails to insure their domestic helper violates federal law. The consequences are real and painful:

1

Substitute premiums up to 5 years back

Without UVG, the Ersatzkasse UVG pays ALL statutory benefits to your employee and charges you substitute premiums for them: up to 5 years back, doubled if the omission is inexcusable, up to ten times for repeat failures (Art. 95 UVG).

2

Retroactive premiums

The compensation office can retroactively claim all social insurance contributions - including default interest.

3

Criminal proceedings

Knowingly evading the insurance obligation can bring a monetary penalty of up to 180 daily rates (Art. 112 para. 1 let. a UVG).

The Ersatzkasse UVG, the substitute fund for accident insurance, receives around 500 reports a year from the compensation offices about households with no proof of accident insurance.

“What is missing is awareness, not ways to get insured.”

Ersatzkasse UVG, information of 14 October 2026 (translated from German)

So a missing policy does not go unnoticed: the compensation offices report households without proof to the Ersatzkasse. Take out the insurance before the first working day, through VAVplus when you register or with an approved UVG insurer.

Typical case

The cleaner suffers a severe back injury and the household has no UVG policy. Treatment and daily allowance are paid by the Ersatzkasse UVG. The household pays the substitute premiums for the whole period without a policy, plus retroactive claims for all social contributions.

What happens without accident insurance? Real consequences

AHV registration with accident insurance, prepared for you

Clino pre-fills your registration with the compensation office, with the VAVplus box ticked for accident insurance, and then produces every payslip. CHF 19.90/month, plus the usual contributions and premiums. You take out the policy yourself, through the office or an insurer.

Get started now

Frequently Asked Questions About UVG Insurance

Is UVG mandatory for a cleaner working only 2 hours per week?
Yes. Occupational accident insurance (BU) is mandatory for ALL employees - from the very first working hour. Even at 2 hours per week, you must pay the BU premium. Non-occupational accident insurance (NBU) only becomes mandatory from 8 hours per week with one employer.
What is the difference between UVG and KVG for accidents?
UVG covers accidents of employees - treatment without deductible and co-payment, plus daily allowance and pensions. KVG (health insurance) only covers accidents where UVG does not apply: with deductible, co-payment and no daily allowance. If the employer has no UVG policy, occupational accidents are paid by the Ersatzkasse UVG, not KVG. For employees under 8h/week, KVG covers leisure accidents.
Can I deduct the NBU premium from my cleaner's salary?
Yes. The NBU premium may be charged to the employee via salary deduction. No agreement is needed for this: the law provides for the deduction (Art. 91 UVG); you can only deviate in her favour. The BU premium, on the other hand, is always borne by the employer.
What is VAVplus and why is it recommended?
VAVplus is the compensation offices' simplified procedure plus for private households: the accident insurance is billed together with the AHV contributions, and at most offices the insurer is SOLIDA Versicherungen. It covers BU and NBU. All 26 cantonal compensation offices offer VAVplus, but only if you tick the opt-in at registration. Registration is available online there and premiums are affordable. Clino prepares the VAVplus registration for every customer - if you would rather have your own policy, we give you the comparison options.
What happens if my cleaner has an accident on the way to work?
If she works under 8 hours a week for you, accidents on the way to work count as occupational accidents (BU); from 8 hours they count as non-occupational accidents and are covered by the NBU. This also applies to the journey home. Full UVG benefits (medical costs, daily allowance, pensions) apply.
Do I have to report an accident to the insurer as an employer?
Yes. You are legally obliged to report every occupational accident and every non-occupational accident (if NBU-insured) to the UVG insurer within a few days. A report within 48 hours is recommended. Late reporting may result in reduced benefits.
Which deductions apply for less than 8 hours per week?
If your household help works less than 8 hours per week, the non-occupational accident insurance (NBU, 1.432%) does not apply: it only becomes mandatory from 8 hours per week. In that case, leisure-time accidents are covered by the employee's own health insurance. Everything else stays the same: AHV/IV/EO (5.3% each side) and ALV (1.1% each side) are owed from the first franc, the employer pays occupational accident insurance (BU, 0.505%) from the first working hour, and the simplified procedure adds a flat 5% withholding tax. So below 8 hours the employee keeps a little more net, because the NBU deduction is dropped.

Free Checklist: Hire Household Help Correctly

AHV, accident insurance, contract. All on one page, by email in 30 seconds.

No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.

Sources & further information

Learn more

VAVplus: accident insurance through the compensation officeRead article
Cleaner Accident Without Insurance: Who Pays?Read article
Insuring Your Cleaner: What You Must Pay as an EmployerRead article
Cleaner With Several Employers: Registering AHV and UVG CorrectlyRead article
Salvador Jovells

Salvador Jovells, founder of Clino