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Ticino Guide

Chèque service in Ticino: it doesn't exist - how to declare your domestic worker anyway (2026)

The «chèque service» is a Geneva specialty: no other canton has one, not even Ticino. Whoever hires a cleaner, caregiver or nanny in Ticino declares the employment directly to the Istituto delle assicurazioni sociali (IAS) in Bellinzona, via the simplified procedure. This guide shows how it works, step by step - and how Clino guides you through it, in 5 languages including Italian.

Reading time: 8 min·Updated: 22 July 2026
Answer in 30 seconds

There is no chèque service in Ticino - only Geneva has one. You declare your domestic worker directly to the Istituto delle assicurazioni sociali (IAS) in Bellinzona, via the simplified settlement procedure.

  • The «chèque emploi» network only covers French-speaking Switzerland: six organizations, none in Ticino.
  • The duties are the same as everywhere: AVS from the first franc, LAINF accident insurance, LPP pension above CHF 22,680.
  • Clino guides you step by step in 5 languages, Italian included - CHF 19.90/month.

Why Ticino has no chèque service

The chèque service is a scheme subsidised by the canton of Geneva - unique in Switzerland. In French-speaking Switzerland, five other independent organizations play a similar role under the «Chèques-Emploi Suisse» umbrella - but that network stops at the language border: neither German-speaking Switzerland nor Ticino has an equivalent system.

In practice: whoever hires household staff in Ticino organises the declaration directly with the cantonal compensation fund - the IAS in Bellinzona. The good news: the simplified settlement procedure for private households exists across Switzerland, and in Ticino it runs entirely in Italian.

'Chèque service Ticino / Lugano'? It doesn't exist

No such cantonal system exists in Ticino. The duty to declare remains, though: from the first franc of wages you are an employer subject to AVS.

How to declare your domestic worker in Ticino

Affiliation runs via the IAS's form 111: the «Questionario per l'affiliazione alla procedura di conteggio semplificata» - the questionnaire for joining the simplified procedure as a private employer of household staff. You send it by post or e-mail; wage declarations then run through the AVSeasy online portal or by post.

Declaring in Ticino - step by step

1

Draw up a written employment contract with your worker.

2

Fill in the IAS's form 111 and send it by post or e-mail to Bellinzona.

3

Sort out LAINF accident insurance: at point 6 of the form you can take it out directly via the compensation fund («procedura di conteggio semplificata Plus»).

4

Above CHF 22,680 annual salary: affiliate an LPP pension fund.

5

Settle the contributions via AVSeasy and file the wage declaration at year-end.

Register a cleaner in Ticino - full canton details

The competent fund: IAS Bellinzona

Istituto delle assicurazioni sociali (IAS), Via Ghiringhelli 15a, 6501 Bellinzona - tel. +41 91 821 91 11. Forms and information at www4.ti.ch/dss/ias; the online settlement portal is called AVSeasy. The IAS charges a 2% administrative-cost contribution.

Watch out for point 6 of form 111

If you do not yet have accident insurance for your employee, the form asks whether you want to take it out directly via the compensation fund («procedura di conteggio semplificata Plus»). Both are needed: answer «sì» at point 6 AND sign the confirmation at point 10. If you name no insurer at all, the IAS reports you to the LAINF substitute fund (Cassa suppletiva), which assigns you an insurer ex officio.
1.60%
employer FAK contribution in Ticino
CHF 215
child allowance per month
CHF 268
education allowance per month
5%
withholding tax in the simplified procedure

Your worker lives in Italy? The cross-border case

In Ticino this is everyday life: the worker lives in Italy and crosses the border daily on a G permit. Contrary to what is often assumed, the simplified procedure applies to cross-border workers from Italy like anyone else - no special procedure needed. Under the simplified procedure you withhold 5% source tax from the wage; the corresponding confirmation is already part of form 111.

Registering a cross-border domestic worker - the complete guide

Do it yourself or with guidance?

Declaring in Ticino is doable on your own - but all the administration then stays on your shoulders, month after month. The honest comparison:

Do it yourself

  • Form 111, LAINF and LPP decisions: figure everything out alone
  • A correct payslip to produce every month
  • Contributions and the annual wage declaration to keep track of
  • An employment contract to draft from scratch

With Clino

  • Guides you step by step through the IAS declaration - you stay in control
  • Employment contract and monthly payslip prepared for you
  • Automatic reminders for contributions and deadlines
  • Support in 5 languages, Italian included - CHF 19.90/month

Declare your domestic worker in Ticino - no chèque service needed

Clino guides you through the IAS declaration, prepares the contract and payslips and reminds you of every deadline - in Italian, German, French, English or Spanish. CHF 19.90/month, all included, 30 days free.

Start now - 30 days free

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Frequently Asked Questions

Is there a chèque service in Ticino?
No. The chèque service only exists in Geneva; the similar «chèque emploi» organizations only cover French-speaking Switzerland. In Ticino you declare directly to the Istituto delle assicurazioni sociali (IAS) in Bellinzona.
Where do I declare my cleaner or caregiver in Ticino?
With the IAS in Bellinzona (Via Ghiringhelli 15a), using form 111 for the simplified settlement procedure - by post or e-mail. Wage settlements then run through the AVSeasy portal or by post.
From what salary do I have to declare?
The AVS obligation applies from the first franc in a private household - there is no minimum threshold (the CHF 750 figure only applies to employees under 25). Declaration is also possible retroactively.
My worker is a cross-border commuter from Italy - does that change anything?
Little: with a G permit the simplified procedure applies as normal. You withhold 5% source tax from the wage - the confirmation is already included in the IAS's form 111.
How does Clino help me in Ticino?
Clino guides you step by step: it prepares the IAS declaration, the employment contract and the monthly payslips, and reminds you of contributions and deadlines. You remain the employer and keep control. CHF 19.90/month, in 5 languages.

Sources & Legal References

  • IAS Ticino (www4.ti.ch/dss/ias) - form 111, simplified settlement procedure, checked July 2026
  • cheques-emploi-suisse.ch - the «chèque emploi» network only covers French-speaking Switzerland
  • FSIO - leaflet 2.06 domestic work (AVS due from the first franc)
  • FSIO - «Arten und Ansätze der Familienzulagen 2026» (Ticino FAK rate and allowances)

As of July 2026. Cantonal rules and amounts change - check the current status before each hire.

Salvador Jovells

Salvador Jovells, founder of Clino

Verified July 2026