Make it right
Paid your cleaner cash, off the books? How to put it right from today
What does it cost to put it right?
CHF 4'690back payment if you report it yourself: 3 years of contributions plus 5 % interest (Zurich)
If an inspection finds it, criminal proceedings follow and, after a conviction, a 50 % surcharge.
30 days free, then CHF 19.90/month · cancel anytime
Year by year in the calculator ↓
Many private households in Switzerland aren't sure what's actually correct. If you've been paying your cleaner in cash without declaring it, you're not alone. It can be sorted from today. This guide walks you through the calm route.
This guide is about the path from today onwards. For the operational retroactive declaration of the last 5 years: Declare your cleaner retroactively →
Am I in immediate trouble?
Rarely dramatic - usually back-pay.
What's the first step?
Register now, don't wait.
Does self-disclosure help?
Yes - it cuts fines significantly.
How fast is it sorted?
With Clino in about 10 minutes.
Have you been paying your cleaner in cash without registering? You can put it right: register the employment with the AHV - the simplified procedure is made exactly for small household wages - and pay the outstanding contributions. Coming forward yourself keeps it simple and avoids the heavier penalties you would face if it were discovered.
This applies when
For private households that have paid a cleaner or other domestic help in cash without registering, and now want to put it right.
Official sources
Take a breath - you're not alone
Estimates suggest a significant share of cleaning and household work in Switzerland still happens without formal registration. That's not a moral verdict - it's a market reality. The reasons are usually practical: nobody explained it, the effort felt big, the relationship is personal, the first step felt high.
What matters isn't what came before. What matters is that you make things clear from today. That's exactly what this guide is for.
What counts isn't yesterday - it's what you do from today.
What may not have been in order
If you've been paying cash without paperwork, some of the following may have been missing. Read this without self-blame - it's an inventory, not a verdict:
- 1
No AHV registration
In a private household, registration with the cantonal compensation office is mandatory from the very first franc of wages, regardless of the workload. There is no minor-amount threshold here (exception: employees up to the end of the year they turn 25 earning at most CHF 750/year).
- 2
No written contract
An employment contract isn't legally required, but it protects both sides: in case of illness, termination, damage or misunderstandings. With a contract template for cleaners it is ready quickly.
- 3
No payslip
Without a payslip, your cleaner can't prove her income - for taxes, rental applications, or social insurance claims.
- 4
No accident insurance (UVG)
Without UVG, the Ersatzkasse UVG pays the benefits and charges the private household substitute premiums up to 5 years back (Art. 95 UVG). Falls from ladders, cuts, chemical burns - those are the typical cases.
- 5
No proof of payment
Without a receipt or bank transfer, there's no record of what was actually paid, neither for you nor for your cleaner.
Worth knowing
Compensation Office
Employer audit
Keller family
Employer audit of your household
- ✕No contract: in a dispute, only what you both remember counts
- ✕Accident: the substitute fund pays, you owe 5 years of premiums
- ✕AHV: up to 5 years of back contributions (7 after an offence), plus a possible criminal penalty (Art. 87 AHVG)
Employment contract
PDFbetween Keller family · Maria Silva
- ✓NAV contract: holidays, notice and sick pay settled
- ✓Accident cover from the very first hour
- ✓AHV years for her, payslips for you
What might the past actually cost you?
Instead of staying in the dark: run your situation here. Monthly cash wage, number of years and canton give what a voluntary filing costs, year by year: contributions plus late interest. Nothing is stored unless you enter an email.
If you also want to check whether your current hourly rate matches the applicable minimum wage, or see step by step what the official registration looks like, here are the relevant guides. Minimum wage for cleaners → · Hiring a cleaner (step by step) →
What does the back payment cost?
Voluntary filing, calculated year by year.
As a rule 5 years at most (AHVG Art. 16). Anything older is time-barred.
Total back payment
CHF 4'690
of which the employee's share: CHF 1'843. Many employers cover it: she already received her wage in cash.
If an inspection uncovers it, criminal proceedings come on top: not registering is an offence, with a monetary penalty of up to 180 daily units (AHVG Art. 87). After a conviction the office also adds a 50 % surcharge on the contributions (AHVG Art. 14bis).
The compensation office settles the back payment. From today it runs clean: registration and a payslip every month, prepared.
Register correctly from today →Estimate. The compensation office bills your real annual wages; accident premiums are charged by the insurer or the substitute fund.
Your calm plan from today
Nobody expects you to solve it all in an hour. These five steps give you the right order - each one is small.
Check your situation anonymously
Before doing anything: take a calm overview. An anonymous self-check in 2 minutes shows where you stand, without exposing any data.
Start anonymous checkClarify the basics
How many hours per month? What hourly rate? Cash or transfer? Write down these three points - that's the foundation for everything else.
Calculate gross / netSet up a written contract
A simple employment contract sets out wage, hours, holidays and notice period. It protects both sides - and is the standard from the moment you make things clear.
Check contractPrepare the AHV registration
Registering with the cantonal compensation office usually takes under 15 minutes online. You sign up as a private employer - Clino prepares the whole registration for you.
Start with ClinoKeep it clean going forward
Receipts, hours log, monthly payslip. Sounds like a lot - it isn't, once it's set up. That's exactly what Clino is for.
How Clino works
The conversation with your cleaner - template
The hardest part is usually not the bureaucracy but the first conversation. Here's a calm, friendly template. You don't have to "confess" anything - you simply announce that from now on you want to do everything properly.
Build the WhatsApp message
Pick language and tone - the message updates live, then copy with one click.
Hi Maria, I've looked into things recently and I'd like to register our arrangement officially from next month. For you that means: same net pay, plus AHV pension contributions, accident insurance and paid holiday. Could we talk this through on Thursday? Thanks for being on board.
Tip: send in the evening - short, no pressure. Replies usually come the next day.
Tip: stay matter-of-fact and positive. Highlight what registration brings your cleaner: AHV pension contributions, accident cover with nothing to prove, official salary statement for taxes.
What Clino takes on - and what it doesn't decide
What Clino prepares from the switchover day
- •AHV registration of your cleaner with the relevant cantonal compensation office
- •Employment contract in 5 languages
- •Monthly payslip with correct social-insurance deductions
- •Annual salary statement
- •UVG accident insurance enrolment via VAVplus
What Clino deliberately does not decide
- •How the past (cash without declaration) is treated legally
- •Any fines or back-payments - that's decided by the compensation office or a qualified professional
- •Self-disclosures or formal procedures with authorities
- •Tax assessment in your specific case - ask a fiduciary or tax advisor
This separation is intentional. We're great at setting up everything correctly from today, and honest enough to tell you when you need a specialist.
Ready to make things clear from today?
Start with an anonymous check. If you want to go further, you'll be properly set up with Clino in under 15 minutes.
Frequently asked questions
I've paid my cleaner in cash for years. What happens with the past now?
Will I automatically be punished if I register now?
Do I have to do the registration with the compensation office myself?
Do I have to pay my cleaner less if I register her?
What if my cleaner prefers to stay "off the books"?
Can I deduct cleaner costs from my taxes?
How much does Clino cost monthly?
What happens if my cleaner reports me to the tax office or labour inspectorate?
How many years back do I have to register?
Legal note: This article provides general information about regularising previously undeclared household work in Switzerland. It does not replace individual legal advice or guidance from the relevant cantonal compensation office. How a specific past is treated legally depends on each case and should be clarified with a qualified professional. As of May 2026.
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