Care at home

Helplessness allowance 2026: CHF 252 to CHF 2'016 a month, regardless of income and assets

If your father, your partner or your child constantly needs help in daily life, with dressing, washing, eating, or because they cannot be left alone, there is money for that. From pension age the AHV pays CHF 252, CHF 630 or CHF 1'008 a month, before that the IV pays up to CHF 2'016. The check below shows in a minute the likely degree and how many hours of care the amount pays for.

September 23, 20266 min read

CHF per month, 2026, at home

AHV (pension age)IV (before pension age)

Regardless of income and assets.

Allowance check

Do you qualify, and how much is it?

4 short questions. Answer in francs per month.

1. Who needs help?

Who pays how much

Which insurance pays depends on when and why the need for help began. The amounts are the same across Switzerland, the canton makes no difference.

Caused by an accidentAccident insurance
Began before pension ageIV, continues afterwards
Began after pension ageAHV

Degree	AHV	IV at home	IV in a care home	Accident insurance
mild	CHF 252at home only	CHF 504	CHF 126	CHF 812
moderate	CHF 630	CHF 1'260	CHF 315	CHF 1'624
severe	CHF 1'008	CHF 2'016	CHF 504	CHF 2'436

per month

Children (IV): the same amounts as IV at home, calculated per day: CHF 16.80, 42.00 and 67.20. On top comes the intensive care supplement if a child needs at least 4, 6 or 8 hours more care per day: CHF 1'008, 1'764 or 2'520 per month.

For the IV, a care home means more than 15 days a month. In a care home the AHV keeps paying moderate and severe, not mild.

Claim and waiting period

The AHV or IV application goes to the IV office of your canton of residence, even if in the end the AHV pays. The IV office assesses, the compensation office pays out. If you regularly support or care for the person, you may submit the application for them.

1
Apply
At the IV office of your canton of residence, also for the AHV. Form 009.002 (AHV), 001.004 (IV, adults) or 001.005 (children).
2
Assessment
The IV office gets a medical report and often assesses at your home what help is needed and how much.
3
Decision
You receive the degree in writing. The allowance is paid monthly. If things get worse, ask for a review.

Do not wait too long: if you apply more than a year after the entitlement arose, the IV pays back at most the 12 months before the application.

What you can do with the money

The allowance is a fixed amount per month, not a refund of bills. This is what else it touches:

Free to use
The allowance belongs to the person who needs help and is meant to leave them the choice of how they are helped. For example with hours of a carer.
Supplementary benefits
As a rule it does not count as income for EL (Art. 11 para. 3 ELG).
Taxes
Federal tax: instead of actual costs, a flat deduction of CHF 2'500, 6'000 or 9'500 per year. If you deduct actual costs, you subtract the allowance from them.
Assistance contribution (IV)
Adults with an IV allowance at home: CHF 35.30 per hour for an assistant they employ themselves, not a spouse or direct relative.
Care credits
If you care for a relative who receives a helplessness allowance, you can get AHV care credits. That improves your own pension.
More for family carers →

If you use the money to employ someone

Then you are an employer, even as a private household: AHV registration from the first franc, accident insurance for every employee (from 8 hours a week also for non-work accidents), a payslip every month and the wage certificate at year end. The employment contract for care work shows what belongs in the contract. Whether Spitex or a private carer suits you better is covered in the comparison of Spitex and private care.

We do the carer's registration with you

Clino prepares the AHV registration and walks you through it, creates the payslip every month and the wage certificate at year end. That leaves more time for the person who matters. Nothing is charged before day 30.

Try free for 30 days

Frequently asked questions

Does the helplessness allowance depend on income or assets?

No. It is paid regardless of income and assets. The only thing that counts is how much help the person needs in daily life.

Is the helplessness allowance also paid in a care home?

Yes, with limits. In a care home the AHV pays the moderate degree (CHF 630) and the severe one (CHF 1'008), not the mild one. The IV pays a quarter in a care home: CHF 126, CHF 315 or CHF 504 a month.

How long do you have to wait?

For the AHV the helplessness must have lasted 6 months without a break, the rule since 2024. For the IV it is 12 months. After that the assessment still takes time, so it pays to apply early.

What happens to the IV allowance at pension age?

From pension age the AHV continues to pay it, at least at the previous amount. If you defer the AHV pension, you lose this protection.

Can I use the helplessness allowance to pay a carer?

Yes. The allowance is meant to leave the person concerned the choice of how they are helped. If you employ someone, the normal employer duties apply: AHV from the first franc, accident insurance, a monthly payslip.

What does the helplessness allowance mean for the tax deduction?

If you deduct a carer's costs as disability-related costs, you must subtract the helplessness allowance, because to that extent you do not bear the costs yourself. For federal tax there is a flat deduction instead: CHF 2'500 (mild), CHF 6'000 (moderate) or CHF 9'500 (severe) a year. Ask your cantonal tax office about its rule.

Sources

Fact sheet 3.01: old-age pensions and helplessness allowances of the AHV, as of 2026 - ahv-iv.ch
Fact sheet 4.13: helplessness allowances of the IV (German) - ahv-iv.ch
FSIO: amounts valid from 1 January 2026 - bsv.admin.ch
AHVG Art. 43bis (entitlement, waiting period, amount) - fedlex.admin.ch
IVG Art. 42 to 42ter and IVV Art. 37 to 39 (degrees, children, intensive care supplement) - fedlex.admin.ch
UVV Art. 22 and 38 (accident insurance) - fedlex.admin.ch
Federal compensation office: apply to the IV office, form 009.002 - eak.admin.ch
Federal Tax Administration circular no. 11a, 2026 (disability-related costs) - estv.admin.ch
ELG Art. 11 (supplementary benefits) - fedlex.admin.ch