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NAV 2026, the default contract for household work: a minimum wage of CHF 20.35/h

Salvador Jovells15 October 2026Reading time: 6 min

Open book on a light kitchen worktop, with a cleaning cloth and a spray bottle beside it and the sink in the background
The NAV applies automatically from 5 hours a week with the same household, except in Geneva, and there is nothing to sign.

The federal NAV for domestic work governs exactly one thing: the minimum wage. Working time, holidays, notice and sick pay are set by your canton's own standard employment contract and by the Code of Obligations. You sign none of them; all three apply automatically.

Answer in 30 seconds

The federal NAV for domestic work sets only minimum wages: in 2026 from CHF 20.35 an hour, from 5 h a week with the same household, everywhere except Geneva. Holidays, working time, notice and sick pay are set by your canton's NAV and the OR.

  • Minimum wage: CHF 20.35 to 24.55 an hour, depending on training
  • Under 5 h a week it does not apply; Geneva has CHF 24.59
  • Holidays and notice: cantonal NAV and OR, not the federal NAV

This applies when

For private households that employ a cleaner, domestic help or carer directly. Not for the self-employed or for a company's staff.

Official sources

Check the rules for your household
Rules check

What applies in your household?

Canton, hours, year of service: every rule with its source.

Hours per week
6 h
Year of service
Year 1
Age
Training

What applies in your household

Zurich · 6 h/week · Year 1

  1. Minimum wage

    Federal NAV

    Art. 5

    CHF 20.35 per hour

    with holiday supplement: CHF 22.05

    City of Zurich: CHF 23.90 decided, not yet in force.

    Winterthur: CHF 23.00 decided, not yet in force.

  2. Holidays

    OR

    Art. 329a OR

    4 weeks

    In an hourly wage: 8.33 % holiday supplement

  3. Notice

    NAV ZH

    Art. 17 Abs. 2 und Art. 18 Abs. 1

    1 month to the end of a month

    Probation 1 month, with 3 days' notice during it

  4. Sick pay

    NAV ZH

    Art. 11 Abs. 1

    3 weeks at full pay

    From the first working day

    Daily sickness benefit insurance mandatory: 80 % of the wage

  5. Full working week

    NAV ZH

    Art. 5 Abs. 1

    43 h

    Overtime: +25 % supplement

    Exception: the NAV ZH owes part-time staff no supplement (Art. 24 Abs. 2); the supplement then only applies if the contract provides it.

  6. 13th-month salary

    OR

    Voluntary

  7. Paid public holidays

    BV

    Art. 110 BV

    1 August

Mainly childcare? Then, according to SECO, the federal minimum wage does not apply, but the cantonal standard contract usually does.

Sources · Your contract may always give more.

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Federal, cantonal, OR: who sets what

The federal NAV is only one of three layers. For each question, the layer that governs it is the one that counts.

  1. Federal

    NAV for domestic work

    SR 221.215.329.4

    • Minimum wage, nothing else
    • from 5 h a week with the same household
    • everywhere except Geneva
    mandatory

  2. Canton

    Your canton's NAV

    26 texts, one per canton

    • Working time and overtime
    • more holiday from 50, in most cantons
    • Sick pay, daily sickness benefit
    • Probation and notice
    applies where the contract is silent

  3. Federal

    Code of Obligations

    SR 220

    • 4 weeks' holiday, 5 until 20
    • Notice: 1 to 3 months
    • at least 3 weeks' sick pay
    the floor

Your contract may always give more. Departing from the cantonal NAV is only possible in writing, and never below the minimum wage or the mandatory rules of the OR.

The minimum wages for 2026

Four tiers, depending on training and experience. With an hourly wage, the holiday supplement comes on top: 8.33 % for 4 weeks of holiday.

Federal NAV, from 5 h a week

  • No trainingCHF 20.35 per hour
  • 4+ years' experienceCHF 22.30 per hour
  • EBA vocational certificateCHF 22.30 per hour
  • EFZ federal diplomaCHF 24.55 per hour

Higher where she works

  • GenevaCHF 24.59 per hour
  • City of LucerneCHF 22.75 per hour
  • NeuchâtelCHF 21.35 per hour

Decided, not yet in force

  • City of ZurichCHF 23.90 per hour
  • WinterthurCHF 23.00 per hour

Ticino's cantonal minimum (CHF 20.00) is lower, so from 5 h a week the federal NAV applies there. Jura (CHF 21.40) and Basel-Stadt (CHF 22.20) are higher, but for household help they give way to the NAV from 5 h a week; below that, they apply from the first hour.

Canton by canton, with the wage range actually paid: Minimum wage for cleaners 2026.

Who the federal NAV covers

Employees in a private household who work on average at least 5 hours a week for the same employer.

Covers

  • Cleaning, washing, ironing
  • Cooking and shopping
  • Helping to care for children, elderly or sick people
  • Carers who live in the household

Does not cover

  • less than 5 h a week
  • people mainly looking after children (per SECO)
  • households in Geneva, which has its own NAV
  • the self-employed and staff of a cleaning company

AHV and accident insurance are still mandatory, even under 5 h a week: how to register her.

Kitchen clock with a feather duster and a wooden spoon as hands: working hours in a private household under the NAV
Every hour counts at home too: maximum hours, breaks and overtime are set by your canton's NAV.

Three mistakes that get expensive

Holiday supplement not shown

Payslip

16 h × CHF 28.00448.00

Holiday supplement 8.33 %37.32

Gross wage485.32

With an hourly wage, the holiday supplement must appear separately in the contract and on every payslip. Otherwise it counts as unpaid, and the holidays have to be paid again.

Notice during illness

  • Year 130 days
  • Years 2 to 590 days
  • From year 6180 days

Notice given during a protected period is void: for illness or accident 30, 90 or 180 days depending on the year of service, for pregnancy until 16 weeks after the birth (Art. 336c OR).

Wage below the minimum

5 years

That is how far back she can claim the difference (Art. 128 OR). Clino warns you before a payslip falls below the minimum wage.

What goes in the contract

An employment contract is valid even when oral. But you must give her these five points in writing within one month (Art. 330b OR):

  1. Names of the parties
  2. Start of employment
  3. Role, meaning what she does
  4. Wage and any supplements
  5. Weekly working hours

Also recommended: Holidays and holiday supplement, probation, notice period and sick pay. Anyone departing from the cantonal NAV has to do it in writing anyway.

Create a contract with your canton's rules

Frequently asked questions

Does the NAV for domestic work apply to au pairs?

No. The federal NAV expressly excludes au pairs (Art. 2 para. 3 let. a). Cantonal rules apply to them: Zurich has an information sheet, Geneva and Neuchâtel their own standard contracts. Your canton's labour office can tell you what applies there.

Can I depart from the NAV?

Not downwards from the federal NAV: the minimum wage is mandatory. From your canton's NAV you may depart in writing in most cantons, upwards always, downwards only as far as the mandatory rules of the OR, for example 4 weeks' holiday.

Is a 13th-month salary mandatory?

Usually not. It is mandatory where the cantonal NAV prescribes it: in Ticino (Art. 23) and in Bern (Art. 26 ff.). Elsewhere, what the contract says applies. Once agreed, it is owed.

What happens if I pay below the minimum wage?

The employee can claim the difference up to 5 years back (Art. 128 OR), and social insurance contributions are owed on the back pay. Clino warns you before a payslip falls below the minimum wage.

How do I calculate the holiday supplement?

With an hourly wage: 8.33 % for 4 weeks of holiday, 10.64 % for 5 and 13.04 % for 6 weeks. At CHF 28.00 an hour and 4 weeks, that is CHF 2.33 an hour, CHF 30.33 in total. The supplement must appear separately in the contract and on every payslip.

Does the NAV apply to a nanny?

The federal minimum wage does not if she mainly looks after children: SECO excludes childminders and babysitters. Your canton's NAV usually still applies, and a cantonal or city minimum wage may apply as well.

What applies under 5 hours a week?

The federal NAV does not apply. Geneva, Neuchâtel, Basel-Stadt, Jura, Ticino and the City of Lucerne have a minimum wage from the first hour, and Vaud has its own in the cantonal NAV. AHV, accident insurance and holidays always apply.

Sources

SECOSECO: information on the NAV for domestic workScope and exceptions, as of 1.1.2026FedlexNAV for domestic work (SR 221.215.329.4)The ordinance on FedlexENNAV Hauswirtschaft (SR 221.215.329.4): unofficial English translationThe ordinance article by article, next to the binding German text. Status as of 1 January 2026.SECOSECO: standard employment contractsFederal and cantonal overviewFedlexCode of Obligations (SR 220)Holidays, notice, sick payGEGeneva: «CTT-EDom» (J 1 50.03)Own standard contract with its own minimum wageVDVaud: «CTT économie domestique»Cantonal standard contract with its own minimum wage

Note: This article is general information, not legal advice. As of October 2026, minimum wages per the NAV for domestic work as amended on 1 January 2026.

Last updated: 15 October 2026

Learn more

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Holiday Pay on Hourly Wages: 8.33% or 10.64%?Read article
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Salvador Jovells

Salvador Jovells, founder of Clino