Your Nanny's Rights
Your nanny's 13th-month pay, holidays and sick leave: what she's entitled to
A nanny has the same rights as any other employee in Switzerland. On top of that come a few special rules families should know about. Here's the compact overview: holidays, 13th-month pay, illness, accident, pregnancy and public holidays.
Your nanny is legally entitled to at least 4 weeks of paid holiday per year, and the 13th-month salary is not mandatory but effectively standard in the nanny market.
- Holidays: at least 4 weeks per year, 5 weeks for nannies under 20.
- Illness: continued wage payment from 3 weeks to 6 months, depending on seniority.
- Accident: occupational cover is always mandatory, non-occupational from 8 hours/week.
Vacation supplement & 13th salary: what's on top of the hourly wage?
Set the workload and see what vacation and the 13th salary actually cost.
Important: with hourly pay, the vacation supplement must appear as its own line on every payslip. A flat "all-inclusive" wage without that line counts as unpaid in court. The vacation pay can be claimed back.
Clino calculates this automatically every month
Vacation supplement itemised correctly, 13th accrued cleanly: on every payslip.
Holidays - at least 4 weeks, often 5
Swiss employment law (Art. 329a CO) guarantees every employee at least 4 weeks of paid holiday per year. For younger nannies (under 20, up to the end of the year in which they turn 20), it's 5 weeks.
In practice, nanny contracts often exceed the minimum. Families seeking long-term retention offer 5 weeks from day one, especially with experienced FaBe-certified nannies. A plus when negotiating.
For hourly wages with irregular work, you may pay the holiday supplement directly with each wage payment. 4 weeks equals an 8.33% supplement, 5 weeks 10.64%. Example: a nanny earning a base wage of CHF 30/hour = CHF 32.50/hour including holiday pay.
⚠ Important: holidays may NOT be paid out in cash, except at the end of employment. 'We skip holidays in exchange for more pay' is not legally allowed. Even if you pay the holiday supplement on top of the hourly wage, your nanny still has to take the weeks off physically. The supplement replaces the money, not the rest.
Mandatory holidays by age
Your contract can be more generous. That's your retention strategy.
13th-month pay - obligation or tradition?
Contrary to popular belief, 13th-month pay is not a legal obligation in Switzerland, it's a contractual agreement. You only have to pay it if it's in the contract, your canton's standard contract (NAV) provides for it (Bern, Ticino, unless excluded in writing) or you've paid it for years without reservation (in which case it's tacitly agreed).
In the nanny market, it's effectively standard. For full-time roles without a 13th salary, the pay can feel low. Good nannies will choose other families that do offer it.
💡 Practical tip: pro-rata 13th rather than none
For part-time hourly-paid nannies, the 13th is rare. The hourly rate covers it. For monthly contracts, I recommend writing in '13th-month salary pro rata'. If the nanny starts in November, she receives a pro-rata 13th (1/12 of the monthly wage × 2 months). A fair gesture that costs little.
When to pay? Common practice: December (with the December wage) or split between June and December. Note it in the contract to avoid debates.
Clarifying the 13th salary
Anna
online
Hello, may I quickly ask, is a 13th salary provided for with you?
16:15Hello Anna, gladly: we'll agree on a 13th salary, paid in December. The holidays (5 weeks) are already included in the monthly salary, you take them as discussed. I'll put both in the contract.
16:32Great, thank you for the clear info!
16:35Illness - the three scales
If your nanny falls ill, you as the employer are obliged to continue paying her wage (Art. 324a CO). The duration depends on her years of service and the applicable cantonal scale: the Bern scale, the Basel scale or the Zurich scale. Which one applies depends on your canton of residence. Depending on the year of service, they differ by a few weeks.
| Year of service | Bern scale | Basel scale | Zurich scale |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st year | 3 weeks | 3 weeks | 3 weeks |
| 2nd year | 1 month | 2 months | 8 weeks |
| 3rd year | 2 months | 2 months | 9 weeks |
| 5th year | 3 months | 3 months | 11 weeks |
| 10th year | 4 months | 3 months | 16 weeks |
| 20th year | 6 months | 5 months | 26 weeks |
During continued wage payment, your nanny receives 100% of her wage. Daily sickness benefit insurance (KTG) takes on the risk: for a single employee in a private household, expect a premium of about 3.5% to 3.9% of the wage (2026 quotes, cheaper for a man). After a waiting period you choose (often 30 days), the insurer pays 80% of the wage for up to 730 days. Without KTG, longer illnesses are on you.
📋 Doctor's note from which day?
Common practice: require a doctor's note from the 3rd sick day. Note this in the contract. Tip: for multi-day illnesses, ask early. Many families don't know their obligations and end up without KTG cover.
Accident - occupational cover always mandatory, non-occupational from 8 hours/week
Your nanny is compulsorily insured against occupational accidents (BU) from the very first hour of work, regardless of her hours. If she works at least 8 hours a week for you, non-occupational accident insurance (NBU) also becomes mandatory (UVG, the federal accident insurance act).
- ●Occupational accidents (BU): during work, and on the commute if she works under 8 h/week. You as the employer pay the premium in full.
- ●Non-occupational accidents (NBU): leisure time. Mandatory from 8 hrs/week with the same employer. The premium can be passed on to the nanny (often 1.0-1.5% of wage).
- ●Benefits: medical costs, daily allowances (80% of wage), disability pension, survivors' pension.
Since 2025: if you pay your nanny under the simplified procedure, you can insure the UVG via VAVplus (opt in when you register). That applies in cantons that offer it; otherwise you take it out separately.
Pregnancy & maternity
If your nanny becomes pregnant, special protection rules apply. The key points:
- ●Protection from dismissal throughout the entire pregnancy + 16 weeks after the birth (Art. 336c CO).
- ●Maternity benefit: 14 weeks, 80% of wage (max. CHF 220/day), conditions: 9 months of OASI before the birth + 5 months of employment.
- ●Breastfeeding breaks at work: as paid working time up to the child's 1st birthday (90 minutes per day for more than 7 hours' work).
- ●Hazardous role? Lifting heavy children (>5kg) or infants may be restricted at certain stages of pregnancy. See the SECO maternity protection ordinance.
In practice: pregnancy is an emotional moment for many families. The nanny often wants to return after the birth. Keep the role open if you can. Long-term retention starts at exactly these moments.
Public holidays - varies by canton
Unlike in many countries, Switzerland has no federal public-holiday schedule. Every canton has its own list of public holidays. And they vary considerably.
| Canton | Paid public holidays |
|---|---|
| Zurich | 9 days |
| Bern | 8 days |
| Geneva | 9 days (incl. Jeûne genevois) |
| Basel-Stadt | 10 days (incl. 1 May) |
| Zug | 13 days |
| Ticino | 9 days |
If a public holiday falls on a day your nanny would have worked, you keep paying, even without work. For hourly wages this isn't included in the holiday supplement and must be settled separately (or covered by a flat hourly rate, which must be stated clearly in the contract).
Tip: 1 August (Swiss National Day) is a paid public holiday in every canton. It is the only one guaranteed nationwide.
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Get startedFrequently asked questions
Do I have to pay the 13th-month salary even if it's not in the contract?
Does my nanny get paid when she has to stay home with her own sick child?
How many holidays can the nanny take in a row?
What if the nanny would have worked on the public holiday?
Is daily sickness benefit (KTG) insurance really necessary?
What if the nanny takes maternity leave? Who pays then?
Sources
- Swiss Code of Obligations (CO), Art. 324a (continued wage), Art. 329a (holidays), Art. 336c (protection from dismissal)
- Federal Accident Insurance Act (UVG), SR 832.20; the 8-hour threshold applies only to non-occupational accident cover (NBU)
- Income Compensation Act (EOG) - maternity benefit 14 weeks, 80% of wage
- Bern/Basel/Zurich scales - Federal Supreme Court practice since BGE 113 II 64
Amounts and rates as of 2026.