Nanny · Registration

Registering your nanny with the AHV: from the first franc, in four steps (2026)

Salvador JovellsUpdated: 16.10.2026Reading time: 5 min

Woman with glasses sitting thoughtfully at a table with a laptop, papers and a green mug, a nanny playing with a toddler behind her — Once the nanny starts work, the clock is running: you register within one month with the compensation office of your canton of residence.

Hiring a nanny privately is legal, but it makes you an employer. Here is when you must register, with whom, by when, and what else applies from her first working day.

Answer in 30 seconds

Updated 16.10.2026

Yes, from the first franc. Private households have no small-wage threshold. Exceptions: up to age 17 fully, up to age 25 wages up to CHF 750 a year per employer (AHVV Art. 34d para. 2), and from the reference age an allowance of CHF 16,800. You register within one month of the start of work with the compensation office of your canton of residence, and accident insurance must be in place from the first working hour.

Up to CHF 22'680 of annual wage the simplified procedure is possible; above it you settle under the ordinary procedure and occupational pension (BVG) is added.
Withholding tax: under the simplified procedure you deduct a flat 5 % for every nanny, C permit or Swiss passport included. Under the ordinary procedure, only if she has no C permit.
Without registration the office claims contributions generally up to five years back, with 5 % late interest, and you are liable for the nanny's share too.

This applies when

Families who privately employ a nanny, an in-home childminder or a child carer for a wage.

Official sources

Go to the four steps

Registered in four steps

1
Collect the nanny's details
Registration rarely fails on the form, usually on missing details. Clear these in one conversation:
- Name, date of birth and AHV number, as on her insurance certificate or health insurance card. If she has no number, the office requests one when you register.
- Residence status: Swiss passport, B, L, C or G permit. The permit itself is a separate application with the migration office, not with the AHV.
- Residence and other workplaces: if she lives abroad or also works in another country, ask the office before you register.
- Other families: their registration does not cover your wages. Each household reports the wage it pays itself.
- Wage as AHV-liable gross: holiday pay and a 13th salary, as well as board and lodging, are included. If you agreed a net wage, gross it up first.
The residence permit and the AHV registration are two separate registrations with two authorities: notification procedure or AHV registration, the difference.
2
Register within one month with the compensation office of your canton of residence
The competent office is the cantonal compensation office of your canton of residence, not the nanny's. On the form you choose the procedure: up to CHF 22'680 of annual wage and CHF 60'480 of household payroll the simplified one is possible, otherwise the ordinary one. The nanny check for the simplified procedure shows whether your nanny stays under it.
AK finder: your cantonal compensation office
AHV registration runs through the compensation office of your canton of residence. Pick your canton - you get the right office, its online portal and the registration form.
Your canton of residence
Zurich
SVA Zürich
Online portal: AHVeasyFAK contribution (employer): 1.025%
Open registration form Guide for Zurich
Office website+41 44 448 50 00
Source: official data from the cantonal compensation offices.
3
Accident insurance from the first hour
Occupational accidents are always insured, non-occupational accidents from 8 hours a week with the same employer. Two routes: you tick VAVplus on the registration form and the insurance runs through the office (possible in every canton, only under the simplified procedure), or you take out a policy with an insurer. Neither works retroactively. Details: accident insurance for household staff.
4
Deduct every month, settle once a year
Every month you deduct the employee contributions from the wage (AHV/IV/EO, ALV, from 8 hours a week the non-occupational accident premium) and withholding tax where it applies. Under the simplified procedure you report the payroll by 30 January and the invoice is due within 30 days. If the annual wage is above CHF 22'680, a pension fund for your nanny is also compulsory.
Withholding tax: under the simplified procedure you deduct a flat 5 % from every nanny's wage, C permit or Swiss passport included. Under the ordinary procedure you deduct the tax at the cantonal tariff if the nanny has no C permit and is not married to a Swiss citizen or a C permit holder. The rules in detail: withholding tax for your nanny.

Sample with made-up details

Registration of a household employee

to the cantonal compensation office

Employer: Familie Muster
Employee: Ana Beispiel
AHV number: 756.9217.0769.85
Start: 1 October

REGISTEREDALL IN ORDER

Next step: Clino prepares the registration for your canton and then does the payslip every month. You submit it. CHF 19.90 a month, 30 days free.

Special case: nanny up to age 25

Until the end of the year in which she turns 25, wages up to CHF 750 a year per employer are contribution-free. The student who babysits a few Saturdays often does not need to be registered. If the wage goes above CHF 750, the whole amount becomes liable. The limit applies per family. When a babysitter still has to be registered: registering a babysitter, nanny or au pair.

What happens if you do not register?

The realistic scenario is not a criminal complaint but a bill you did not expect:

Contributions back-billed, plus interest

Contribution claims generally lapse five years after the end of the calendar year (AHVG Art. 16). On top come 5 % late interest a year. You are liable to the office for the whole contribution, including the nanny's share, which you can hardly deduct from wages paid long ago.

Penal provisions

The AHVG penalises employers who do not settle contribution-liable wages (AHVG Art. 87 and 88). Not every late registration ends up in court. Coming forward on your own usually settles it as a back payment.

Missing accident insurance

If an uninsured nanny has an accident, the Ersatzkasse UVG pays her the statutory benefits. It bills you substitute premiums for the period of the omission, for at most five years (UVG Art. 95).

Do it yourself or be guided

There are exactly two procedures, the simplified and the ordinary one. You can handle both yourself with your office's form. Clino is not a third procedure but software that prepares the right form and then does the payslips. You are registered by the compensation office and insured by your insurer.

Do it yourself, a fiduciary or software: what the monthly nanny payslip costs, compared

Frequently asked questions

Can I register my nanny retroactively?

Yes, and it is the right step. You pay the contributions in arrears, in principle up to five years back, plus late interest. Your office will tell you on the phone how it handles your case. Accident insurance cannot be taken out retroactively, so take it out straight away.

The nanny says she is self-employed. Do I still have to register?

Yes. The office looks at the actual circumstances: someone who works in your home, following your instructions and at your times, is employed, even if she sends you an invoice.

Do I have to register my sister if she looks after the children?

Not as long as she helps for free or for a small thank-you. If it becomes a job with a regular wage, the usual rule applies: from the first franc, for employees up to the end of the year they turn 25 only above CHF 750 a year.

How long does registration take?

The form takes about a quarter of an hour. The office then processes it, usually within a few working days, and you receive your settlement number.

Does my nanny get a salary certificate?

Under the ordinary procedure you issue one at the end of the year. Under the simplified procedure you do not: she receives a confirmation of the withholding tax paid from the office. Either way the contributions count towards her pension.

Sources

2026 thresholds according to AHV/IV leaflets 2.06 and 2.07. One-month registration deadline: directives on the collection of contributions (WBB, marginal no. 2108). Substitute premiums: written reply from the Ersatzkasse UVG of 7.8.2026. Checked on 25.09.2026.