Sharing a Cleaner With Flatmates: Who's the Official Employer?
In a flatshare, you split the rent, the fridge - and often the cleaner too. That's fine in practice, but Switzerland's payroll system has no concept of a "flatshare" as an employer. Only one individual person can be registered. Here's how to split the costs fairly anyway.
No - a flatshare can't register jointly as an employer. Switzerland's simplified payroll procedure always requires one individual natural person as the registered employer. In practice, it makes sense for whoever is likely to stay longest to register - the flatmates then split the cost privately and informally among themselves, for example evenly or by room size.
- One person = one registration. There's no such thing as a joint "flatshare registration".
- Splitting the cost among flatmates is a private matter - it has nothing to do with insurance or the authorities.
- If the registered person moves out, someone else takes over - just like any change of employer.
This applies when
For flatshares that share a cleaner and want to split the cost fairly among flatmates.
Official sources
Why a flatshare can't register as an employer together
The AHV compensation office's simplified procedure is built around a classic employment relationship: one employer, one employee. A flatshare as a group can't be entered into the system - it always takes one natural person with a name, address and social security number who is responsible for the registration, the payslips and the contribution payments.
That's true no matter how many people in the flat benefit from the cleaning. Whoever registers can do it in a few minutes - directly with Clino, including the employment contract and automatic payslips.
Who should register - and how do you split the cost?
Since only one person is officially liable and handles the social security contributions, it's worth choosing deliberately. Three practical tips:
The person with the longest lease
Ideally pick whoever is most likely to stay in the flat the longest - that avoids a handover shortly after registering.
An informal internal agreement
A verbal agreement or a shared note is enough. You don't need a contract between flatmates - it's just a fairness arrangement, not a legal one.
Split it however feels fair to you
Evenly across all flatmates, by room size, or by how much each person actually uses the service - it's entirely up to your household to decide.
Example: How your flatshare can split the cost
One person registers, everyone else just chips in.
Registers the cleaner with social security, signs the contract, receives the payslip.
Pays their share - no registration, no paperwork needed.
Example: approx. 4 hrs/week of cleaning at CHF 30/hour, including holiday pay, social security contributions and the CHF 19.90 Clino fee. For the exact cost in your situation, see the cost calculator.
What about accident insurance (UVG)?
Accident insurance is tied to the employment relationship with the registered person - not to the flatshare as a whole. What matters is how many hours per week the cleaner works for that one employer: from 8 hours per week, non-occupational accident insurance (NBU) becomes mandatory; below that, cover only applies to occupational accidents.
We cover premiums, coverage and registration in detail in our article on accident insurance for household employees.
What happens when the registered person moves out?
In practice, treat it like any change of employer: the person moving out deregisters as the employer, and another flatmate registers and takes over the role. With the cleaner's agreement, the employment relationship can continue seamlessly - the usual notice periods still apply, just as with any other change of employer.
If you'd rather end the employment relationship entirely, our guide to terminating a household employee walks through the correct process.
Frequently asked questions
Can the flatshare officially act as a joint employer?
What happens when the registered flatmate moves out?
How do you split the cost fairly among flatmates?
What about accident insurance when several people use the same cleaner?
Does the landlord need to know about the cleaner?
Can flatmates rotate the employer role every year?
Ready to register your flatshare's cleaner correctly?
With Clino, one person handles the registration - employment contract, social security registration and payslips for CHF 19.90 a month. You settle the cost-split internally, however suits your flatshare.
Further reading
Legal notice: This article provides general information on the practical side of sharing a cleaner among flatmates. It does not replace legal advice. Splitting costs among flatmates is a private arrangement, not a legal requirement. For specific questions, consult your canton's AHV compensation office or a professional.
