Taxes
Swiss tax software: the free official tool of all 26 cantons
What counts is where you live at the end of the year.
ZHprivateTax
Online in the browser
- Login
- AGOV + code
- Deadline
- 31 March
- Imports
- e-tax statement
- Previous year
- Salary certificate code
As of tax year 2025, checked in October 2026
Is the free software enough for you?
Yes. Salary, rent, bank accounts and pillar 3a are easy to enter yourself.
In Zurich there is also a private alternative: iqtax, first return free, each further one CHF 39.
You don't need a paid app for your tax return: every canton has its own software, free of charge. Pick your canton above to see what it's called, how you log in, what it imports and when your return is due.
The tax software of all 26 cantons
Every canton offers its software free of charge. The version for tax year 2026 usually comes out in early 2027; unless stated otherwise, the details below are for tax year 2025.
- e-tax statementAccounts and securities from your bank's tax statement
- Previous yearData from last year's return
- Salary certificate codeReads the salary certificate from its code
| Canton | Software | Login | Imports | Deadline |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ZHZurich | ZHprivateTax · Online in the browser · AGOV + code | Deadline 31 March | ||
| BEBern | TaxMe-Online · Online in the browser · BE-Login (AGOV) + code | Deadline 15 March | ||
| LULucerne | eSteuern.LU · Online in the browser · already confirmed for 2026 · eSteuern.LU account + code | Deadline Date on your return | ||
| URUri | eTax.UR · Online in the browser · eTax.UR account + code | Deadline 31 March | ||
| SZSchwyz | eTax.SZ · Online or download · eTax.SZ account + code | Deadline 31 March | ||
| OWObwalden | eTax OW · Online in the browser · Steuerportal account + code | Deadline 30 April | ||
| NWNidwalden | eTax Nidwalden · Online in the browser · Steuerportal account + code | Deadline 31 March | ||
| GLGlarus | eTax.GL · Online in the browser · already confirmed for 2026 · eTax.GL account + code | Deadline Date on your return | ||
| ZGZug | eTax.zug · Online in the browser · AGOV + code | Deadline 30 April | ||
| FRFribourg | FriTax · Download · Code, no account | Deadline 31 March | ||
| SOSolothurn | eTax Solothurn · Online in the browser · eTax account + code | Deadline 31 March | ||
| BSBasel-Stadt | BalTax Online · Online in the browser · AGOV + code | Deadline 31 March | ||
| BLBasel-Landschaft | E-Tax BL · Online in the browser · already confirmed for 2026 · E-Tax BL account + code | Deadline 31 March | ||
| SHSchaffhausen | Steuern25 · Download · Code, no account | Deadline 31 March | ||
| ARAppenzell Ausserrhoden | eSteuern · Online in the browser · AGOV + code | Deadline Date on your return | ||
| AIAppenzell Innerrhoden | eTax.AI · Online in the browser · eTax.AI account + code | Deadline 30 April | ||
| SGSt. Gallen | E-Tax SG · Online in the browser · E-Login (AGOV) + code | Deadline Date on your return | ||
| GRGraubünden | SofTax GR NP · Download · Code, no account | Deadline 31 March | ||
| AGAargau | eTAX AARGAU · Online in the browser · AGOV + code | Deadline 31 March | ||
| TGThurgau | eFisc · Download · Code, no account · signed receipt by post | Deadline 30 April | ||
| TITicino | eTax PF · Download · Code, no account | Deadline 30 April | ||
| VDVaud | VaudTax · Online in the browser · Portail sécurisé or code | Deadline 15 March | ||
| VSValais | VSTax · Download · Code, no account | Deadline 31 March | ||
| NENeuchâtel | Clic&Tax · Download · Guichet unique (AGOV, SwissID) | Deadline 20 February | ||
| GEGeneva | GeTax · Online or download · e-démarches or code | Deadline 31 March | ||
| JUJura | JuraTax · Online or download · SwissID or code | Deadline 28 February |
Code: the access code on your tax return or in the tax office's letter. Deadline: the standard deadline for individuals; you can usually ask the tax office for an extension online. Source: each tax office's page linked in the table, checked in October 2026.
Tax adviser or private software?
Tax adviser (Treuhänder)
Worth it if you own property, are self-employed, have income or assets abroad, an inheritance or a separation. There is no set fee: ask for a quote first.
Private software
Private programs exist too; check that yours files electronically in your canton. In October 2026 iqtax does so only in Zurich: first return free, each further one CHF 39; the AI version Smart costs CHF 49 (launch price, normally CHF 99).
Deducting childcare: three conditions
When you employ someone at home, one deduction matters most: the care of your children by third parties.
CHF
25'800
Federal tax 2026, per child and year (Art. 33 para. 3 DBG)
- The child is under 14 and lives in your household.
- A daycare centre, a day family or a nanny looks after the child, and you can prove the costs.
- The care is needed because you work, are in education or unable to work; for a married couple, this applies to both of you.
Cantonal tax has its own ceiling, from CHF 8'000 to CHF 27'300. The nanny tax deduction calculator works it out for your canton.
As a rule, you can't deduct cleaning your own home, even if your cleaner is registered: it counts as living expenses (Art. 34 let. a DBG). The few exceptions, such as a disability, are in the guide to deducting a cleaner.
Do you employ a nanny or a cleaner?
You prove the deduction for a nanny with the employment contract, the payslips, the payments and the compensation office's statement. You only issue a salary certificate (Lohnausweis) in the ordinary procedure, not in the simplified one. Clino prepares the payslip every month and, where one is needed, the salary certificate. Which records the tax office wants to see is explained in the guide to the tax return with household help.
Try 30 days freeFAQ
Is the canton's tax software really free?
For your own return, yes: no canton names a price for it, and 13 say explicitly that the software is free. You can file electronically without buying an app.
Which canton do I choose after moving?
The canton you live in on 31 December. It taxes you for the whole year, for both cantonal and federal tax (Art. 4b StHG, Art. 105 DBG).
Do I still have to sign my tax return?
If you file online, in most cantons you don't: federal law requires the cantons to offer an electronic confirmation instead of a signature (Art. 104a para. 2 DBG). Exceptions: in Thurgau you sign a receipt and hand it in with the main form; in Geneva without an account and in Jura with the Code-DI you post a signed summary page. On paper you sign as before (Art. 124 para. 2 DBG).
What happens if I miss the deadline?
Ask for an extension before it expires, online in most cantons. If you still don't file after a reminder, you risk a fine of up to CHF 1'000 (Art. 174 DBG) and the tax office estimates your taxes (Art. 130 DBG).
Is there one tax software for all cantons?
Not an official one: each canton has its own. With a private program, check that it files electronically in your canton; iqtax, for example, does so only in Zurich in October 2026.
Sources
- FedlexDBG: Art. 33 para. 3, 34, 104a, 105, 124, 130, 174 · Federal Act on Direct Federal Taxation, Fedlex
- FedlexStHG: Art. 4b · Taxed in the canton of residence at the end of the tax period, Fedlex
- SZChildcare deduction leaflet, canton of Schwyz · Conditions for married couples, based on ESTV circular no. 30
- iqtaxiqtax: prices and available cantons · The provider's pages, read on 21 October 2026
- 26The 26 cantonal tax offices · One official page per canton, linked in the table