Compensation office · Obwalden

Ausgleichskasse IV-Stelle Obwalden

The compensation office for households in Obwalden

If you employ a cleaner, nanny or carer in Obwalden, you register them with AK Obwalden. Here is what you need: contact details, registration route and costs, and what we experienced with the office ourselves.

Contact

Address: Ausgleichskasse IV-Stelle Obwalden
Brünigstrasse 144, 6060 Sarnen
Phone: +41 41 666 27 50
Email: info@akow.ch
Website: www.akow.ch
Online portal: AHVeasy

How to register

AK Obwalden uses the federal form 318.147. You fill it in online. At the end, AK Obwalden must be selected as the recipient.

Open the registration form ↗

Deadline: within one month of the first working day.
The confirmation with your settlement number then arrives by post.
Accident insurance: AK Obwalden offers the simplified procedure plus. You must choose it explicitly when you register.

What the office costs

Admin fee: 3.4 % of the AHV/IV/EO contributions.

On CHF 10,000 annual wage that is about CHF 36.04 a year.

If you file online: The rate stays at 3.40% of the AHV/IV/EO contributions all year. Employers who declare through AHVeasy are credited 25% of the administrative fee already billed, after the wage declaration.

For comparison: across the 26 offices the same amount ranges from CHF 14.84 to CHF 53.00. Compare all offices →

Family allowance contribution: 1.4 % of the wage, paid by you as the employer.
Child allowance: CHF 220 per child and month.
Education allowance: CHF 270 per child and month.

During the year

You report wages through the AHVeasy portal or by post.
Annual declaration: by 30 January for the previous year. The office then invoices the contributions.

Our experience with AK Obwalden

What we learned filling in the forms, from the office's own information and documents, and with our customers. Always with date and source.

Information from the office
The calculator for household employees
When we asked about costs, the Obwalden compensation office pointed us the same day to its online calculator «Berechnung Hausangestellte» at akow.ch/rechner. It shows the annual bill line by line, with accident insurance if you choose. That way you see before registering what the office will bill you.
Source: Written reply from the Ausgleichskasse Obwalden, 7.8.2026
Office documents
AHVeasy: credit only after the wage statement
If you file through the free AHVeasy portal, you get a credit on the administrative fee. During the year the office bills the full rate, and the credit only follows once the wage statement has been filed. An invoice without a deduction during the year is therefore normal.
Source: Ausgleichskasse Obwalden leaflet «Verwaltungskostenbeiträge ab 2026», akow.ch, read 7.8.2026
Office documents
A statement instead of a salary certificate
The Obwalden compensation office bills you the withholding tax at year end. Your employee receives a statement for her tax return from the office, and you prepare no salary certificate. In the ordinary procedure it is different: there you issue a salary certificate at year end.
Source: «Vereinfachtes Abrechnungsverfahren» and «Privathaushalte» pages on akow.ch, read 8.8.2026
Form tested
VAVplus is not automatic
In Obwalden too, accident insurance through the compensation office is not included automatically. You choose it explicitly in the federal form 318.147, as in the other cantons that use this form.
Source: Clino's own form walkthrough, 12.7.2026

Have your registration with AK Obwalden prepared

Clino prepares the contract, the registration and the payslips and goes through every step with you. 30 days free, then CHF 19.90 a month, cancel anytime.

Start 30 days free Calculate the costs first

Frequently asked questions about AK Obwalden

How do I contact AK Obwalden?

By phone on +41 41 666 27 50, by post to Brünigstrasse 144, 6060 Sarnen. By email to info@akow.ch.

How do I register my household employee with AK Obwalden?

AK Obwalden uses the federal form 318.147. You fill it in online. At the end, AK Obwalden must be selected as the recipient. Deadline: within one month of the first working day. Accident insurance: AK Obwalden offers the simplified procedure plus. You must choose it explicitly when you register.

What does AK Obwalden cost?

Admin fee: 3.4 % of the AHV/IV/EO contributions. On CHF 10,000 annual wage that is about CHF 36.04 a year.

How can I see in advance what the Obwalden compensation office will cost me?

With the «Berechnung Hausangestellte» calculator at akow.ch/rechner. You enter the gross wage and the billing procedure and see every line of the bill. The office itself refers people to this calculator.

Why is my Obwalden invoice not lower even though I use AHVeasy?

Because the reduction is a credit, not a lower rate. During the year the office bills the full rate. The credit on the administrative fee follows once you have filed the wage statement through AHVeasy.

Do I have to issue a salary certificate in Obwalden?

Not in the simplified procedure: your employee receives a statement for her tax return from the office. Only in the ordinary procedure do you issue a salary certificate yourself at year end.