If Lucerne votes Yes, the wage floor for cleaners falls from CHF 22.75 to 20.35, and below five hours a week it disappears
On 27 September the City of Lucerne votes on abolishing its minimum wage. Less well known: it expressly applies in private households too, to cleaners, domestic helpers and nannies. Clino calculated what changes for them and for the city’s 42,496 private households, whether the vote is Yes or No.
Summary
Since 1 January the City of Lucerne has had a minimum wage of CHF 22.75 an hour, without holiday pay. It applies to everyone who usually works on city territory, including cleaners, domestic helpers and nannies in private households. The city parliament voted 24:23 to repeal the regulation. The city government recommends a No. Voters have the last word on 27 September.
If Yes wins, household employees fall back to the NAV Hauswirtschaft alone: CHF 20.35 an hour for unqualified workers, CHF 2.40 or 10.5 % less. But the NAV only applies from an average of five hours a week with the same employer. For the cleaner who comes once a week for four hours, no binding minimum wage would be left at all. If No wins, it stays at CHF 22.75, and the city will carry out the suspended inspections retroactively.
Four cases: what a Yes means for pay
Clino calculated four typical cases. The gap is the gross pay that can disappear if Yes wins, assuming the household pays exactly the city minimum today. For a cleaner working 25 hours a week in the city, that is CHF 260 a month or CHF 3,120 a year. Households that pay more today are not affected, and an agreed wage does not fall by itself.
| Case | Today (city) | If Yes | Gap/month | Gap/year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A · Cleaner, 4 h/week, one household | CHF 22.75 | no binding minimum wage | – | – |
| B1 · Cleaner, 25 h/week, five households in the city | CHF 22.75 | CHF 20.35 | CHF 260 | CHF 3,120 |
| B2 · Cleaner, 25 h/week, three households in the city, two in Kriens or Emmen | CHF 22.75 | CHF 20.35 | CHF 156 | CHF 1,872 |
| C · Nanny, 30 h/week, one household | CHF 22.75 | CHF 20.35 (if the NAV applies to nannies) | CHF 312 | CHF 3,744 |
Below five hours a week: after a Yes there is no floor
The NAV Hauswirtschaft only applies if someone works an average of at least five hours a week for the same employer. But many cleaners work for several households, a few hours each. Today the city minimum applies in every household on city territory. After a repeal, these jobs would have no binding minimum wage at all.
Nannies: whether the NAV covers them is disputed
The city minimum wage only exempts au pairs; nannies are covered. The NAV Hauswirtschaft, by contrast, excludes people whose main job is looking after children, such as childminders and babysitters. Whether a nanny who also cooks and cleans falls under the NAV depends on the case. In the worst case, a nanny would have no binding minimum wage at all after a Yes.
Inspections: suspended since January, retroactive if No wins
The city announced that it would carry out no minimum-wage inspections until the decision. In its own words: «If the regulation is not repealed, the inspections will be carried out retroactively to 1 January 2026.» Up to CHF 130,000 a year is budgeted for them. For households this means: anyone paying less than CHF 22.75 since January could have to pay the difference if No wins.
In comparison: Lucerne sits above the federal minimum, but below Geneva
Geneva, Basel-City, Jura and Neuchâtel have cantonal minimum wages; whether they apply in private households is disputed in Basel-City and Jura. Zurich and Winterthur have adopted a city minimum wage, but it is not in force. That makes Lucerne the only city where a municipal minimum wage actually applies. If it goes, Lucerne falls back to the federal minimum.
| # | CHF/h | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Canton of Genevain force | CHF 24.59 |
| 2 | City of Zurichadopted, not in force | CHF 23.90 |
| 3 | City of Winterthuradopted, not in force | CHF 23.00 |
| 4 | City of Lucernein force | CHF 22.75 |
| 5 | Canton of Basel-Cityin force | CHF 22.20 |
| 6 | Canton of Jurain force | CHF 21.40 |
| 7 | Canton of Neuchâtelin force | CHF 21.35 |
| 8 | NAV Hauswirtschaft (federal)in force | CHF 20.35 |
Without holiday pay. The City of Lucerne is the only municipality with a minimum wage in force. Zurich and Winterthur have adopted theirs, but they are not in force. The NAV Hauswirtschaft applies from 5 hours a week with the same employer.
What the market pays: most households are well above
According to the Quitt report, households in the canton of Lucerne pay CHF 33.10 gross an hour on average, well above both minimum wages. So the minimum wage does not affect the typical household but the bottom of the market: jobs paid exactly at the minimum or just above it.
What households in the City of Lucerne should know now
- Until the decision the minimum wage of CHF 22.75 an hour still applies, plus holiday pay.
- Check city territory: what counts is where the work is done, not where the cleaner lives. Postcode 6005 covers parts of the city and also St. Niklausen, which belongs to Horw. Kriens, Emmen and Horw have no minimum wage.
- If No wins it stays at CHF 22.75, and the city inspects retroactively from January.
- If Yes wins the NAV applies from five hours a week at CHF 20.35. A contract with a higher wage remains valid: the repeal does not lower any agreed wage.
Quellen
- City of Lucerne, minimum wage: questions and answers (2026)
- City of Lucerne, voting brochure (2026)
- SECO, NAV Hauswirtschaft (2026)
- Quitt, domestic help report (2025)
- FSO, private households by municipality (2022)
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About Clino
Clino is a Swiss SaaS platform enabling households to legally employ domestic workers: payroll, contract and AHV registration; Clino guides the household, insurance stays with the household. CHF 19.90/month. All 26 cantons. Founded 2026 in Zurich. clino.ch
