All 26 cantons · 2026 rates
All 26 cantons · 2026 ratesRegister your au pair in Switzerland. Legal and insured.
You've already found your au pair. Clino prepares the contract, AHV and payslips, you sign.
- Au pair contract
- AHV registration
- Payslip
- Then CHF 19.90/mo
- nothing before day 30
A monthly allowance, usually CHF 500 to 900, plus board and lodging. At most 30 hours a week, never an hourly wage.
- Pocket money (cash)
- CHF 800
- Board & lodging (AHVV Art. 11)
- CHF 990
- AHV-liable wage
- CHF 1'790
- Per year
- CHF 21'480
Simplified procedure: one settlement a year.
58 households in 11 cantons employ with Clino.
Figures straight from our database. Nothing invented, nothing rounded.
- 58
- Households
- 59
- Employees
- 11
- Cantons
- H. V.BE
- M. M.GE
- I. L.ZG
- A.ZH
- E. S.ZH
- T. M.GE
- P. Z.AG
- M. P.ZH
- C. K.ZH
- B. D.VD
Across Switzerland
Three things many people don't know.
- 30hours a week, at mostAu pair criteria
Over 30 hours, and it is a nanny.
Childcare and light housework count, evenings included. Plus one day off a week and a language course.
The criteriaWhat it means for you
If one criterion is missing, the NAV wage applies: around CHF 2'646 a month.
- 990CHF wage in kind a monthBoard and lodging (AHVV Art. 11)
Board and lodging count as wage.
The AHV adds them to the pocket money. With CHF 800 pocket money, that is CHF 1'790 a month.
Work out your amountWhat it means for you
The CHF 22'680 annual ceiling is measured against CHF 21'480, not the pocket money.
- 1hour a week is enoughAccident insurance (UVG)
Accident insurance is mandatory.
From the very first hour. The AHV registration alone does not cover accidents.
The four stepsWhat it means for you
From 8 hours a week, accidents off the job are covered too.
Au pair or nanny? The authority counts criteria, not titles.
The yardstick is the Zurich Tripartite Commission's list of criteria, based on Art. 48 VZAE. If one point is missing, you have hired a nanny.
| Au pair | |
|---|---|
| Age | 18 to 30 (from non-EU/EFTA countries: 18 to 25, Art. 48 VZAE) |
| Language course | local national language, guideline 120 hours a year; you put your contribution in the contract |
| Working time | at most 30 hours a week; childcare and light housework count, evenings included |
| Day off | at least one a week |
| Parents | one parent is at home for at least half of the working time |
| Tasks | childcare and light housework; no child-raising duties, no tutoring |
| Living | with the host family, own room |
| Duration | one year, extendable once by one year (from non-EU/EFTA countries: at most twelve months) |
| Wage | pocket money plus board and lodging; no minimum wage where a source confirms it |
If one criterion falls away, the difference to the NAV wage can be claimed back. Over CHF 22'680 a year, the office settles the whole year under the ordinary procedure.
Where the minimum-wage exemption comes from
Where the exemption is documented
Four cantons with a documented exemption, Geneva with its own minimum wage, 21 with no published source. Tap your canton.
Pocket money in Switzerland
What an au pair really costs
The example at CHF 800 pocket money. The last line shows what a placement outside the criteria can cost.
- Net for your au pairCHF 570.31
- You pay: pocket money plus contributions (ZH example)CHF 942
- AHV wage: pocket money plus board and lodgingCHF 1'790
- Reclassified as a nanny: NAV wage at 30 h/weekCHF 2'646
Pocket money plus board and lodging of CHF 990 gives the AHV wage. Net for your au pair at CHF 800: CHF 570.31, under the simplified procedure with VAVplus.
Start 30 days freeFree, no account
The free kit.
Contract and payslip as a PDF right away, the checklist by email.
Clino · Switzerland
Au pair contract
With the au pair annex: hours, day off, pocket money, language course. As a PDF to sign.
Clino · Switzerland
Payslip
With the 2026 contribution rates for all 26 cantons.
Clino · Switzerland
Registration checklist
The 6-point checklist by email
Contract, AHV, accident insurance, wages: what to do and when.
To
A new payslip every month? Clino makes it for you, free for the first 30 days. Start 30 days free →
Registering in Switzerland
Four steps to the AHV.
318.147
Employer registration
- 1
Find your fund
The compensation fund of your home canton. Your postcode is enough.
- 2
Fill in the form
Usually the federal form 318.147. Under «Employment for», pick «Domestic service».
- 3
Choose the procedure
Up to CHF 22'680 per person and 60'480 in total a year, the simplified procedure applies.
- 4
Add the au pair
With the first working day and the wage: pocket money plus CHF 990 board and lodging. Within one month.
Accident insurance never happens by itself. You tick it when you register, where the fund offers it, or you take out a policy.
The deadline runs from the first working day: registration within one month, accident insurance from day one.
Rather do it yourself?
The guide without Clino →Clino walks you through every step and fills in the wage fields from your payslip.
Start 30 days freeCompensation Office
Employer audit
Keller family
Employer audit of your household
- ✕No contract: in a dispute, only what you both remember counts
- ✕Accident: the substitute fund pays, you owe 5 years of premiums
- ✕AHV: 5 years of back contributions, plus a possible criminal penalty (Art. 87 AHVG)
Employment contract
PDFbetween Keller family · Maria Silva
- ✓NAV contract: holidays, notice and sick pay settled
- ✓Accident cover from the very first hour
- ✓AHV years for her, payslips for you
«Zehntausende in der Schweiz lassen Putzfrauen oder Nannys schwarzarbeiten», Tages-Anzeiger, 26.08.2026, based on our study on undeclared work in households. Not a paid placement.We hear this every week
Three sentences, three honest answers
«She's like part of the family. It's not a real job.»
For the AHV it is: pocket money plus board and lodging count as wages, together CHF 1'790 a month. Registration is mandatory, within one month of the first working day.
With ClinoClino fills in the registration. You sign and send it yourself.
«She brought her European health insurance card. So she's covered.»
Anyone working here needs Swiss health insurance (KVG Art. 3). And work accidents are covered by your accident insurance as the employer, from day one; if it is missing, the UVG substitute fund bills the premiums up to 5 years back.
With ClinoBoth are on your checklist, with the simplified procedure plus where your fund offers it.
«It's only 800 francs of pocket money. Not worth the paperwork.»
That is exactly why: if the workload goes past 30 hours or one criterion falls away, it becomes a nanny on the NAV wage, about CHF 2'646 a month, claimable retroactively.
With ClinoThe contract prints the limit; the calculator warns before CHF 22'680 a year.
Sources: VOSA Art. 1 para. 1 · KVG Art. 3 · UVG Art. 95, UVG substitute fund (written reply, August 2026) · fact sheet of the Zurich tripartite commission
Already employing someone?
Take the 60-second check: contract, AHV, accident insurance. You see right away if something is missing and what it can cost.
Start the free checkFrequently asked questions: registering an au pair
Do I have to register an au pair with the AHV?
Yes. Pocket money plus wage in kind count as wage subject to AHV, regardless of the fact that no minimum wage applies. You register the au pair with the compensation office of your canton of residence and take out accident insurance, either through the simplified procedure plus or with your own policy.
How much does my au pair keep net?
With CHF 800 pocket money and CHF 990 board and lodging: CHF 570.31 a month, under the simplified procedure with VAVplus. Deducted are AHV/IV/EO 5.3 %, ALV 1.1 %, non-occupational accident 1.432 % and 5 % withholding tax, all calculated on the AHV wage of CHF 1'790 but taken only from the cash wage. You pass the withholding tax on through the compensation office; you do not settle with the tax office.
Accident insurance through the compensation office or my own policy?
If your compensation office offers the simplified procedure plus, tick it in the registration; the office bills the premium together with the contributions (occupational accident at your expense, non-occupational accident from the wage). In Ticino this is the only route through the office (Modulo 111, points 6 and 10). Otherwise you take out your own policy, before the first working day; if you already have a policy, check its notice period first.
She is from Colombia. Do I need an agency?
EU/EFTA: registration with the municipality, L or B permit. Non-EU/EFTA: yes, the placement goes through an organisation licensed for job placement, the au pair is 18 to 25 years old and the permit is valid for at most twelve months, with no extension (Art. 48 VZAE). Clino does not handle the residence permit; everything after that (contract, AHV, accident insurance, wage) it does.
Is the European Health Insurance Card enough?
No. Anyone in gainful employment in Switzerland is subject to the Swiss insurance obligation and takes out health insurance here with a Swiss insurer, within three months of taking up residence (KVG Art. 3 para. 1).
Does an au pair stay in the simplified procedure?
Usually yes: CHF 800 plus CHF 990 comes to CHF 21'480 a year, under the CHF 22'680 ceiling. Count the wage in kind, otherwise you underestimate by CHF 11'880 a year. Anyone who exceeds the ceiling during the year is settled under the ordinary procedure for the whole year (reply from SVA Graubünden, August 2026).
She leaves after two months. What do I still owe her?
Wages up to the last day, untaken holiday pro rata, board and lodging until she moves out, a reference letter. Holiday: five weeks a year until age 20, four after that (Art. 329a CO). The annual wage declaration to the compensation office remains due for the months worked. Clino produces the final payslip and the reference letter.
Founded in Zürich, for all of Switzerland
Goodbye, paperwork.
Contract with au pair addendum, board and lodging in the AHV wage, the prepared registration, a payslip every month. What Clino does not do: the residence permit. All 26 cantons, CHF 19.90 a month.
Start 30 days freeNothing is charged before day 30. Cancel monthly. You sign and send everything yourself, Clino prepares it.
2026 rates checked on · Sources and method
Read: Art. 11 AHVV, AHV info sheets 2.06 and 2.07, SECO NAV Hauswirtschaft as of 1 January 2026, info sheet of the Zurich TPK, LSM Ticino Art. 3, Art. 48 VZAE, Art. 1 para. 1 VOSA, KVG Art. 3, NAV Hauswirtschaft ZH Art. 12 and 26, cantonal NAV for domestic work of Ticino Art. 19, Art. 329a CO, Art. 95 UVG. Written replies: Ersatzkasse UVG 7 August 2026, SVA Graubünden 7 August 2026, IAS Ticino 12 August 2026, SVA Zurich 13 August 2026. No reply on au pairs from the Zurich TPK or the Ispettorato Ticino. Report an error
Register other household help
Same procedure, same price. Whoever works in your home.
