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Canton of Ticino

Register a caregiver in Ticino: legally and simply.

Found a caregiver for your parents or for yourself? Clino turns it into a proper employment relationship: registration with the compensation office, contract, insurance and payroll. For CHF 19.90/month, whether it's a few hours or around the clock.

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30 days free · then CHF 19.90/mo. · cancel anytime

AHV-compliantIstituto delle assicurazioni socialiset up in 5 minutescancel anytime

No placement agency. You keep your caregiver. Clino prepares the official paperwork for you.

Authorities & registration

AHV registration with IAS Ticino: how to register your caregiver

AHV compensation office

Istituto delle assicurazioni sociali ↗

Via Ghiringhelli 15a, 6501 Bellinzona
+41 91 821 91 11

Responsible for AHV/IV/EO, ALV, the family-allowance fund (FAK) and the wage declaration for household staff, and in the simplified procedure for withholding tax too. In the ordinary procedure withholding tax goes to the cantonal tax administration.

Open registration formAll about IAS Ticino: contact, registration, our experience →
  1. 1

    Register with the Istituto delle assicurazioni sociali

    Register as a private-household employer. Online or by form. You'll receive a billing number. Clino prepares everything.

  2. 2

    Sort out accident insurance

    Occupational accident cover is mandatory, NBU from 8 hrs/week. In the simplified procedure every compensation office offers the plus option with accident insurance: select it actively when you register, it never happens automatically. Otherwise the policy runs directly with an insurer. Clino compares the providers, prices the premium and prepares the application. You sign it.

  3. 3

    Sign the employment contract

    Workload, wage, holidays, probation period. For live-in additionally room, board & lodging and presence time. Template from Clino.

  4. 4

    Settle monthly, declare at year-end

    A ready-made payslip every month, and the annual wage declaration to the Istituto delle assicurazioni sociali at year-end. Clino generates both automatically.

Verified by Clino

The registration facts for Ticino

Rates and registration route last checked on July 17, 2026.

The right form

Istituto delle assicurazioni sociali uses its own registration form or portal, the direct link is in the card above.

Simplified procedure

The simplified procedure plus (accident insurance included) is offered, but you must actively request it; it is never automatic. Above CHF 22,680 annual wage, quickly reached full-time, the ordinary procedure with individual withholding tax applies.

Deadlines

Register: within 30 days of the start of employment. Annual wage declaration: by 30 January for the previous year.

After submitting

The confirmation with your settlement number arrives by post. You may already pay wages in the meantime.

Canton Ticino specifics

In Ticino's «modulo 111»: opting into the plus procedure takes two steps. Point 6 «sì» and the confirmation at point 10. The signature goes on point 11.

Free, no signup, every step, ready to tick off.

Which model fits?

By the hour, fixed days or live-in

Care by the hour

e.g. 2–3 mornings per week

Shopping, cooking, accompanying to appointments, companionship. The most common starting model. Often complementing Spitex or relieving family members.

Fixed part-time

fixed half-days or days

Reliable structure in daily life: the same person, the same times. From 8 hours per week, non-occupational accident insurance (NBU) is added.

24h care (live-in)

the caregiver lives in the household

Round-the-clock presence with her own room. Board and lodging count as payment in kind (CHF 990/month). The cantonal standard contract (CNL TI, art. 22a) sets presence time at 25, 35 or 50 % of the hourly wage, at least CHF 5, 7 or 10 an hour, depending on night call-outs.

Your personal plan

What does a caregiver cost in Ticino?

Set hours and wage. Cost, procedure and insurance appear instantly. Clino costs CHF 19.90 a month.

h/week
20
CHF/h
30
Your postcode6900Canton Ticino

Your Ticino care plan

Personal

Responsible office

IAS Ticino

by post · IAS Ticino

Your procedure

Ordinary procedure

Above CHF 22,680/year: quarterly advance contributions, wage declaration at year end, plus BVG pension (risk cover from 18, retirement savings from 25).

Accident insurance

  • Occupational accident (BU): paid by the employer
  • Non-occupational accident (NBU): mandatory from 8 h/week

Your cost per month

CHF 3'125.07/ month

≈ CHF 34'671.90 / year

Gross wageCHF 2'816.69
Social contributions (employer)CHF 288.48
ClinoCHF 19.90
Your caregiver receives net CHF 2'555.61

What Clino does for you

  • Employment contract ready
  • Registration with IAS Ticino prepared
  • Wage & contributions calculated every month
Use this plan30 days free · no power of attorney · cancel anytime

24-hour care · Ticino

What does one night on standby cost?

Hourly wage

How often does she get up at night?

One night on standby costs at least

CHF 35.63

23:00 to 6:00: 7 hours at CHF 5.09. She is there, but not working.

Register your carer

Ticino and CHF 20.35 an hour are already filled in.

Cantonal standard contract: CNL TI, art. 22a · Hourly wages: binding minimums (Ticino)

Financing

Money you are entitled to

Many families pay for care entirely themselves, although part of it would be covered.

AHV helplessness allowance

Up to CHF 1'008 a month, regardless of income and assets

  • Entitlement once the person has depended on help for 6 months without a break.
  • The AHV pays back at most 12 months. Applying late costs money.

Apply to: Istituto delle assicurazioni sociali, Ufficio AI, 6501 Bellinzona

Per month at home, by degree

  • MildCHF 252
  • ModerateCHF 630
  • SevereCHF 1'008
Check entitlement and back pay

With an application pack: cover letter to the IV office, help sheet and help diary.

Before pension age the IV pays more: CHF 504, 1'260 or 2'016 a month.

Supplementary benefits (EL)

If pension and savings do not cover living costs, the EL also refund costs of help, nursing and care at home, under the canton's rules. The invoices must be submitted within 15 months.

What EL refund for a carer →

Tax deduction

With a helplessness allowance, nursing and care count as disability-related costs: deductible as far as the allowance does not cover them, and for federal tax without the 5 % threshold for illness costs.

Deducting a carer from your taxes →

Care credits

If you care for a relative with a helplessness allowance (any degree) who lives nearby, you can get AHV credits towards your own future pension. Apply again every year with form 318.270 at the cantonal compensation office.

More for family carers →

UNDECLAREDThe dark reality.

Compensation Office

Employer audit

RRegistered

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: up to 5 years of back contributions (7 after an offence), plus a possible criminal penalty (Art. 87 AHVG)
REGISTEREDThe bright reality.

Employment contract

PDF

between 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
Signature EmployerSignature Employee
⇄
DRAG THE LINE: WHERE DOES YOUR HOUSEHOLD STAND?
Canton of Ticino at a glance

Home care in Ticino

Compensation office

Istituto delle assicurazioni sociali

registration

FAK employer

1.90%

2026

Minimum wage

CHF 20.35

/hr

Administration

0.16%

AHV office fee, typical household

Istituto delle assicurazioni sociali charges an administrative fee of 1.50% of the AHV/IV/EO contributions (capped at 5% by SR 831.143.41, Art. 1). Expressed against the gross wage that is 0.16%.

Minimum-wage note Ticino

In Ticino the cantonal standard contract for household staff («CNL») covers caregivers, expressly including live-ins: at least CHF 20.35/hr from the first hour, unless the contract says otherwise in writing. Even then, the cantonal minimum wage of CHF 20.00/hr applies. From 5 h/week the federal NAV Hauswirtschaft (CHF 20.35/hr) is binding anyway (2026). The rate is a base wage: on an hourly wage, holiday and public-holiday pay come on top; on a fixed monthly salary they are already included.

Source: NAV Hauswirtschaft, SR 221.215.329.4 (fedlex)

If she falls ill: how long you keep paying the wage

How many days of full wage you owe in Ticino depends on the year of service. This is the table that binds here when no policy sits behind it.

  • Year 121 days of full wage
  • Year 230 days of full wage
  • Year 360 days of full wage
  • Year 590 days of full wage
  • Year 10120 days of full wage
  • Year 20180 days of full wage

Canton Ticino has no sick-pay duty. That is no relief: the wage is still owed, and with no policy behind it you carry it yourself.

Check what applies in your case

Source: Contratto normale di lavoro per il personale domestico TI (FU 41/2019, testo aggiornato al 1.1.2026), art. 22c · Sick-pay insurance: CNL cantonale ticinese per il personale domestico (FU 41/2019, testo aggiornato al 1.1.2026), art. 19

Specific to canton Ticino

What's different in Ticino

CHF 20.35/h

Binding wage floor

The cantonal standard contract («CNL») applies this rate from the first hour unless agreed otherwise in writing. Never below the cantonal minimum wage of CHF 20.00.

Source
IT

Official language

The Istituto delle assicurazioni sociali works in Italian.

G+

Cross-border workers common

Check the G permit and report withholding tax correctly.

FAQ Ticino

Frequently asked questions

Do I really have to register a caregiver in a private household: even by the hour?
Yes. As soon as you set the wage, tasks and hours, you are an employer. From the first hour and from the first franc. AHV/IV/EO (5.3% each side), ALV (1.1% each side) and accident insurance are mandatory. The exemption for very small wages (CHF 2'500/year) explicitly does not apply in private households. Your caregiver takes out health insurance (KVG) herself, but check that she has it. The Bern NAV for domestic service (Art. 36), for example, requires this explicitly.
Which compensation office is responsible in Ticino?
The Istituto delle assicurazioni sociali. That's where you register the employment and then settle the contributions. Clino prepares the registration and produces a ready-made payslip every month.
What may the caregiver take on and what counts as nursing?
Care covers daily life and the household: cooking, shopping, accompanying, companionship, structure in the day. Basic and treatment-related nursing (e.g. preparing medication, wound care) belongs to nursing professionals or Spitex. Which requires a licence depending on the canton. The two combine without any problem.Spitex or private care: the comparison →
What applies to 24-hour care with board and lodging?
Accommodation and meals are payment in kind: CHF 990 per month (CHF 33 per day) is added to the cash wage and is subject to AHV. The cantonal standard contract (CNL TI, art. 22a) sets presence time at 25, 35 or 50 % of the hourly wage, at least CHF 5, 7 or 10 an hour, depending on night call-outs. If the caregiver falls ill or has an accident, you owe her care and medical treatment on top of her wage: for 3 weeks in the first year of service, then for an appropriately longer period. The same applies in pregnancy and childbirth (Art. 328a OR).In detail: hiring a caregiver in Switzerland →
Can I use the simplified billing procedure?
Only up to CHF 22'680 annual wage per person. A caregiver with a larger workload usually exceeds this limit. Then the standard procedure with a wage statement applies. Above CHF 22'680 annual wage the pension fund (BVG) is added as well: from 18 for death and disability, from 25 for retirement savings too. Exempt are fixed-term employment of at most 3 months and a side job, if she is already insured compulsorily through her main job or self-employed in it. Clino settles both correctly.Simplified procedure: the downsides →
My caregiver comes from abroad: what do I need to consider?
In the ordinary procedure her wage is taxed at source if she has no C settlement permit and is not married to a Swiss citizen or a C permit holder. In the simplified procedure the 5 % withholding tax applies to everyone, whatever the nationality or permit. Exception: if she lives in France and works in BE, SO, BS, BL, VD, VS, NE or JU, the simplified procedure is ruled out and, with form 2041-AS, her wage is taxed in France. For EU/EFTA citizens, the notification or permit procedure applies depending on duration; cross-border commuters need a G permit. From non-EU/EFTA countries you cannot hire a caregiver directly from abroad: permits are only granted to qualified specialists. If she already lives in Switzerland with a permit, employment may be possible depending on that permit; your cantonal migration office can tell you. Clino guides you through withholding tax and registration.
What do I risk without registering?
Back-payment of contributions plus default interest. An employer who does not join a compensation office and settle the wages also commits an offence under Art. 87 of the AHV Act: a monetary penalty of up to 180 daily units. If an accident happens without insurance, the Ersatzkasse UVG pays and charges you substitute premiums (Art. 95 UVG). Retroactive registration with the Istituto delle assicurazioni sociali is possible at any time; the sooner, the cheaper.Step by step: registering retroactively, the calm way →
IT
Official language
Italian
Salary certificate deadline
31 January for the past year
Canton of Ticino

All of Ticino: one office, one registration

Every municipality, one office: Istituto delle assicurazioni sociali.

Register in Ticino

In every municipality of Ticino

Registration works the same across the whole canton, whether care takes place in Lugano, Bellinzona, Locarno or one of the 225 other localities: same compensation office, same procedure, same flat fee.

LuganoBellinzonaLocarnoMendrisioGiubiascoMonte CarassoSementinaGudoCugnascoArbedoGordunoPreonzoMolenoGnosca+225

Canton Ticino compared

FAK contribution

1.9%

At 1.9%, Ticino's FAK contribution is among the higher ones in Switzerland (rank 20 of 26, ascending).

Child allowance

CHF 215

The child allowance of CHF 215/month matches the federal minimum.

Binding minimum wage

CHF 20.35

The cantonal minimum wage of CHF 20.00/hour is below the NAV domestic-work rate of CHF 20.35/hour. The cantonal standard contract («CNL») applies CHF 20.35 from the first hour unless agreed otherwise in writing; from five hours a week the federal rate applies anyway.

Public holidays in Ticino (2026)

CNL TI (art. 18 cpv. 1): 9 public holidays are paid, unless the contract says otherwise in writing. The list below is the cantonal holiday list.

  • Thu
    Jan

    New Year's Day

  • Tue
    Jan

    Epiphany

  • Mon
    Apr

    Easter Monday

  • Thu
    May

    Ascension Day

  • Sat
    Aug

    Swiss National Day

    paid by law
  • Sat
    Aug

    Assumption

  • Sun
    Nov

    All Saints' Day

  • Fri
    Dec

    Christmas Day

  • Sat
    Dec

    St Stephen's Day

4 of these days fall on a weekend in 2026. Basis: Art. 20a Labour Act. Source: SECO, as of 12.12.2024.

New to Switzerland, or cross-border?

Hiring as an expat works exactly the same, in English. And if your helper lives in Italy, the cross-border rules apply, AHV and accident insurance stay Swiss, withholding tax depends on her country of residence. The guide explains your case.

What applies to cross-border workers →

Are you the caregiver?

Pay, insurance, your rights, plus a ready-made pack you can send your employer so they register you legally.

Info for you →Pack for your employer →

In the same household

Who else has a key?

Each role has its own rules in Ticino.

Page last updated:

Your caregiver in Ticino: properly employed

Registration, contract, insurance, payroll. CHF 19.90/month. Cancel anytime.

Register your caregiver in Ticino

No placement commission · you keep your caregiver

Register your caregiver in Ticino

Then CHF 19.90/mo · Nothing charged before day 30

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