1.02% FAK
FAK rate in the cheapest quarter
Rank 1 of 26 (ascending). Swiss average: 1.67 %.
Canton of ZurichRegister a caregiver in Zurich —
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.
AHV-compliantSVA Zürichset up in 5 minutescancel anytime
No placement agency — you keep your caregiver. Clino takes the official paperwork off your hands.
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); on-call presence time is governed by the SECO model NAV.
Your personal plan
Your caregiver in Zurich — fully planned.
Set hours and wage. Cost, procedure and insurance appear instantly.
h/week
20
CHF/h
30
Your postcode8001Canton Zurich
Your Zurich care plan
Responsible office
SVA Zürich
online via AHVeasy
Your procedure
Ordinary procedure
Above CHF 22,680/year — monthly accounting, plus BVG pension from age 25.
Accident insurance
- Occupational accident (BU) — paid by the employer
- Non-occupational accident (NBU) — mandatory from 8 h/week
Your cost per month
CHF 3'059.94/ month
≈ CHF 36'719.28 / year
Gross wageCHF 2'816.69
Social contributions (employer)CHF 223.35
ClinoCHF 19.90
Your caregiver receives net CHF 2'455.26
What Clino does for you
- Employment contract ready
- Registration with SVA Zurich prepared
- Wage & contributions calculated every month
UNDECLAREDThe dark reality.
- ✕No contract, just a handshake
- ✕Accident? You pay the medical bills
- ✕Fines up to CHF 10'000 + 5 years of back contributions
REGISTEREDThe bright reality.
- ✓NAV-compliant employment contract
- ✓UVG policy: pays from hour one
- ✓AHV settled cleanly, CHF 19.90/mo.
⇄
DRAG THE LINE: WHERE DOES YOUR HOUSEHOLD STAND?
Inspection intensity
Sample-basedFrequent
Frequent inspections
How strict are inspections in Zurich?
In Zurich, undeclared-work inspections are active. Failing to register your caregiver risks fines, up to 5 years of back-paid social contributions and, in serious cases, prosecution.
With Clino you register your caregiver in minutes. Clino guides you step by step through registration, insurance and payroll.
Register your caregiver nowDE
Official language
German
Undeclared-work checks
Frequent inspections
AK confirmation
typically ~14 working days
Salary certificate deadline
31 January for the past year
Canton of ZurichGrüeziGuten Tag, auf Züritüütsch
All of Zurich: one office, one registration
Every municipality, one office: SVA Zürich.
Register in ZurichCanton of Zurich at a glanceHome care in Zurich
Hourly wage
CHF 29–37
market rate
Compensation office
SVA Zürich
AHVeasy
FAK employer
1.02%
2026
Minimum wage
no cantonal
NAV applies
Avg. household wage
CHF 29
/hr
Administration
0.53%
AHV office fee, typical household
Many Zurich seniors stay in their own homes for as long as possible — hourly care is the most common model here, often complementing Spitex.
Demand for reliable care is high in the city and its agglomeration: those who register correctly and pay market rates find and keep caregivers much more easily.
Specific to canton Zurich
What's different in Zurich
Financing
Support for care at home
Three levers help carry the cost. The exact amounts depend on the case — the official leaflets are linked.
AHV helplessness allowance
Independent of income and assets, graded by degree of helplessness.
Leaflet 3.01 (ahv-iv.ch) →Supplementary benefits (EL)
When pension and income do not cover living costs.
Leaflet 5.01 (ahv-iv.ch) →Authorities & registration
How to register your caregiver in Zurich
AHV compensation office · AHVeasy portal
SVA Zürich
Responsible for AHV/IV/EO, ALV, the family-allowance fund (FAK), withholding tax and the wage declaration for household staff.
Open registration form & portal- 1
Register with the SVA Zürich
Register as a private-household employer — online or by form. You'll receive a billing number. Clino prepares everything.
- 2
Sort out accident insurance
Occupational accident cover is mandatory, NBU from 8 hrs/week. We arrange it for you — via VAVplus with your compensation office where available, otherwise directly with a partner insurer.
- 3
Sign the employment contract
Workload, wage, holidays, probation period — for live-in additionally room, board & lodging and presence time. Template from Clino.
- 4
Settle monthly, declare at year-end
A ready-made payslip every month, and the annual wage declaration to the SVA Zürich at year-end. Clino generates both automatically.
FAQ Zurich
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 2'300/year) explicitly does not apply in private households.
Which compensation office is responsible in Zurich?
The SVA Zürich. 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.
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. In addition, SECO's model NAV for 24-hour care recommends explicitly regulating and compensating presence time in the contract.
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. From CHF 22'680 annual wage and from age 25, the pension fund (BVG) is added as well. Clino settles both correctly.
My caregiver comes from abroad — what do I need to consider?
Without a C settlement permit the wage is taxed at source. For EU/EFTA citizens, the notification or permit procedure applies depending on duration; cross-border commuters need a G permit. Clino guides you through withholding tax and registration.
What do I risk without registering?
Back-payment of contributions plus default interest — and a fine under Art. 87/88 of the AHV Act. If an accident happens, you are personally liable without insurance. Retroactive registration with the SVA Zürich is possible at any time; the sooner, the cheaper.
Other cantons
Register a caregiver in another canton
Register your caregiver in Thurgau
CHF 26–34/hr
Register your caregiver in Schaffhausen
CHF 26–34/hr
Register your caregiver in Aargau
CHF 27–35/hr
Register your caregiver in Zug
CHF 30–38/hr
Register your caregiver in Schwyz
CHF 27–35/hr
Register your caregiver in St. Gallen
CHF 26–34/hr
Register your caregiver in Bern
CHF 27–35/hr
Register your caregiver in Vaud
CHF 28–36/hr
Register your caregiver in Geneva
CHF 31–39/hr
Register your caregiver in Lucerne
CHF 26–34/hr
Register your caregiver in Ticino
CHF 25–33/hr
All cantons & overview: register a caregiver in Switzerland →
Verified by Clino
The registration facts for Zurich
As of July 2026, verified directly with the compensation office.
The right form
SVA Zürich uses the federal form 318.147 (online). No office visit needed.
Important: under «Employment for», pick «Domestic service», only then does question 4.2 about accident insurance via the compensation office appear.
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 first working day. Annual wage declaration: by 30 January for the previous year.
After submitting
The confirmation with your settlement number arrives by post, usually within 1–3 weeks. You may already pay wages in the meantime.
Free, no signup, every step, ready to tick off.
In every municipality of Zurich
Registration works the same across the whole canton — whether care takes place in Zürich, Winterthur, Uster or one of the 207 other localities: same compensation office, same procedure, same flat fee.
ZürichWinterthurUsterDübendorfOberengstringenUnterengstringenWeiningen ZHWattAdlikon b. RegensdorfBuchs ZHDällikonOtelfingenBoppelsenDänikon ZH+207
Canton Zurich compared
- The FAK contribution of 1.025% is the lowest in Switzerland, no canton charges less.
- The child allowance of CHF 215/month matches the federal minimum.
- The typical hourly wage for home care is around CHF 33 (average across cantons: CHF 31).
- There is no cantonal minimum wage; the NAV domestic-work minimums apply.
Public holidays in Zurich (2026)
Thu 1.1.New Year's DayFri 3.4.Good FridayMon 6.4.Easter MondayFri 1.5.Labour DayThu 14.5.Ascension DayMon 25.5.Whit MondaySat 1.8.Swiss National DayFri 25.12.Christmas DaySat 26.12.St Stephen's Day
These days are assimilated to Sundays (Art. 20a Labour Act). Only 1 August is paid by federal law, whether other holidays are paid depends on the contract or the NAV. Source: SECO, as of 12.12.2024.
This is how fast it goes in Zurich
Clino
online
Grüezi! We've found a caregiver in Zürich, what do we need to do now?
09:12Great! Done in 5 minutes: we register her with the SVA Zürich and prepare the contract + payslips. Valid across the whole canton of Zurich.
09:14Message
New to Switzerland, or cross-border?
Hiring as an expat works exactly the same, in English. And if your helper lives in Germany, the cross-border rules apply, AHV and accident insurance stay Swiss, withholding tax depends on her country of residence. The guide explains your case.
Are you the caregiver?
Pay, insurance, your rights, plus a ready-made pack you can send your employer so they register you legally.
Every role, one flat price
Register other household help in Zurich
Whoever you employ at home. Clino prepares the registration and the insurance and runs payroll, all for in Zurich.
Last updated:
Your caregiver in Zurich — properly employed
Registration, contract, insurance, payroll. CHF 19.90/month. Cancel anytime.
Register your caregiver in ZurichNo placement commission · you keep your caregiver
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