The AHV old-age pension in 2026: amounts, the 13th pension, early and deferred retirement

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The Swiss old-age pension from the first pillar is capped at a fairly modest amount, and how much a person actually receives depends above all on how many years they have contributed. For entrepreneurs and executives who came to Switzerland as adults, that usually means a reduced pension, which makes the rules on contribution gaps, early withdrawal and deferral worth understanding in good time. This article sets out the pension amounts for 2026, explains the 13th old-age pension, which will be paid for the first time in December 2026, and describes the options for drawing the pension before or after the reference age.

Pension amounts in 2026

Under the Federal Act on Old-Age and Survivors' Insurance (OASIA; German: AHVG), a full old-age pension in 2026 amounts to at least CHF 1,260 and at most CHF 2,520 per month, which corresponds to an annual minimum of CHF 15,120. These amounts are the same as in 2025. Because the Federal Council adjusts them periodically to wage and price developments, they should always be checked against the current year's figures. Where a full contribution record exists, the actual pension within this range depends on the average annual income on which contributions were paid, including the credits described below.

Married couples are subject to a cap: the two individual pensions together may not exceed 150 % of the maximum pension, which is CHF 3,780 per month in 2026 (Art. 35 OASIA). The cap does not apply where the joint household has been dissolved by court order. Pensioners who are responsible for children receive a child pension of between CHF 504 and CHF 1,008 per month. Survivors' benefits follow their own rules: a widow's or widower's pension amounts to 80 % of the corresponding old-age pension, that is CHF 1,008 to CHF 2,016 (Art. 36 OASIA), and an orphan's pension to 40 %, that is CHF 504 to CHF 1,008 (Art. 37 OASIA). How the first pillar fits into the overall Swiss system is explained in our overview of the AHV.

The 13th old-age pension

Following the popular vote of 3 March 2024, everyone who is entitled to an old-age pension in December receives a 13th old-age pension (Art. 34ter OASIA). It amounts to one twelfth of the old-age pensions received in that calendar year, so that a person who only started drawing a pension during the year receives a correspondingly smaller amount. The first payment will be made in December 2026, together with the December pension. Survivors' pensions, disability pensions and child pensions do not give rise to a 13th payment.

The long-term financing of the 13th pension is still open. On 19 June 2026 Parliament adopted an increase in value added tax, raising the standard rate from 8.1 % to 8.5 % and the accommodation rate from 3.8 % to 4.0 %, at the earliest from 2028 and without any increase in salary contributions. Because this requires a constitutional amendment, it is subject to a vote of the people and the cantons scheduled for 29 November 2026, whose result is pending at the time of writing.

Contribution years and why they matter for newcomers

A person is entitled to an old-age pension once they have at least one full contribution year (Art. 29 para. 1 OASIA). A full pension under scale 44, however, requires the complete number of contribution years of the person's cohort, which is typically 44 years (Art. 29ter OASIA), and each missing year reduces the pension by at least one forty-fourth. Since the contribution obligation begins at the earliest on 1 January after the 17th birthday for gainfully active persons, someone who moved to Switzerland at the age of 40 and retires at the reference age of 65 will usually have around 25 contribution years and therefore receive only a partial pension, unless periods abroad are taken into account under a social security agreement. For many internationally mobile families this is the single most important factor in the amount of their first-pillar pension, and it is a reason to plan private and occupational provision accordingly.

Some relief is offered by Art. 29bis paras. 3 and 4 OASIA. Contributions paid within five years after reaching the reference age may be used, once, to fill gaps in the contribution record or to raise the pension. This is relevant for persons who continue to work after 65 and who may waive the allowance for working pensioners on that occasion (Art. 6quater para. 5 of the Ordinance on Old-Age and Survivors' Insurance, OASIO; German: AHVV). Contribution gaps can also arise during periods without gainful activity in Switzerland, which is why the rules described in our article on the self-employed and non-employed deserve attention.

Splitting and credits

For the years of marriage, the incomes of both spouses are added together and credited to each of them by half (Art. 29quinquies OASIA). In addition, the pension calculation includes child-raising credits (Art. 29sexies OASIA) and care credits for looking after relatives (Art. 29septies OASIA), each amounting to three times the minimum annual pension, that is CHF 45,360 per year in 2026. These credits raise the average income on which the pension is based, although they cannot make up for missing contribution years.

Early withdrawal

The reference age is 65 for men and women (Art. 21 para. 1 OASIA), and the pension begins on the first day of the month following that birthday (Art. 21 para. 2 OASIA). The pension may be drawn early from the age of 63, while women born between 1961 and 1969, who belong to the transition generation of the AHV 21 reform, may draw it from 62 (Art. 40 para. 1 OASIA). It is possible to draw either the whole pension or a share of between 20 % and 80 %, which allows a gradual transition into retirement. During early withdrawal no child pensions are paid (Art. 40 para. 3 OASIA).

Early withdrawal permanently reduces the pension by 6.8 % for one year and by 13.6 % for two years (Art. 40a OASIA, Art. 56bis OASIO). Persons with an average annual income of up to four times the minimum annual pension, currently CHF 60,480, benefit from reduction rates that are 40 % lower (Art. 40a para. 3 OASIA), and more favourable rates also apply to women of the transition generation (Art. 40c OASIA). Since early withdrawal does not end the obligation to pay contributions, a person who stops working before the reference age continues to pay contributions as a non-employed person until the end of the month in which they reach it.

Deferral

Conversely, the pension may be deferred for between one and five years, again either in full or for a share of between 20 % and 80 % (Art. 39 OASIA). The deferred pension is increased for life by a supplement that depends on the length of the deferral.

Whether deferral pays off depends on life expectancy, other income and tax considerations, and for married couples also on the 150 % cap, which may absorb part of the supplement. Women of the transition generation born between 1961 and 1969 who do not draw their pension early receive a lifelong pension supplement under Art. 34bis OASIA, which should be included in any comparison.

Helplessness allowance and applying for the pension

Pensioners who need regular assistance with everyday activities may receive a helplessness allowance of CHF 252, CHF 630 or CHF 1,008 per month, depending on the degree of helplessness (Art. 43bis OASIA). This benefit, like supplementary benefits, is available only to persons resident in Switzerland and is not paid abroad. Persons who plan to spend their retirement elsewhere should read our article on leaving Switzerland, which explains when pensions are paid abroad and when contributions may be refunded.

Pensions are not paid automatically. The application must be filed with the competent compensation office (Ausgleichskasse) in good time before the intended start of the pension, and the same applies to declarations on early withdrawal or deferral.

Practical checklist

• Request an extract of your individual account early to identify missing contribution years.
• Check whether periods abroad can be taken into account under a social security agreement.
• Consider whether contributions paid after the reference age can fill gaps under Art. 29bis OASIA.
• Compare early withdrawal, partial withdrawal and deferral, taking into account the couples' cap and, for women born 1961 to 1969, the transition rules.
• Keep in mind that the helplessness allowance and supplementary benefits are tied to residence in Switzerland.
• File the pension application with the compensation office in good time.

How Ressos Legal helps

I advise clients from abroad and their families on the Swiss old-age pension, on the effect of contribution gaps and on the timing of retirement, working alongside their advisers in their home countries. Contact me for an assessment of your individual situation.

Sources: Federal Act on Old-Age and Survivors' Insurance (SR 831.10) and Ordinance (SR 831.101), as of 1 January 2026; information leaflets of the AHV/IV Information Centre (ahv-iv.ch), as of 1 January 2026; Federal Social Insurance Office (bsv.admin.ch). Figures as of October 2026.

For general information only. This article does not constitute legal or tax advice, does not replace advice on an individual case and creates no lawyer-client relationship. It reflects the legal position as of October 2026.