Business · Employer of record
Employer of record in Switzerland
Employing someone in Switzerland through an employer of record: social insurance and the BVG pension, cantonal minimum wages, 4 weeks' leave, probation, notice by service, sick pay scales and withholding tax for foreign staff.
Checked on 16 October 2026. The headline rules for a standard employee, from official sources where they opened and law firm, PwC or specialist publisher guides where they didn't; each line names its source. Sectors, collective agreements and contracts can change them. This is general information, not legal advice.
Know this first
- Minimum wages, public holidays, family allowances and withholding tax are cantonal, so check the canton where the person works.
- Dismissal is largely free, but not if it's abusive or during a protection period such as illness.
- The Basel-Stadt, Jura and Neuchâtel minimum wages come from unofficial sources, because the cantons' pages didn't open for us.
Sources: SECO, dismissal FAQ, lohncheck.ch, minimum wages 2026
Employing someone in Switzerland
- Employer costs on top of salary
- About 6.4% for old-age, disability and income-compensation insurance (5.3%) and unemployment insurance (1.1%, on pay up to CHF 148,200), with the employee paying the same. Add a cantonal family allowance levy of 1.025% to 2.75%, occupational accident insurance, and the BVG pension: minimum credits of 7% to 18% of coordinated salary depending on age, for pay above CHF 22,680, split by the fund's rules. Federal Social Insurance Office, rates at 1 January 2026, Federal Social Insurance Office, BVG figures 2026, KMU portal, accident insurance
- Minimum wage
- No national minimum wage, but some cantons have one. Geneva: CHF 24.59 an hour from 1 January 2026. Ticino: CHF 20.00 to 20.50 by sector. Neuchâtel, Basel-Stadt and Jura also have one, CHF 21.35 to 22.20 according to unofficial sources. Collective agreements set sector minimums. Canton of Geneva, October 2025, Canton of Ticino, decree of 11 December 2025, CNCI, changes for 2026, lohncheck.ch, minimum wages 2026
- Holiday
- 4 weeks a year (5 up to age 20). 1 August is the only national public holiday; cantons can add up to 8 more. ch.ch, holidays, GTAI, Swiss labour law, March 2025
- Working hours
- 45 hours a week for office, technical and industrial staff, 50 for others. Overtime beyond that is capped and paid at 25% extra, unless swapped for time off by agreement. SECO, working and rest time
- Probation
- 1 month unless agreed otherwise, and up to 3 months by written agreement. Notice during probation is 7 days. SECO, dismissal FAQ
- Notice from the employer
- 1 month in the first year, 2 months in years 2 to 9, 3 months from year 10, normally ending at the end of a month. Notice given during a protection period, such as illness, is void. SECO, dismissal FAQ
- Severance
- None in general. The exception: staff aged 50 or over leaving after 20 or more years get a payment of at least 2 months' pay; if it isn't agreed, a court sets it, up to 8 months. An abusive dismissal can cost up to 6 months' pay. law.ch, severance payment, SECO, dismissal FAQ
- Extra pay the law requires
- A 13th month is common but not required by law; once agreed, it's owed, and paid pro rata on leaving. GTAI, Swiss labour law, March 2025, Basel-Stadt, pay information sheet
- Contract
- It can be oral, but for jobs that are open-ended or last more than a month, the main terms, including pay, role and hours, must be given in writing within a month of starting. We found no rule on language. GTAI, Swiss labour law, March 2025, WEKA, information duties, April 2026
- Payroll and tax
- Paid monthly, normally at month end, with a written payslip. Income tax isn't usually withheld, except for foreign staff without a settlement (C) permit and for non-residents such as cross-border commuters, whose tax the employer deducts at source for the canton. Basel-Stadt, pay information sheet, Canton of Aargau, withholding tax
- Sick pay
- Paid by the employer once the job has lasted, or is agreed for, more than 3 months: 3 weeks in the first year, then longer on a court scale that depends on the canton (for example 8 weeks in year 2 under the Zurich scale). A common alternative is insurance paying 80% of pay for up to 720 days. WEKA, sick pay, January 2026, moneyland.ch, November 2025
Providers and what they say about Switzerland
What each provider's own website says about Switzerland, in order of its published starting price. None of them publishes a separate price for Switzerland; the starting prices are worldwide or regional (Papaya quotes EUR 650 in Europe), and what you pay is set by quote.
| Provider | Covers Switzerland? | What it says | Starting price a month | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Skuad | Yes, on its own site | - | From USD 199 | Go to Skuad |
| Pebl (formerly Velocity Global) | Not stated | - | USD 399 | Go to Pebl (formerly Velocity Global) |
| Multiplier | Yes, on its own site | - | From USD 459 (annual), USD 499 monthly | Go to Multiplier |
| Deel | Yes, on its own site | Says it has its own entity | From USD 599 | Go to Deel |
| Remote | Yes, on its own site | Says it has its own entity | From USD 599 | Go to Remote |
| G-P (Globalization Partners) | Implied on its own site | - | From USD 599 | Go to G-P (Globalization Partners) |
| Atlas HXM | Yes, on its own site | - | From USD 599 | Go to Atlas HXM |
| Papaya Global | Not stated | - | From USD 650 (EUR 650 in Europe) | Go to Papaya Global |
| Oyster | Yes, on its own site | - | From USD 699 | Go to Oyster |
| Rippling | Not stated | Says 80 countries, with no list | Quote only | Go to Rippling |
Coverage is each company's own claim, from its country pages and coverage lists; we haven't checked how each one employs there. Ask whether it uses its own company or a partner in Switzerland.
Other countries
Employer costs, leave, notice, severance and the catches, with the providers that cover each one.
United KingdomIrelandGermanyFranceNetherlandsSwedenBelgiumSpainPortugalItalyPolandRomaniaCanadaAustraliaSingaporeJapanIndiaPhilippinesSouth AfricaMexicoBrazilColombiaChileArgentina
All 25 countries side by side: employer cost at your salary, holiday, notice and redundancy pay