1. if I am not gainfully employed, I do not have to pay AHV contributions.
Persons who are not gainfully employed, self-employed persons as well as persons who are not self-employed are obliged to pay AHV contributions until they reach the AHV pension age.
Persons who are not gainfully employed must register with the AHV themselves and pay the contributions. The minimum AHV contribution in 2021 is CHF 503. These contributions are deductible in the tax return.
Persons who are not gainfully employed must register with the AHV themselves and pay the contributions.
Who is considered to be not gainfully employed with compulsory AHV?
This includes, for example, students, recipients of IV pensions, early retirees and unemployed persons who have been taxed out of the labour market.
Persons who are not gainfully employed are not obliged to pay contributions if their spouse is gainfully employed and pays at least twice the minimum AHV contribution per year, i.e. CHF 1,006.
2. married couples and cohabiting couples are exactly the same in the eyes of the AHV.
Wrong. In the case of married couples and registered partnerships, the pension is capped at 150%.
This means that the pensions of the husband and wife are added together, divided by 2 and multiplied by 1.5. However, the limit is already CHF 3585/month.
In the case of cohabiting couples, the pension is paid out separately and there is therefore no cap on the basis of the partner.
3. Gaps in AHV contributions are not so bad
Contribution gaps lead to lifelong reductions in the pension of 2.27% for each missing contribution year.
The full pension is paid to those who have paid contributions to the AHV for 44 years, or 43 years for women. This is defined by the so-called scale 44. If you are unsure how much pension you will receive, you can have us calculate your pension.
You can make retroactive AHV payments for a maximum of 5 years in order to close the Pension gaps.
If you are a Swiss citizen and lived abroad for 4 years and did not pay any contributions, you can do this retroactively.
In addition, anyone who was gainfully employed in their 18th, 19th and 20th year, e.g. apprenticeship, has the right to have these youth years credited as well. Students have the disadvantage that they cannot do this, because they are only obliged to pay AHV from the age of 20.
All contributions during your working career are stored in the Individual Account (IK). You can request such an IK statement free of charge at any time to see whether your employer has fulfilled its obligations.
4. I must draw my AHV pension at the age of 65 or 64.
You can take early retirement for a maximum of 2 years. However, your pension will be reduced by 6.8% for each year of early retirement.
If you feel fit and still want to, can or have to continue working, you can defer your pension for a maximum of 5 years by means of a so-called deferment declaration.
The deferment declaration must be submitted no later than 1 year after reaching the normal retirement age, otherwise the pension will be paid out retroactively.
Depending on the deferment period, you will receive a certain percentage of a higher pension, ranging from 5.2% (1 year) to 31.5% (5 years).
5. my AHV pension will be paid out automatically as soon as I reach retirement age
The normal retirement age for men is 65 and for women it is currently 64. Even if the AHV knows your birthday, it will not be paid out automatically.
You always have to register for the pension first.
The AHV Pension is an insurance and, as with any insurance, the policyholder is responsible for collecting it.
Therefore, every insured event such as old age, death or disability must be reported to the AHV.
Experience shows that it takes about 3-4 months to process such an application. We recommend that you notify the AHV compensation fund about 6 months before reaching the normal retirement age.
You are entitled to an AHV retirement pension from the first day of the month following your normal retirement age.
If you have forgotten to declare your AHV pension in advance, the pension will of course simply be transferred retroactively.
Unfortunately, there are still many misconceptions about AHV. These are just a few of them. Which of these myths have you believed yourself? Which statements about the Pension or possibly also about the BVG are you still unsure about?
If anything is unclear, you can contact us at any time.
We will be happy to clarify your questions and provide you with clarity.
