Private retirement saving is popular in Switzerland; nearly 60% of workers hold a pillar 3a account, which lets savers prepare for retirement while benefiting from annual tax relief. From January 1st 2026 they will gain more flexibility: missed contributions will be allowed to be made up retroactively.
Today contributions to the third pillar are capped — at CHF 7,258 a year for employees and CHF 36,288 for the self-employed. Many savers do not pay in the maximum amount and therefore miss out on the full tax advantage.
A change in the law, in force since January 2025 but applicable from 2026, will permit catch-up payments for previous years. From 2026 it will for the first time be possible to buy back contribution gaps arising from 2025 onwards. Retroactive payments will be possible for up to ten years: incomplete contributions for 2025, for example, may be topped up until 2035. One condition is that the saver must first have paid in the maximum amount for 2026 before filling earlier gaps.
Third-pillar assets are locked in until retirement and are ill-suited to people who may need the money in the short term. For those with sufficient reserves, however, contributions can save on taxes.
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