Step 1–2: AHV + pension fund
Order your free AHV statement (compensation office) – a full contribution record currently yields roughly CHF 1,260–2,520/month depending on average income; gaps reduce it. Then read your pension fund certificate: projected capital × conversion rate (often ~5–6.8% on the mandatory part) = yearly pillar-2 pension.
Step 3–4: pillar 3a + the gap
Project your 3a: current balance plus yearly contributions to retirement, conservatively grown. Add all three income streams and compare with ~80% of your current spending (not salary!) – the difference is your gap, and time is the main tool to close it.
Run it yearly
Recalculate once a year with fresh certificates – ten minutes that beat any generic online calculator, because it's YOUR numbers.
Track these costs in your own budget: create your free Swiss budget in BudgetHub – in English, with Swiss categories built in.
The three documents you need first
The AHV individual account statement (Individuelles Konto), free from your compensation office, listing every contribution year and every gap. The pension fund certificate from your employer's scheme, showing current capital, projected capital and the conversion rate. And your pillar 3a statements.
Any calculator is only as good as these inputs. Estimates based on assumed contribution years are the main reason people are surprised at retirement – particularly those who arrived mid-career or had periods without contributions.
Gather them once and keep them together. The exercise takes an evening and does not need repeating annually – a check every three to five years, or after any major change, is sufficient.
What the numbers mean
The first pillar targets basic subsistence, capped for couples at 150 % of the maximum single pension. The second pillar depends on accumulated capital and the conversion rate applied to it – and that rate has been declining for years, which affects projections made a decade ago.
Together the two pillars are intended to reach roughly 60 % of previous income for middle earners. Above that income level the proportion falls, which is why higher earners depend disproportionately on the third pillar and free assets.
Compare the projected total not with your current salary but with your current fixed costs. That comparison is the one that tells you whether a gap exists and how large it is.
Closing a gap you have found
Pension fund buy-ins reduce taxable income in the year of payment and are most effective for higher earners and for anyone with gaps from years abroad. The available amount is shown on your certificate.
Pillar 3a contributions do the same at a smaller scale annually, and free investing covers what the tax-privileged accounts cannot – note that both 3a and pillar 2 are locked until close to retirement, so a free portfolio remains necessary for flexibility.
Time matters more than amount. A gap identified at 40 is a planning question; the same gap identified at 60 is a lifestyle question. That difference is the entire argument for doing this exercise early.