Your AHV/AVS contributions do not disappear when you leave Switzerland, and in most cases they cannot be paid back to you either. If you are a Swiss, EU or EFTA national — or a national of most countries with a Swiss social security agreement — the years you contributed stay recorded in your name and are paid out later as a partial Swiss old-age pension, transferred to you anywhere in the world once you reach reference age. Only nationals of countries with no social security agreement with Switzerland (and a small group of agreement states) can ask for their contributions to be refunded instead. Which of the two applies to you depends on your nationality, not on where you move to.
Key takeaways
The AHV/AVS is a pay-as-you-go system, not a savings pot. What you leave behind is an entitlement, not a balance you can transfer.
Swiss, EU and EFTA nationals cannot have AHV contributions refunded. The entitlement is preserved and paid abroad as a pension from reference age.
A minimum of one full contribution year is needed for any Swiss pension entitlement. A full pension requires 44 contribution years; each missing year reduces the pension by roughly one forty-fourth.
For 2026 the full single AHV pension is CHF 1,260 to CHF 2,520 per month, unchanged since 1 January 2025.
Refunds exist only for nationals of non-contracting states, plus, under conditions, Australia, Brazil, China, India, the Philippines, South Korea, Tunisia and Uruguay.
A refund is capped at 8.7% of the total gross salary on which contributions were paid, carries no interest, is taxed at source, and ends every future Swiss pension right.
Once abroad, your file is handled by the Swiss Compensation Office (SCO/ZAS) in Geneva — not your former cantonal office.
How the AHV records your contributions in the first place
Everyone who lives or works in Switzerland pays into the Old-Age and Survivors’ Insurance (AHV / AVS / OASI), the first of the three pillars of Swiss retirement provision. Employees pay 4.35% of gross salary, matched by the same amount from the employer.
Those contributions are not invested in an account with your name on it. They fund today’s pensions. What is personal to you is the individual account (IK / CI) held under your 13-digit AHV number, which records the income you contributed on and in which years. That record is what a pension is later calculated from — and it stays intact whether you remain in Switzerland for forty years or three.
This is the single most important difference from the second pillar occupational pension, where real capital accumulates in your name and can, in defined circumstances, be paid out or transferred when you leave.
Who keeps a Swiss pension and who can ask for a refund
Nationality determines the outcome. Your destination country matters mainly for how the pension is paid and taxed, not for whether you have one.
| Your nationality | What happens to your AHV contributions | Refund possible? |
|---|---|---|
| Swiss | Entitlement preserved; pension paid worldwide from reference age | No |
| EU or EFTA member state | Entitlement preserved; insurance periods in other EU/EFTA states count towards eligibility, each state paying its own pension | No |
| Agreement state (e.g. United Kingdom, USA, Canada, Japan, Turkey, Serbia) | Entitlement preserved under the terms of the bilateral agreement | Generally no |
| Australia, Brazil, China, India, Philippines, South Korea, Tunisia, Uruguay | Agreement applies, but a refund is available under certain conditions | Yes, conditionally |
| Non-contracting state (no agreement with Switzerland) | No pension is paid abroad; contributions may be refunded instead | Yes |
The current list of agreement states is maintained by the Federal Social Insurance Office (FSIO/BSV) and does change, so check your own nationality against it rather than relying on a summary.
If you keep the entitlement: a partial pension, paid abroad
Contribution years are not lost by moving away, but they are also not topped up. Swiss pensions are calculated on a full contribution period of 44 years. Someone who contributed for eight years before moving abroad will receive roughly 8/44 of the pension their average income would otherwise have produced — a real entitlement, but a modest one.
Two consequences follow, and both are regularly underestimated:
A short Swiss career still produces a lifelong Swiss pension. It is worth claiming even when the monthly figure looks small.
Your Swiss years will not, on their own, fund retirement. The gap belongs to your private pension provision and to whatever scheme you join next.
Payment starts at reference age: 65 for men, and for women rising in stages under the AHV 21 reform — 64 years and 6 months for those reaching it in 2026, reaching 65 by 2028. The pension is transferred to a bank account of your choice, in Switzerland or abroad, generally in the local currency of your payment address. The 13th AHV pension, approved by voters in 2024, is paid for the first time in December 2026 and applies to entitled pensioners living abroad as well.
If you qualify for a refund: what is actually paid out
Nationals of non-contracting states may apply to have contributions refunded once they have left permanently. The rules, set out in the AHVG and administered by the Swiss Compensation Office in Geneva, are precise:
You must have paid contributions for at least one full year.
You, your spouse and your children under 25 must have left Switzerland permanently or firmly intend to.
The application is made after departure, using the official refund form, with a copy of your deregistration confirmation, proof of nationality and proof of residence abroad.
The maximum refunded is 8.7% of the total gross income on which contributions were paid — your own 4.35% plus the employer’s 4.35%. There is no interest.
The amount can be reduced where it would exceed the present value of the benefits a person in the same situation could expect.
The refund is subject to Swiss withholding tax (scale D), levied through the tax authority of the Canton of Geneva.
Accepting a refund extinguishes all future rights for you and your survivors — including disability and survivors’ benefits. It is a final settlement, not an advance.
Expert Insight
One important distinction is between contributions paid and benefits earned. A refund returns a percentage of past salary; a pension pays a lifelong monthly amount linked to average income and years of insurance. For someone who contributed for many years, the pension is usually worth considerably more over a normal retirement than the capped 8.7% refund — which is precisely why the law allows the refund to be reduced when it would exceed the value of the benefits given up.
A second point is often overlooked by internationally mobile families: eligibility is assessed household by household. A refund normally requires the whole family to have left Switzerland, and where one spouse is Swiss, EU or EFTA and the couple lives in an EU/EFTA state, the outcome shifts from refund to pension entitlement. Mixed-nationality couples should therefore establish their position before assuming either route applies.
Can you keep contributing to the AHV after you leave?
Sometimes — through the voluntary AHV/IV insurance, which exists to prevent contribution gaps for people who move outside Europe. All of the following conditions must be met:
You hold Swiss, EU or EFTA nationality.
Your new residence is outside the EU and EFTA.
You were insured under the compulsory Swiss scheme for at least five consecutive years immediately beforehand.
You apply within one year of leaving the compulsory scheme. This deadline is strict, and a missed application cannot be made up later.
Someone moving to Germany, France or Italy is not eligible, because residence within the EU excludes voluntary insurance. Contributions are set by law at the same rates as compulsory insurance, so this is a way of closing gaps rather than a discretionary savings plan.
Common misconceptions about the AHV and moving abroad
“I can cash out my AHV like my pillar 3a.” Pillar 3a can be withdrawn on definitive departure; AHV cannot, unless you fall into the narrow refund category.
“A few years of contributions are not worth anything.” One full contribution year already creates an entitlement.
“Moving to an EU country means my Swiss years transfer into the local system.” They do not transfer. Periods are aggregated to decide eligibility, but Switzerland pays for Swiss years and the other state pays for its own.
“The AHV will contact me at retirement.” Swiss pensions are not paid automatically. You must submit a claim, typically around three to four months before reaching reference age.
“Taking the refund is the safer option.” It is irreversible and taxed, and it removes survivors’ and disability protection alongside the retirement pension.
What this means for your family
Practically, the AHV is the part of a Swiss departure that requires the least paperwork now and the most record-keeping later. There is nothing to transfer, cancel or reinvest — but there is a claim to make decades after you have gone, in a country you may no longer have any connection to.
That makes documentation the whole task. Your AHV number, your individual account statement and your deregistration confirmation are the three items that make a future claim straightforward. Families with different nationalities should also note that spouses are assessed separately: it is entirely possible for one partner to keep a pension entitlement while the other qualifies for a refund.
Before you leave: a short AHV checklist
Request a free individual account statement (IK-Auszug) from your compensation office and store it with your permanent records.
Note your AHV number and keep it with your passport documents.
Keep the deregistration confirmation issued by your commune — it is required for a refund application and useful for any later pension claim.
Establish which category your nationality falls into before assuming a refund is available.
Check voluntary insurance eligibility within the one-year deadline if you are moving outside the EU/EFTA.
Give the Swiss Compensation Office a durable contact address and update it whenever you move again.
Settle your health cover separately: ending your Swiss basic health insurance is a distinct process with its own proof requirements.
Frequently asked questions
Do I lose my AHV contributions if I only worked in Switzerland for two years?
No. Two full contribution years create an entitlement to a partial pension for Swiss, EU, EFTA and most agreement-state nationals. The amount will be small — approximately two forty-fourths of a full pension — but it is paid for life.
Can I have my AHV paid out early as a lump sum?
No. The AHV pays monthly pensions, not capital. The only capital payment available is the contribution refund for nationals of non-contracting states, and it is not an early pension.
Will Switzerland tax my AHV pension once I live abroad?
Ordinary AHV pensions paid to residents abroad are generally taxable in the country of residence under the applicable double taxation agreement, whereas contribution refunds are taxed at source in Switzerland. Because treaty treatment differs by country, confirm your position with a tax adviser in your destination country.
What happens to my AHV if I return to Switzerland later?
Your earlier contribution years remain on your individual account and simply continue when you are insured again — unless you took a refund, which permanently cancels the years it covered.
Does my second pillar follow the same rules?
No, and confusing the two is a frequent source of error. The second pillar is accumulated capital with its own payout and vested-benefit rules, explained separately in our guide to the Swiss second pillar.
Planning your departure with your whole Swiss cover in view
The AHV is one strand of a departure that also touches health insurance, occupational pensions, private policies and tax. Decisions made in the final weeks — particularly around pillar 3a and 3b savings — are difficult to revisit once you have deregistered. If you would like your situation reviewed before you go, you are welcome to book a free consultation and we will go through it with you in English or German.
Official Swiss sources
Swiss Compensation Office (SCO/ZAS), Reimbursement of contributions — zas.admin.ch (reviewed 30 July 2026)
Swiss Compensation Office (SCO/ZAS), Entitlement to OASI pension payments outside Switzerland — zas.admin.ch (reviewed 30 July 2026)
AHV/IV Information Centre, Leaflet 10.02 The voluntary old-age, survivors’ and disability insurance — ahv-iv.ch (reviewed 30 July 2026)
AHV/IV Information Centre, Leaflet 10.03 Information for citizens of states with which Switzerland has not concluded a social security agreement — ahv-iv.ch (reviewed 30 July 2026)
State Secretariat for Migration, Swiss social insurance system: period of stay in Switzerland and departure — sem.admin.ch (reviewed 30 July 2026)
This article provides general information on Swiss social insurance and does not replace personalised insurance, pension, legal or tax advice. Entitlements depend on your nationality, contribution record and country of residence; confirm your own position with the competent Swiss compensation office or a qualified adviser.