Expats Services
Questions about swiss taxes?
Are you new to Switzerland and you have questions about the Swiss tax system? We will be happy to help you. We count over 300 expats among our satisfied customers.
Guide to swiss taxes
If you are a foreigner living and working in Switzerland, you will
typically be liable to pay Swiss taxes. However, when filing your Swiss
tax return, you may also be able to claim certain tax expenses and
deduction.
The Swiss tax system is quite complex due to the federalist structure
of Switzerland. There are 26 cantons and around 2,250 municipalities
that levy their own income taxes, wealth taxes, inheritances taxes,
property gains taxes, and other taxes.
Foreign employees (without a C permit) have the fiscal amount deducted
directly from their salary each month by their Swiss employer. The rates
are lower than the rates of the assessed income taxes because they
apply to the gross income.
Foreign employees residing in Switzerland whose gross salary exceeds CHF
120,000 per year (CHF 500,000 in the Republic and Canton of Geneva) are
obliged to file a tax return for their worldwide income and assets. The
tax withheld from salary is credited interest-free against the assessed
tax.
Saving taxes
Correction of withholding tax
If you are a foreign employee with tax deducted from your salary and
if you are not required to file a tax return, you could eventually
reduce your tax burden by submitting a claim for the correction of
withholding tax. This may lead to a partial tax refund. The correction claim can be submitted for the following items:
- Cost of international weekly residence
- Debt interest (consumer loans and credit cards)
- Further education and retraining costs
- Health and accident costs
- Costs associated with disability
- Support payments
- Alimony payments
- Contributions in recognized forms to own pension provisioning (third pillar)
- Purchases of contribution years in a pension fund (second pillar)
- Childcare costs
- Donations
The 7 most important tips to save taxes
This video explains how you can reduce your taxable income to save taxes in Switzerland.
Filing a swiss tax return as an expat
Swiss citizens, foreigners with a permanent residence permit C, or foreigners married to a Swiss citizen, don’t have their taxes deducted from the salary, and instead need to file a tax return each year.
Some cantons have incorporated additional criteria in their tax laws that require an ordinary tax assessment of foreign residents in Switzerland (e.g., if real estate is owned in Switzerland). An annual tax return is also due if you are working as a self-employed person or as an employee of a foreign employer. Also, if you earn more than CHF 120'000.- per year, you must file a tax return.
All cantons offer you a free software (called EasyTax) to download or you can complete the tax return online. You will find all the information on the homepage of your cantonal tax office.
We can file the tax declaration for you. Simple and easy. If you let us do the work, there are many advantages for you.
Prices start as low as CHF 89.- for a single person without real estate and wealth report.
The 7 best tax saving tips
People living in Switzerland shoulder one of the lowest income tax burdens in the world. Nevertheless, nobody likes to pay too much taxes. Claiming tax deductions is an easy way to save money, but many residents of Switzerland do not claim all of the deductions which they are entitled to. Here are the 7 most important tips for saving taxes in Switzerland. FREE DOWNLOAD
Tax return Checklist
List of documents and informations that we need to file your tax return. FREE DOWNLOAD
Price list: Swiss income tax return for individuals: All Cantons