Switzerland - Maternity allowance/Paternity allowance/Adoption allowance
This chapter gives a general description of the allowances paid during maternity leave, paternity leave or adoption leave, with the aim of compensating in part the parents’ loss of earnings.
Benefits covered in this chapter:
- Maternity allowance
- Paternity allowance
- Adoption allowance
In what situation can I claim?
If you are a woman who is working and expecting a child, you are entitled, under certain conditions set out below, to an allowance that is in principle equal to 80% of your income, and that for 14 weeks after childbirth.
Note that you also benefit from healthcare related to your pregnancy and the birth as part of the health care insurance (see the chapter on Sickness insurance).
If you are a man who is working and you become a father, you are entitled, under certain conditions, to an allowance that is in principle equal to 80% of your income, and that for 2 weeks within a six-month period after childbirth.
If you work and foster a child under the age of four with a view to adoption, you are entitled, under certain conditions, to an allowance that is in principle equal to 80% of your income, and that for a maximum of 2 weeks within a one-year period after the child is taken in.
What conditions do I need to meet?
Maternity allowance (allowance for loss of earnings)
To benefit from maternity allowance, you need to:
- be employed or self-employed on the date of the birth;
- have been insured in the AVS on a compulsory basis (see the chapter on Old-age benefits) for the 9 months preceding the delivery (this period is reduced accordingly if delivery occurs before the end of the ninth month of pregnancy);
- have worked during this period for at least 5 months.
In addition, you must effectively cease working during your maternity leave.
Specific rules apply to women who are unemployed or unable to work during pregnancy and/or the delivery.
Paternity allowance (allowance for loss of earnings)
To benefit from paternity allowance, you need to:
- be the child's legal father at the time of the child's birth or become so within six months;
- have been insured in the AVS on a compulsory basis (see the chapter on Old-age benefits) for the 9 months preceding the child’s birth;
- have worked during this period for at least 5 months;
- take leave.
Adoption allowance (allowance for loss of earnings)
To benefit from adoption allowance, you need to:
- foster a child under the age of four with a view to adoption;
- have been insured in the AVS on a compulsory basis (see the chapter on Old-age benefits) for the 9 months preceding the taking in of the child;
- have worked during this period for at least 5 months;
- take leave.
What am I entitled to and how can I claim?
Maternity allowance
|
Amount: |
80% of average income CHF 220 per day maximum |
|
Start of entitlement: |
Day of the birth |
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End of entitlement: |
98th day after the birth at the latest (i.e. after 14 weeks) This entitlement stops before this date if the mother returns to either full or part-time paid employment or if she should die. |
Maternity allowance is not paid automatically. After the birth, you need to submit an application to the appropriate AVS compensation fund.
If your newborn child has to stay in hospital for at least 2 weeks immediately after birth, you may be entitled to additional allowances (up to 8 weeks).
If you are employed, the application needs to be sent to your employer who will forward it on to the compensation fund.
In addition to what is detailed here, the 26 cantons may provide for a higher maternity allowance or for a longer duration, and/or for an adoption allowance.
Paternity allowance
|
Amount: |
80% of average income CHF 220 per day maximum |
|
Period of entitlement: |
2 weeks within a six-month period after birth |
|
Modalities |
The allowance can be taken as a whole or in days. |
|
Number of allowances: |
If the leave is taken in weeks, the father receives seven allowances per week; if the leave is taken in days, the father receives two additional allowances per five compensated days. |
Paternity allowance is not paid automatically. You need to submit an application to the appropriate AVS compensation fund.
If you are employed, the application needs to be sent to your employer who will forward it on to the compensation fund.
Adoption allowance
|
Amount: |
80% of average income CHF 220 per day maximum The allowance is calculated separately for each adoptive parent |
|
Period of entitlement: |
Maximum of 2 weeks within a one-year period after the child is taken in |
|
Modalities |
The allowance can be taken as a whole or in days. In the case of joint adoption, the parents may divide the leave as they wish; however, they may not receive daily allowances for the same day |
|
Number of allowances: |
If the leave is taken in weeks, the adoptive parent receives seven allowances per week; if the leave is taken in days, the adoptive parent receives two additional allowances per five compensated days |
Adoption allowance is not paid automatically. You need to submit an application to the appropriate AVS compensation fund.
If you are employed, the application needs to be sent to your employer who will forward it on to the compensation fund.
Jargon busters
- AVS: old-age and survivors' insurance. The AVS is the first pillar of the old-age and survivors' scheme in Switzerland.
- Compensation funds: the compensation funds arrange the payment of various social benefits at the cantonal level. The funds are not centralised and reflect Switzerland's federal structure. There are two main types: occupational compensation funds and cantonal compensation funds.
Forms you may need to fill in
- Maternity allowance application form
- Employer declaration form - For women who are unemployed and not in receipt of unemployment benefits
- Paternity allowance application form
- Adoption allowance application form
Know your rights
The following links provide additional information about your rights. They are not European Commission sites and do not represent the view of the Commission:
European Commission publications:
Who do you need to contact?
Cantonal compensation funds and occupational compensation funds
Find the contact details of the cantonal compensation funds and occupational compensation funds.
Identify and contact the relevant compensation office.
Federal Social Insurance Office (FSIO)
Effingerstrasse 20
3003 Bern
Tel. +41 58 462 90 11