Pillar 3a

Pillar 3a (Säule 3a) is Switzerland's voluntary private pension scheme — the one lever most expats leave unused simply because nobody explains it to them in plain English. Unlike the mandatory AHV (Pillar 1) and your employer's pension fund (Pillar 2), a 3a account is something you open and fund yourself, and eligible contributions, up to the annual statutory limit, are deductible from your taxable income the same year.

This hub groups everything we've written about Pillar 3a for expats living and working in Switzerland: who is allowed to contribute, how much you can put in each year, comparisons of providers, and what happens to the money when you eventually withdraw it.

If you're new to Pillar 3a, the articles below cover eligibility, limits and tax mechanics, plus deeper dives on specific decisions: exactly how much to contribute this year, and which provider to pick if you're choosing between VIAC and Finpension.