Pension fund statement. Your insurance certificate in simple terms.

Your pension fund makes available your current insurance certificate at least once a year. It gives you an overview of all the benefits you are entitled to under your occupational benefit scheme.

What is the insurance certificate?

The insurance certificate provides an overview of all the benefits you are entitled to under your occupational benefit scheme. Each year, an updated pension certificate is made available to all insured persons.

Key figures on your insurance certificate:

Insured salary
Annual pension fund contributions for the employee and employer
Expected old-age savings upon retirement

Benefits in the event of disability or death
Purchases and potential for purchases in the pension fund
Benefits in the event of early retirement

How your pension fund statement is structured

Personal details

Salary data

Retirement credit

As of age 25, you and your employee each pay a monthly savings contribution to your pension fund. The amount of the old-age credit depends on your age and insured salary.

In addition to the monthly savings contribution, the risk contribution for disability and death is also stated. This is mandatory as of the 1 January after the person turns 17.

The employee contributions are offset against the monthly salary and the employer contributions are transferred with the latter’s share to the pension fund. The employer must pay at least 50% of the total contributions.

Old-age savings and retirement pension

In your insurance certificate you can see your current old-age savings and the performance in the past year. As your old-age savings earn annual interest, the interest can greatly increase your savings over the years.

The key figures “expected retirement savings” and “estimated retirement pension” show how much money you can expect to receive from your pension fund when and after you retire. The “expected benefits in the event of early retirement” are also visible. If you are considering early retirement, you can see here what impact this would have on your retirement benefits.

The insurance certificate is always a snapshot and refers to the date on which it was updated. In addition to a different rate of interest, changes to your salary or degree of employment or a change to a different pension fund can result in changes to your benefits.

Risk benefits in the event of disability or death

In this section you can see how you and your family are protected by the pension fund in case something happens to you.

If you become unable to earn, whether due to illness or an accident, your pension fund will support you with a disability pension and – if you have children – with disabled’s children’s pensions. The benefits will be provided in addition to the disability insurance.

In the event of your death, your spouse will be paid an annual pension. Most pension funds also pay benefits for life partners. However, most pension funds require life partners to be registered with them. If you live in a domestic partnership it is also important to check your order of beneficiaries and amend it if necessary. Your children receive an orphan's pension. This is paid out until they turn 18 – or until they complete their training or education (max. until age 25).

Pension fund purchases

In order to increase your pension fund assets you can make voluntary purchases into the pension fund. In this way, you can increase your retirement savings as well as your retirement pension and risk benefits. Additional purchases are usually tax deductible. The maximum purchase sum under the insurance provisions is the maximum additional amount you can pay into the pension fund.

Early withdrawal of pension fund assets

One of the few options for withdrawing money early from the pension fund is to finance owner-occupied housing. The amount withdrawn for this purpose is noted on the insurance certificate. The advance withdrawal is subject to framework conditions, and additional restrictions apply as of age 50. If you are interested, we recommend arranging an individual consultation, because an advance withdrawal can affect the pension fund benefits. In addition, there are also various ways to organize amortization of your mortgage. This all has an impact on your tax burden.

Further information for employees

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Good to know

The figures will change by the time you retire.

The current insurance certificate is based on your current income, your current pension fund solution and on the current rate of interest and legislation. The basic rule is that: the closer you are to retirement, the more accurate the figures are. The conversion rate can also change over time. It is relevant for converting your capital into a retirement pension, provided you prefer a pension to a capital withdrawal. An advance withdrawal for buying your own home, an increase in your old-age savings via a voluntary purchase or a division of old-age savings as a result of divorce can affect your benefits.

What others wanted to know

Our customer advisors can provide answers to selected FAQs. Just tell us what you want to know. We will be happy to help you.

Michele B. (48), Bellinzona

When do I receive my insurance certificate?

As soon as it has been notified by your employer of the current salary data for all employees, the pension fund can issue you with your updated insurance certificate. This generally happens at the start of the year. Your pension fund will made available your personal insurance certificate directly. The information in your certificate is usually valid as at the first of January of the respective year.

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Maurice G. (57), La Chaux-de-Fonds

Where can I order my insurance certificate?

The insurance certificate is always a snapshot in time and refers to the date on which it was updated. If, for example, you were to change your degree of employment or take on a new role during the year and this were to result in a change in your salary, then this would impact the benefits due to you from the pension fund. Similarly, if you make voluntary purchases into the pension fund or withdraw assets for owner-occupied residential property, or if your current retirement credit were to be split following a divorce, this also leads to a change in benefits. In such cases it can make sense to request an up-to-date insurance certificate. You can ask your pension fund to provide you with one.