Financial Tips for Apprentices in Switzerland

Are you about to begin your apprenticeship, or are you already an apprentice? Here, moneyland.ch answers important financial questions related to apprenticeships in Switzerland.

How much do I earn during an apprenticeship?

Salaries vary depending on the region, industry and job. Typically, salaries range between 500 and 700 francs per month during the first year, 700 and 900 francs during the second, and between 900 and 1100 francs during the third year. However, recommended monthly salaries can be as low as 400 francs (graphic designer, photographer, taylor), or as high as 1160 francs (farmer) in the first year, and as high as 2324 francs per month (foundation layer) in the third year.

Can my parents claim my salary?

No. Article 323 of the Swiss civil code states that money which minors earn is theirs to manage and use. That means that unlike money and property provided by your parents, your salary and money which you save from it legally belong to you, and not to your parents. Your parents cannot force you to hand over your salary.

However, your parents can expect you to contribute a reasonable amount towards your expenses for as long as you stay with them. The size of your salary and your parents financial situation determines what a reasonable amount is.

Can I open a bank account?

Yes. Many Swiss banks offer special accounts for young people, and you can generally open one whether or not you are employed. As an apprentice, your employer may expect you to have a private account to receive your salary into. In many cases, youth accounts have lower fees and/or better interest rates than regular bank accounts for adults. A few conventional banks offer youth accounts which are even more favorable than neobanks (though neobanks are often cheaper for international travel). Some banks also offer youth fund saving plans with special terms and conditions.

You can easily find the best accounts for teenagers and young adults using the private account comparison and savings account comparison on moneyland.ch.

Do I have to pay for health insurance myself?

Until you finish your apprenticeship, your parents are responsible to help cover your basic expenses. But because you earn a salary, they can expect you to cover part of the cost. For this reason, you will want to get one of the most affordable health insurance offers available in your region. You can easily find the cheapest option using the mandatory health insurance comparison on moneyland.ch.

Up to the age of 18, you pay the low premiums for children. Between the ages of 19 and 25, you pay young adult premiums, which are higher, but still less than what adults above the age of 25 pay. The comparison only shows offers matching your age group.  

Do I pay taxes on my salary?

Yes. As a minor, the rules for declaring your income vary between cantons, so it is best to simply ask about the rules at your municipal tax office. In the canton of Zurich, for example, apprentices do not need to declare their income at all, while in some cantons you have to submit your own income tax returns. However, typical Swiss salaries for apprentices are so low that they normally fall below the threshold for taxable income. This means you usually won’t pay any income tax.

As a minor, you do not have to declare your wealth (savings or investments, for example). This is considered your parents’ property until you turn 18, and they are required to declare it in their tax returns. 

After you turn 18, you have to fill out your own tax returns and declare both your income and wealth yourself.

Can I get my own mobile plan?

Yes. As an apprentice, you can sign up to a mobile plan using the money which you earn yourself. The guide to mobile plans for young people and the guide to choosing the right mobile plan give you useful tips for choosing the right offer.

You can find the cheapest mobile plans for your specific needs using the interactive Swiss mobile plan comparison on moneyland.ch.

Can I get a credit card?

You can only apply for a credit card after you turn 18 years old, and even after that, card issuers are generally hesitant to give credit cards to apprentices. Until you are able to get a credit card, you can use a prepaid card for card-based spending (online payments, for example). The comprehensive Swiss prepaid card comparison on moneyland.ch helps you find the cheapest card for your needs.

If your bank gives you a Debit Mastercard or Visa Debit card with your private account, you may not need a credit card or prepaid card at all. The new debit cards can be used to pay online just like credit cards, and have lower fees than most prepaid cards.

Cards from Swiss neobanks like Neon (16 years old on up) and Yuh (18 on up) are generally cheaper than prepaid cards. These combine bank accounts with cards which can be used just like prepaid cards, but have lower fees and better exchange rates than conventional prepaid cards. 

Do I get paid holidays?

Yes. Until you turn 20, you are entitled to a minimum of five weeks of paid holiday per year. In contrast to regular employees, you have to use all of your paid holiday allowances. You cannot skip holidays in exchange for financial compensation. After you turn 20, you get a minimum of four weeks per year, but many employers give you more than that.

Do I get paid sick leave?

In Switzerland, employees (including apprentices) are entitled to a certain amount of paid sick leave after they have worked for an employer for at least three months. This means that after the three-month probation period, you can take days off when you are too sick to work, and still get your normal salary.

You can get up to three weeks of paid sick leave during the first year. Entitlements in the second year range from four to nine weeks, depending on which canton you work in. In the third year, you can take up to nine weeks of paid sick leave. Some employers have insurance which covers longer periods of illness.

Once your paid sick leave entitlement period is over, your employer does not have to keep paying you. Depending on your illness, you may be able to claim benefits from disability insurance if your invalidity persists over a long-term.

Important: You should be aware that your employer can let you go if you are physically incapable of carrying out the apprenticeship. This could be the case if constant or prolonged illness prevents you from keeping up with your training schedule.

Do I have to pay for paid sick leave insurance?

Yes. If your employer has paid sick leave insurance (not all employers have it), they can expect you to cover part of the cost. Typically, the cost of insurance premiums is split between you and your employer. Your employer will normally deduct your portion directly from your salary.

Important: Not all Swiss employers have paid sick leave insurance. This insurance mostly benefits your employer, because the insurance company covers your salary when you cannot work because you are sick. Normally, your boss would have to cover these, up to the limits of paid sick leave entitlements.

Do I have accident insurance as an apprentice?

Until you become employed, you get accident coverage with your mandatory health insurance. But when you take on an apprenticeship, you are covered against accidents which occur in the workplace by your employer’s accident insurance. If you work more than 8 hours per week for one employer — which is generally the case with apprenticeships — then your employer’s accident insurance also covers you in your time off. 

Your employer pays the premiums for workplace insurance, but they can deduct the premiums for the accident insurance which covers you when you are not at work from your salary if they choose to. If you have an accident, you have to make insurance claims to your employer’s accident insurance — not to your health insurance.

Note: You can tell your mandatory health insurance provider to put your accident coverage on hold after starting your apprenticeship. Doing this will lower the premiums you pay for health insurance.

Do I pay OASI contributions as an apprentice?

That depends on your age. As an apprentice, you begin paying OASI contributions at the start of the calendar year which follows your seventeenth birthday. For example, if you turn 17 in July, you have to begin making OASI payments on the next January 1. Your employer will normally deduct these payments from your salary.

Do I get a pension fund as an apprentice?

Not in most cases. The requirement to join a pension fund only applies to apprentices aged 17 and over who earn at least 22,050 Swiss francs per year. That is well above even the higher-end apprentice salaries. Even if you do earn that much, until you turn 24, you only have to pay the contributions for your pension fund’s life insurance and disability insurance. You only begin paying the contributions towards your old-age pension from age 24.

Can I use the pillar 3a as an apprentice?

The pillar 3a can be used to save towards buying a home or retirement, among other things, on a voluntary basis. You can deduct the amount of money you put into pillar 3a savings from your taxable income, up to certain limits.

Legally, you can begin using the pillar 3a from the calendar year following your seventeenth birthday (when you begin paying OASI contributions). In practice, banks typically only offer pillar 3a savings accounts, pillar 3a asset management services, and pillar 3a retirement funds to people aged 18 or older.

If you do not have a pension fund because your salary is too low, you can save up to 20 percent of your income in the pillar 3a. Otherwise the annual pillar 3a limit for people with pension funds applies.

How am I insured against becoming disabled?

You are insured against disabilities resulting from accidents by your employer’s accident insurance. This insurance compensates lost income if you are temporarily disabled in an accident, and pays you a lifelong pension if you become permanently disabled. 

You are also insured by social disability insurance (DI), and you pay for this insurance from the start of the calendar year following your seventeenth birthday. This insurance covers the cost of measures to integrate you into the workforce if you become disabled. When you turn 18 years old, you become eligible to receive a disability pension if your disability permanently hampers your ability to earn a living.

You can find out more in the moneyland.ch guide to Swiss disability pensions.

Can I claim unemployment insurance if my apprenticeship ends prematurely?

Yes, assuming you meet the general criteria for unemployment insurance benefits. If you have worked for a Swiss employer for at least 12 out of the past 24 months with an average monthly salary of 500 francs or more, you can claim standard Swiss social unemployment insurance benefits. As an apprentice, you can also claim unemployment money if you have not yet worked for a full 12 months, but only after a long, 120-day waiting period. Once the waiting period has ended, you can receive unemployment money for up to 90 workdays.

More on this topic:
Student bank accounts in Switzerland explained
Scholarships and student loans: 9 ways to finance your education
Mobile plans for students: 12 pointers for better deals
Health insurance for foreign students in Switzerland