Getting unemployment money but owning a company

I understood this is not possible, does anyone have any experience with that? Is this controlled? What is the penalty? Are you allowed to have a company in another country?

Swiss unemployment insurance is generally connected to the income you earned from your Swiss employment. That means the benefits you received are based on your income from the (lost) employment, regardless of whether you have another part-time job. A self-employed person would not be able to ensure their self-employment with the ALV. However, their income from employment would be insured.

There is a clear rule about receiving unemployment benefits for a salary from an AG or similar company if you are part of the top management. If you are employed in an executive position in a Swiss AG and then lose your job, you will not be able to claim unemployment benefits (even though you pay for unemployment insurance like other employees).

But there is no clear rule or ruling that I know of about owning a business, but claiming benefits for a different, paid employment. My assumption is that you would still be able to receive benefits for your lost employed position, even though you have a part-time self-employment as well. They should be two separate things. But I do not know for sure.

The best is to ask the social security office in your canton, or more specifically the department in charge of unemployment insurance. The RAV may also be able to help.

The important thing is to be completely transparent and honest about your self-employment, the income your earn from it, etc.