Where do my social security retirement savings (AHV) go if I die before reaching retirement age?

I am in my early fifties and have contributed tens of thousands of francs in social security payments over my lifetime. If I were to die before reaching retirement age, who would all my social security retirement savings go to?

Even though the pension your receive from Social security is based on the amount you pay in, social security is really an old-age insurance and not a pension fund. If you die before reaching retirement age, the money you have contributed to social security (AHV/AVS) is lost in that it is not paid out to your heirs but simply disappears into the pension scheme.

However, aside from your old-age contributions, you also pay premiums for survivors insurance from social security. This insurance pays out a survivors pension to your dependents if they meet eligibility requirements.

If you are not a Swiss citizen or a citizen of a country which Switzerland has a social security agreement with, you can claim full reimbursement of total social security contributions if you leave Switzerland (assuming you have worked in Switzerland for at least 1 year).