Pillar 3a: the complete guide

How much can I pay in for 2026?

The maximum depends on whether you belong to a pension fund. On 17 November 2025 the Federal Council confirmed that the pillar-3a deduction for the 2026 tax year remains unchanged from 2025.

For the contribution to count for the current tax year, the amount must be credited to your 3a account by 31 December.

The exact year-end deadline and its effect on the tax year are covered in our detailed guide on the contribution deadline (see link below).

Retroactive buy-in: paying in missed years (new from 2026)

Since 1 January 2026, missed or unused 3a years can be paid in retroactively under certain conditions. This is the biggest change to pillar 3a in recent years.

The key rules at a glance:

• You can pay in retroactively for up to ten years — but only for contribution years from 2025 onward.
• A retroactive payment is always possible only in the year after the gap (for 2025, therefore, at the earliest in 2026).
• It requires that the full contribution for the current year has already been paid in.
• You need income subject to AHV contributions both in the gap year and in the buy-in year.
• Gaps created by an early withdrawal (e.g. for home ownership) cannot be filled; after drawing a retirement benefit, no further buy-in is possible.

1. Gap year

   In the year of the gap (2025 at the earliest), the 3a contribution was not paid in, or not in full.

2. Following year

   Only in the following year can the gap be paid in — after the current year's contribution has been paid in full.

3. Look-back

   In this way up to ten past years can be filled step by step, provided they fall in contribution year 2025 or later.

In depth: the contribution deadline and maximum amounts in detail →

How much tax do I save with pillar 3a?

Pillar-3a contributions are deducted from taxable income. How much you actually save depends on your personal marginal tax rate — which varies strongly by income, canton and municipality of residence.

As a rough orientation — not a binding calculation — the saving on a maximum contribution of CHF 7'258 typically falls within this range:

These figures are examples only and depend on the canton; they do not replace tax advice. Your actual marginal rate may be higher or lower.

Pillar 3a at a bank or with an insurer?

A 3a can be held as a bank solution (account or securities solution at a bank foundation) or as an insurance solution (tied provision policy). Both are permitted; they differ in their features.

The overview below sets out the features side by side — it is not a recommendation. Which route suits a person depends on their situation.

Whether an account or an insurance route suits your circumstances depends on many personal factors. Such questions are best clarified in person — we are happy to talk it through with you, without any sales pressure.

Investing pillar 3a in securities

Besides the classic 3a interest account, there are securities solutions in which the savings are invested. Structurally, they differ from an account mainly in that value and return can fluctuate: there are both opportunities and risks, and the value can at times fall below the amount paid in.

Whether and in what form a securities solution makes sense depends on your personal situation, investment horizon and risk capacity. This page only explains the structure and deliberately makes no investment recommendation.

We are happy to explain how a securities-based 3a works in principle. For an assessment tailored to you, arrange a no-obligation conversation.

When and how can I withdraw pillar 3a?

The 3a savings are tied. Ordinary withdrawal is possible at the earliest five years before the AHV reference age; anyone who remains gainfully employed beyond the reference age can defer withdrawal for up to five years.

The reference age itself is currently shifting: for men it is 65. For women it is being raised in steps — the 1963 cohort to 64 years and 9 months, from the 1964 cohort to 65 years; from 2028 it is 65 for everyone.

1. 5 years before

   Earliest ordinary withdrawal — five years before the AHV reference age.

2. Reference age

   Men 65; women depending on cohort (1963: 64 yrs 9 mths; from 1964: 65).

3. Up to 5 years after

   Withdrawal can be deferred as long as gainful employment continues.

Staggered withdrawal and lump-sum withdrawal tax

The 3a payout is not added to your other income but taxed separately at a reduced rate (lump-sum withdrawal tax). The actual rates differ by canton.

Because the rate rises with the size of the payout, some people spread their savings across several accounts and withdraw in stages over several tax years. Whether and to what extent this makes sense in an individual case is personal and depends on the canton — this page only explains the principle.

Specific tax rates are deliberately not stated here because they vary by canton. For an individual assessment, a tax adviser is the right contact.

Withdrawing pillar 3a for home ownership

You can withdraw 3a savings early to finance owner-occupied residential property (home-ownership promotion). Unlike the 2nd pillar (where a minimum withdrawal of CHF 20'000 applies), there is no statutory minimum amount for pillar 3a.

The following conditions apply:

• Only for owner-occupied property at your main/primary residence — not a second or holiday home.
• An early withdrawal is generally possible every five years.
• For pillar 3a there is no statutory minimum withdrawal (the CHF 20'000 minimum concerns the 2nd pillar).

Other reasons for an early withdrawal

Besides the reference age and home ownership, the law allows early withdrawal in further cases:

What happens to pillar 3a on death?

On death, a statutory beneficiary order applies (BVV 3). It sets, in a fixed sequence, who receives the savings — within a rank, distribution is per capita.

Important: from 1 June 2027 this order becomes more flexible. It will then be possible, for example, to name your own children as first beneficiaries, including for married people and in blended-family situations.

1. 1st rank

   Surviving spouse or registered partner.

2. 2nd rank

   Direct descendants, plus a life partner (with at least five years of cohabitation or common children) and persons substantially supported by the deceased.

3. Further ranks

   Thereafter parents, siblings and other heirs.

From 1 June 2027 a more flexible beneficiary order applies. The exact sequence follows BVV 3; the ordinance text is authoritative.