Replacement income during a work stoppage
It pays daily benefits when illness or accident temporarily prevents you from working.
Not always
Employees have certain protections, but daily sickness benefits are not mandatory under federal law. Self-employed people must organise their own cover.
It covers the short term, not all disability
Loss of earnings bridges the income gap during absence. If incapacity becomes lasting, disability insurance, occupational pension or a private pension take over.
Loss of earnings diagram
Temporary income replacement if you stop working.
- Level Insured percentage How much income to secure
- Parameters Waiting period and duration When it starts, how long it lasts
- Base Income to protect Non-negotiable expenses
Waiting period and duration decide whether it really helps.
What is loss of earnings insurance for?
La perte de gain couvre la baisse de revenu lorsque vous ne pouvez plus travailler temporairement à cause d’une maladie ou d’un accident. Elle se distingue de l’incapacité de gain, qui vise une perte durable de capacité à générer un revenu.
The goal is concrete: continue paying rent, mortgage, health premiums, taxes, family expenses and, for self-employed people, business costs that continue even when activity stops.
Loss of earnings helps you bridge the gap
The right policy avoids an income gap between your reserves, salary continuation, collective insurance and a possible disability or occupational pension.
Employees: what Swiss law provides
In case of illness, the employer must continue salary for a limited period under Article 324a of the Swiss Code of Obligations if the employment relationship has lasted more than three months or was concluded for more than three months. The duration depends in particular on seniority and applicable scales.
Many companies replace this obligation with daily sickness benefits insurance. A solution often considered equivalent covers at least 80% of salary for 720 or 730 days over a defined period, with usual employer participation in premiums.
For self-employed people and directors
A self-employed person has no employer to continue salary. Basic health insurance pays for care but does not automatically replace income. Individual loss of earnings insurance can therefore become the most important cover to protect the household and activity.
The right amount depends on the income to replace, fixed expenses, available savings, business costs that continue during the stoppage and the possibility of delegating activity. A longer waiting period reduces the premium but requires stronger cash reserves.
Common pitfalls
Loss of earnings seems simple, but exclusions and waiting periods change everything.
I already have loss of earnings cover: what should I check?
Check waiting period, insured rate, benefit duration, sickness and accident, declared income, exclusions, medical reservations and conditions for switching to individual insurance after leaving a company. Also check coordination with a long-term pension.
How to choose the parameters
The waiting period must match your reserves. The insured rate must cover essential expenses without exceeding real income. The benefit duration should ideally cover the critical period before returning to work or a disability insurance decision.
Pour un indépendant, il faut aussi décider si l’accident est inclus dans la perte de gain ou couvert par une Accident insurance facultative. Pour une entreprise, la page perte de salaire maladie détaille la logique collective employeur.
We adjust protection to your real cash flow
We check your employment contract, accident insurance, collective insurance, professional status, expenses and reserves. Then we compare waiting period, insured rate, benefit duration, exclusions and real cost.
Coordinate short and long term
Loss of earnings must work with your lasting disability protection and pension contracts.