What is it?

Protect the people who keep the business running

Insuring your employees means coordinating accident, illness, pension and long absences to secure the team and your budget.

Mandatory?

Yes for accident insurance and occupational pension according to thresholds

Accident insurance applies from the first day. Occupational pension from CHF 22,680 of annual salary in 2026. Sickness salary continuation depends on the contract or collective labour agreement.

Objective

Compliance and HR attractiveness

A clear plan reduces the financial risk of absences and enhances the company for key profiles.

Staff priorities

Employer duties first, then daily benefits and HR perks.

  1. HR Group health If you offer it
  2. Often critical Sickness salary cover Income continuity
  3. Obligation Accident insurance + Occupational pension Legal staff framework

Accident insurance and Occupational pension are the base; the rest builds on them.

What the employer must cover

As soon as you employ staff in Switzerland, you have social obligations. They depend on salary, activity rate, legal form and sometimes your collective labour agreement. A mistake can be costly in back contributions, disputes or benefits you have to pay yourself.

The right approach is to coordinate covers: accident, illness, occupational pension, long absences, high salaries and executive protection.

Cover
2026 rule
To check
Accident insuranceAccidents
Mandatory from the first day; non-occupational accidents from 8 h/week; insured salary up to CHF 148,200.
Part-time staff, high salaries, need for complementary accident insurance.
Occupational pension2nd pillar
Mandatory from CHF 22,680; minimum employer share 50%.
Part-time staff, coordination, high salaries, executive plan.
Sickness daily allowanceSalary loss
Not always mandatory at federal level, often recommended or required by collective labour agreement.
Waiting period, benefit duration, coordination with salary continuation.

The logic of employee protection

Legal obligations + Covered absences + HR benefits = Secured team

The legal minimum protects. A well-designed plan also turns pension provision into an attractiveness argument.

Illness: the often underestimated risk

En cas de maladie, l’employeur doit maintenir le salaire pendant une durée limitée selon le Code des obligations, sauf régime équivalent prévu par contrat, règlement ou CCT. Une assurance perte salaire maladie n’est pas obligatoire au niveau fédéral, mais elle est très souvent recommandée et parfois imposée par une convention collective.

Usual solutions often cover 80% of salary for 720 or 730 days, with a chosen waiting period. They secure the employee and turn an unpredictable risk into a budgeted charge for the company.

Why add complementary accident insurance?

La Accident insurance obligatoire est solide, mais elle reste plafonnée : le gain assuré maximal est de CHF 148’200 par an. Elle verse en principe 80 % du salaire assuré dès le troisième jour.

Complementary accident insurance can improve benefits, cover salary above the ceiling, aim for 100% of salary, provide better death-disability capital or improve hospitalisation conditions.

First employee

OASI, accident insurance and occupational pension if the threshold is reached must be set up, and you must quickly decide whether collective sickness daily allowance is necessary.

Part-time staff

The occupational pension coordination deduction can significantly reduce the insured salary. A better-designed plan often corrects this gap.

Executives and high salaries

Beyond the accident insurance and occupational pension ceilings, complementary accident cover and supplementary pension plans often become decisive for real protection.

Growing SME

The more the workforce grows, the more absences, entries/exits and differences between employees make cover coherence critical.

Common pitfalls

Mistakes are rarely visible when signing. They appear during a long absence, an accident or an administrative audit.

Forgotten accident insuranceWithout affiliation, the employer may have to pay the benefits themselves.
Capped high salariesWithout complementary accident insurance, the part above CHF 148,200 is not covered.
Sickness daily allowance too shortA poorly set waiting period leaves cash flow exposed.
Minimal occupational pension planPart-time staff and executives can remain underprotected despite affiliation.

You already have covers: what should you check?

Check affiliations, ceilings, sickness daily allowance waiting period, employer occupational pension share, death-disability benefits and exit management. A quick audit compares employer cost and real protection for employees.

With Finwise

We make your social benefits clear and controlled

We audit your employee covers, check your obligations, compare accident insurance, complementary accident cover, sickness daily allowance and occupational pension, then propose a clear architecture. We look at both employer cost and real protection for employees.

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Let’s talk about your needs

Tell us about your situation in a few lines. A Finwise adviser will contact you to clarify your options and compare suitable solutions.