Survivors' and disability pensions from the mandatory 2nd pillar will be adjusted to price developments on 1 January 2027, the Federal Social Insurance Office (FSIO) announced on 22 October 2026. The increase is 2.1%, 1% or 1.2%, depending on the year in which the pension began or was last adjusted.

Three rates depending on the pension's history

The adjustment rate is not the same for all pensions. It depends on the date of the first payment or of the last adjustment. The FSIO distinguishes three cases as of 1 January 2027.

Pension situationIncrease on 1 January 2027
Pension paid since 2023, adjusted for the first time2.1%
Pension adjusted for the first time on 1 January 20261%
Pension last adjusted on 1 January 20251.2%

Pensions paid since 2023 are receiving their first adjustment. The law provides for a first increase after three years of payment. The other two categories have already been adjusted once, in 2025 or in 2026.

An example helps gauge the effect (calculation by the editorial team, based solely on the published rates). A statutory minimum pension of 1000 francs a month, paid since 2023, would rise to 1021 francs. The portion of a pension that exceeds this minimum follows other rules.

What the law requires for LPP disability pensions

The Federal Act on Occupational Retirement, Survivors' and Disability Pension Plans (LPP) sets an obligation with a narrow scope. The pensions concerned must track the consumer price index when it rises. According to the FSIO, this obligation can be summarised as follows:

  • it covers survivors' and disability pensions under the mandatory scheme;
  • it applies until the ordinary retirement age;
  • it only kicks in when the consumer price index rises;
  • the first adjustment takes place after three years, subsequent ones at the same time as OASI pensions, as a rule every two years.

This last point explains the timing. In early October 2026, the Federal Council decided to increase old-age and survivors' insurance (OASI) pensions from January 2027. Survivors' and disability pensions from mandatory occupational pension provision follow the same rhythm. It was the FSIO that announced the three rates, on Thursday 22 October 2026.

What the law leaves to pension funds

The obligation stops at the statutory minimum. When a pension exceeds the minimum prescribed by the LPP, its adjustment to prices is not mandatory.

For all pensions that the LPP does not periodically compensate, the decision lies with each pension institution. It adjusts them within the limits of its financial means. Its supreme body decides each year whether pensions are adjusted, and to what extent.

Old-age pensions from the 2nd pillar are not part of the obligation described by the FSIO. It applies only to survivors' and disability pensions, up to the ordinary retirement age. An increase in old-age pensions therefore depends on the annual decision of each pension fund.

What this changes for beneficiaries in Switzerland

The concrete effect depends on each pensioner's situation. The following cases follow directly from the rules published by the FSIO:

  • a disability or survivors' pension paid since 2023 rises by 2.1% on its statutory minimum portion;
  • a pension adjusted for the first time in January 2026 rises by 1%;
  • a pension last adjusted in January 2025 rises by 1.2%;
  • for the portion exceeding the statutory minimum, and for old-age pensions, the answer comes from the pension fund;
  • once the ordinary retirement age is reached, the mandatory adjustment of survivors' and disability pensions no longer applies.

For a person receiving a disability pension from their fund, the mandatory increase therefore does not necessarily apply to the full amount. The pension fund's statement shows which portion falls under the LPP minimum.

A busy year-end for pensions

The adjustment of LPP pensions adds to a packed calendar for social security. According to the FSIO, the 13th OASI pension will be paid for the first time in December 2026, to some 2.6 million recipients of an old-age pension. It will correspond to one twelfth of the monthly old-age pensions paid during the year.

This payment will cost more than 4 billion francs. Parliament decided to finance part of it by raising value added tax (VAT) by 0.4 percentage points. The people will vote on this financing on 29 November 2026.

The two matters should not be confused. The 13th pension falls under the OASI. The adjustment announced on 22 October 2026 falls under mandatory occupational pension provision, the 2nd pillar, and concerns only survivors' and disability pensions.

What we don't know yet

  • The number of LPP pensions affected by each of the three rates is not given in the sources consulted.
  • The rate of increase for OASI pensions on 1 January 2027 is not specified there either.
  • The price index trend used to set the three rates is not detailed.
  • Decisions on the extra-mandatory portion and on old-age pensions will be made fund by fund, as their supreme bodies meet.

Sources