The OASI old-age pension, paid by the old-age and survivors' insurance (OASI) from the reference age of 65, is calculated on the basis of two factors: years of contributions and average annual income. For a full contribution period, it ranges from 1,260 to 2,520 francs a month in 2026, then from 1,280 to 2,560 francs on 1 January 2027, according to the Federal Council. The 13th OASI pension is added for the first time in December 2026.

The first pillar of retirement provision in Switzerland, the pension is calculated and paid by the OASI compensation offices.

How is the amount of the OASI pension calculated?

The OASI pension is calculated on the basis of the contribution period and average annual income, the Federal Social Insurance Office (FSIO) points out in its FAQ. The contribution period determines whether the pension is full or partial; income sets its level.

According to the FSIO, a full pension (scale 44) requires uninterrupted contributions from the year the person turns 21 until the end of the calendar year preceding the reference age. A gap only gives entitlement to a partial pension: one missing year of contributions generally reduces the pension by at least 2.3%.

Average annual income adds up three averages, according to the FSIO:

  • the average of revalued income from gainful employment;
  • the average of any child-raising credits;
  • the average of any care credits.

What are child-raising credits?

These credits are notional income taken into account when calculating the pension, not cash benefits. The FSIO grants them for each year during which the insured person held parental authority over one or more children under 16.

Their amount is three times the minimum annual old-age pension in force when entitlement to the pension arises. With the minimum pension of 1,260 francs a month in 2026, this represents 45,360 francs per child-raising year (3 × 12 × 1,260) for an entitlement arising that year. For married couples, the credit is split in half between the spouses for the calendar years of marriage. Their average, obtained by dividing their total by the total contribution period, is included in average annual income.

What are the minimum and maximum amounts of the OASI pension?

OASI pension amounts are generally adjusted every two years in line with changes in prices and wages. The Federal Council last changed them in 2025. At its meeting of 2 October 2026, it decided on an increase of 1.59% on 1 January 2027 based on the mixed index, the average of the price and wage indices.

Full contribution period2026From 1 January 2027
Minimum OASI/DI pension, per month1,260 francs1,280 francs
Maximum OASI/DI pension, per month2,520 francs2,560 francs

According to the Federal Council press release of 2 October 2026, this adjustment will entail additional expenditure of around 1,055 million francs, of which 940 million will be borne by the OASI.

The same press release concerns the 2nd pillar in 2027: the coordination deduction for mandatory occupational pension provision rises from 26,460 to 26,880 francs.

At what age is the OASI pension due?

The old-age pension is due at the reference age, set at 65. The OASI/DI Information Centre (ahv-iv.ch) states that the reference age for women, previously 64, has been raised by three months a year since 1 January 2025. From 2028, it will be 65 for men and women alike.

Women born between 1961 and 1969 who draw their pension at the reference age or later receive a pension supplement to compensate for this increase. Those who opt for early retirement are not entitled to it, the OASI/DI Information Centre stresses.

How do you apply for your OASI pension?

The OASI pension is not paid automatically. The official website of the State of Geneva points out that a written application must be sent to the compensation office that collected the last contributions. The procedure uses form 318.370 "Application for an old-age pension", published by the OASI/DI Information Centre.

The canton advises submitting the application at least three months before the reference age. Anyone who does not know their compensation office can identify it on the website of the Central Compensation Office, using its Inforegistre service.

Can you draw your OASI pension early or defer it?

Yes, in the spirit of flexible retirement. According to the OASI/DI Information Centre, the pension can be drawn early from age 63, or from age 62 for women born between 1961 and 1969. It can also be deferred by one to five years.

Early drawing or deferral may apply to only part of the pension. This portion, set in francs or as a whole percentage, must represent between 20% and 80% of the old-age pension.

Drawing early reduces the pension for life. In a fact sheet published in 2019, the OASI/DI Information Centre put this reduction at 6.8% per year of early drawing, i.e. 13.6% for two years. Anyone who stops working still pays OASI/DI/IC contributions as a non-employed person until the reference age.

Deferral has the opposite effect. The same fact sheet estimated the supplement at around 31.5% for a five-year deferral, up to age 70.

According to the State of Geneva, the application for early drawing must arrive no later than the last day of the month in which the insured person reaches the chosen age, with no retroactive effect. Deferral must be requested no later than one year after the reference age.

What does the 13th OASI pension change?

The 13th OASI pension stems from the "For a better life in retirement" initiative, approved by the people in March 2024. According to the FSIO, it will be paid for the first time in early December 2026 to some 2.6 million old-age pension recipients, as a supplement to the December pension.

Its amount corresponds to one twelfth of the total monthly old-age pensions received during the year. The FSIO gives the example of an insured person who receives the maximum pension of 2,520 francs from July to December 2026: their 13th pension amounts to 1,260 francs. Single pensioners thus receive up to 2,520 francs more a year, and married couples up to 3,780 francs.

Several rules limit its scope, according to the FSIO:

  • only people entitled to an old-age pension in December receive it;
  • survivors' pensions and disability insurance pensions continue to be paid twelve times a year;
  • the child's pension and the OASI 21 transitional generation supplement are excluded from the calculation;
  • the 13th pension does not count towards the income relevant for supplementary benefits (SB).

Its cost exceeds 4 billion francs in 2026 and is expected to rise to more than 5 billion a year from 2035, according to FSIO estimates.

What does the 29 November 2026 vote on VAT involve?

On 29 November 2026, the people will vote on an increase in value added tax (VAT) intended to finance part of the 13th pension. Parliament decided on it in June 2026. If approved, the standard rate would rise from 8.1% to 8.5%, the special rate for accommodation from 3.8% to 4%, and the reduced rate would remain at 2.6%.

The FSIO estimates that the increase would bring the OASI around 1.4 billion francs a year from 2029. It would come into force at the start of 2028 at the earliest: the 13th pensions of 2026 and 2027 will therefore have no additional financing. According to the office, the OASI's annual deficit would be reduced from nearly 5 to 3 billion francs in 2035.

A study by UBS, the major Swiss bank, reported on 6 November 2026 by the financial website finews.ch, shows that VAT weighs proportionally more heavily on low incomes. For a single person under 65, current VAT represents around 3.9% of disposable income with a gross income of 50,000 francs, compared with 2.8% with 150,000 francs.

The planned increase would widen this gap, according to UBS. It would cost 0.17% of disposable income for a person earning 50,000 francs, and 0.13% for one earning 150,000 francs. Relative to savings capacity, the additional burden would reach around 3.4% in the second-lowest income quintile, compared with 0.4% in the highest.

This is a model, based on the household budget survey of 2018 and 2019, not a forecast. Even if the proposal is accepted, UBS considers that further measures would be needed to stabilise the OASI.

Key figures

  • Full OASI pension in 2026: from 1,260 to 2,520 francs a month.
  • From 1 January 2027: from 1,280 to 2,560 francs a month (+1.59%).
  • One missing year: at least 2.3% less pension.
  • VAT put to the vote on 29 November 2026: standard rate from 8.1% to 8.5%.

What we don't know yet

  • The result of the 29 November 2026 vote, on which the financing of the 13th pension from 2028 depends.
  • The final content of the OASI 2030 reform, which the Federal Council is expected to submit to Parliament in spring 2027.
  • The exact amount of one's own 13th pension: according to the FSIO, no precise calculation is possible before December.

Sources