Private pension provision 3a / 3b
Tax-privileged saving for later — with your pension gap in mind.
Why this matters
For many working people, AHV and pension fund together replace only around sixty per cent of the final salary – yet fixed costs hardly fall in retirement. Rent, health insurance premiums and utility bills carry on unchanged, while income drops by a third or more. Anyone who has grown used to eating out, travelling or spoiling the grandchildren feels this gap every month. Without private provision, often the only option left is to scale back your standard of living considerably.
The gap is particularly large for part-time workers, after career breaks for childcare, for the self-employed without a pension fund, and for higher incomes that the BVG insures only in part. Pillar 3a is voluntary but deliberately encouraged by the state: you may deduct payments from your taxable income; in return, the money is tied up until a few years before retirement – with exceptions for owner-occupied homes or the move into self-employment, among others. Pillar 3b is unrestricted provision: more flexible to access, but without a tax deduction in most cantons. Combine the two wisely and you save tax today while staying flexible.
What you get out of it
Save tax while providing for your retirement at the same time.
Bank or insurer, account or securities: you'll know the differences.
Your pension gap is put into figures — no nasty surprises at 65.
What we take care of for you
- Calculating your pension gap from AHV, pension fund and savings
- Comparison of pillar 3a solutions (interest, funds, insurance) by costs and returns
- Planning contributions and withdrawals with an eye on tax progression
- Annual review as part of your overall situation
The advice is free for you — we are remunerated by the insurance companies through brokerage commissions and will disclose these on request.
Tips from our consultations
What we tell our clients time and again – free of charge, even before the first meeting.
If you pay in January instead of December, your money works twelve months longer every year. Over a whole working life, that adds up noticeably. A standing order in monthly instalments also beats the frantic payment just before year-end.
A pillar 3a balance can only be withdrawn in full. With several accounts or custody accounts, you can later spread the withdrawals across different years and so break the tax progression. The larger the balance grows, the more this pays off.
If ten years or more remain until retirement, a securities solution usually beats a pure interest account clearly over the long term. Keep an eye on total costs – fees are where the wheat is separated from the chaff. If withdrawal is close, it is better to scale back the equity share step by step.
Pillar 3a saving through an insurance policy ties your saving firmly to risk cover and binds you for decades. Those who exit early often get back considerably less than they paid in. First check whether keeping saving and insurance separate wouldn’t be the more flexible solution for you.