Employer of record in Switzerland: costs and rules

Swiss rules we confirmed, and the gaps

Confirmed

• AHV/IV/EO: 10.6% in total (old-age 8.7%, disability 1.4%, income compensation 0.5%), split 5.3% for the employer and 5.3% for the employee, on all pay with no cap, as of January 1, 2025. The 2026 edition of the AHV/IV leaflet would not load for us, so check whether the rate has moved.
• Probation (CO art. 335b): the first month of an open-ended contract is probation by default. A written agreement, collective agreement (GAV) or standard contract (NAV) can waive it or extend it to 3 months at most, and time lost to illness or accident extends it.
• Notice (CO art. 335c): 7 calendar days during probation. After that, 1 month in the first year of service, 2 months in years 2 to 9 and 3 months from year 10, each to the end of a month. Written agreement, NAV or GAV can change these; going below 1 month needs a GAV and is allowed only in the first year.

Not yet confirmed

Minimum wage rules, any 13th salary practice, annual leave, public holidays, severance, pay frequency, the standard work week, and the rates for ALV, BVG, UVG and family allowances. The federal law database (fedlex), ch.ch and arbeit.swiss could not be read on October 16, 2026. Check them with the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO), the cantonal AHV compensation office and the canton where your hire will work.

Employment costs and rules in Switzerland

What an EOR charges to employ someone in Switzerland

Pricing a Swiss hire with the data we have

The table shows only what we could verify. Every blank row is a real cost you will pay; ask the EOR for its rate on each before you compare quotes.

A USD 40,000 salary is far below typical Swiss professional pay, so treat it as a comparison point, not a budget. Because AHV/IV/EO has no cap, the 5.3% scales with pay: on CHF 100,000 the employer share is CHF 5,300. The fixed EOR fee does the opposite, falling as a share of pay as salaries rise: USD 7,188 is 17.97% of a USD 40,000 salary.

Model other salaries in the international employee cost calculator or compare markets in the EOR country cost index.

EOR or a Swiss company

A Swiss entity of your own removes the USD 7,188 a year fee per person but means registering with the cantonal AHV office, arranging BVG pension and UVG accident cover, and tracking cantonal rules yourself. We have not priced Swiss company setup. Our EOR versus entity guide shows how to find the break-even.

Using Swiss contractors

Paying a Swiss freelancer skips the employer AHV share and the insurances listed above. The catch is status: someone who works only for you, on hours you set, can be reclassified as your employee, and the unpaid social insurance then becomes your bill. Independent specialists can be paid through a contractor payment platform. Remote ($325 a month) and Multiplier ($400 on annual billing) both sell a contractor of record service that carries the classification check, prices as of October 2026.

Choosing an EOR for Switzerland

Two providers lead our EOR scorecard: Multiplier (79/100) and Oyster (64/100). Multiplier lists Core at $459 per person per month when paid yearly ($499 when paid monthly), but it adjusts prices in roughly one country in nine without publishing which, so ask for a written Swiss figure. Oyster lists a flat $699, charges no termination fee, and holds a deposit worth at least one month of its total service cost under its terms (its pricing page, in the fee table, gives no amount).

Ask each provider which BVG pension plan and UVG insurer it uses and what they cost, since those are the open lines in our table. For each provider's contract terms, read our Deel, Remote and Oyster reviews or the ranked EOR list. Also hiring nearby? See Germany and Austria.