AHV contribution gaps refer to missing years of contributions to the Old Age and Survivors’ Insurance (AHV) and result in a reduction of the old-age pension. Nearly one in five people in Switzerland receives only a partial pension because of such gaps. Anyone who does not pay contributions continuously from January 1 following their 20th birthday until retirement age (approximately 44 years) is not entitled to the full AHV pension in old age. For each missing contribution year, the pension is reduced by about 2.3%. For the maximum pension (2025: 2,520 CHF per month), this amounts to approximately 60 CHF less per month. Avoiding contribution gaps as much as possible is therefore crucial for financial security in old age.
How do gaps in AHV contributions occur?
There are many life situations that can lead to gaps in AHV contributions, often without those affected realizing it right away.
Education and Training
Starting January 1 of the year following their 20th birthday, students are required to pay AHV contributions, even if they have no income or only a small amount of income. Anyone who earns nothing or less than approximately 5,000 CHF per year while studying or in training must register with the AHV as a non-working person and pay the annual minimum contribution (currently around 530 CHF) themselves to ensure there are no gaps in coverage. Failure to do so can easily result in a gap in coverage.
Household and Non-Working Spouses
People who are not employed for an extended period of time (e.g., homemakers) are still required to pay contributions starting at age 21. However, married non-working individuals are not required to pay their own AHV contributions as long as their spouse pays at least twice the minimum contribution (i.e., ≥ 1,060 CHF per year). If this condition is not met (for example, because the spouse has a low income or the person is unmarried), they must register with the compensation office as a non-working person and pay contributions to avoid gaps in coverage.
Youth Years
AHV contributions made before the age of 20 (e.g., from part-time jobs starting at age 18) can later be used to make up for certain gaps in coverage after one’s 20th birthday. So anyone who has already paid AHV contributions during their so-called “youth years” (ages 17–20) has some flexibility: These additional years of contributions can fill a gap that arises later. However, contributions made during the youth years can only be used to fill gaps that occur later in life; the obligation to pay contributions starting at age 21 remains in effect.
Career Break (Sabbatical) or Unemployment
During breaks in employment—whether voluntary or involuntary—there is a risk of neglecting to pay AHV contributions. Anyone planning a longer break from work or who is unemployed and has exhausted their unemployment benefits must register with the AHV as a non-working person and pay contributions based on their assets or income.
Part-Time Work and Mini-Jobs
Gaps can also occur in cases of low income. If your annual earnings from a single employer are less than 2,500 CHF, no AHV contributions are required (exception: certain sectors, such as domestic workers or cultural professionals). Even if your total annual earnings exceed 5,000 CHF but are spread across several small jobs that each fall below the 2,500 CHF threshold, contributions may not be withheld under certain circumstances. In such a case, you should either pay the minimum contribution yourself or agree with your employers that AHV contributions will be voluntarily deducted and remitted. Please note that if the employer voluntarily reports AHV contributions, the employee’s share (5.3% of wages for AHV/IV/EO) will also be deducted from your wages.
Prolonged illness or accident
While you are receiving wages from an employer, AHV contributions are automatically deducted. However, if you receive daily sickness or accident benefits for an extended period, these benefits are not subject to AHV contributions. No contributions are made during this time. As a result, contribution gaps may arise in the event of a prolonged illness without earned income, unless you make your own arrangements to pay AHV contributions. In such cases, you should contact the compensation office early on to clarify how you can fulfill your contribution obligation in order to prevent pension reductions.
Stay Abroad
Anyone who leaves Switzerland is generally no longer subject to mandatory AHV coverage as of the date of departure. Each year spent abroad without paying AHV contributions counts as a gap year, which will later reduce the pension amount. For temporary stays abroad or when working for a Swiss employer abroad, there are sometimes options to continue paying mandatory AHV contributions in Switzerland. Swiss citizens and EU/EFTA nationals can also enroll in the voluntary AHV under certain conditions if they live outside the EU/EFTA. Therefore, before a prolonged stay abroad, it is essential to find out about the AHV contribution requirement and, if possible, enroll in the voluntary AHV to avoid gaps in coverage.
Moving to Switzerland Later in Life
People who immigrate to Switzerland after the age of 20 automatically have gaps in their insurance coverage. No AHV contributions could be paid for the years prior to arrival. These missing years cannot be made up through retroactive payments, as the obligation to pay contributions begins only upon taking up residence or employment in Switzerland. As a result, you will generally receive a partial AHV pension; however, for the years spent abroad, you may be entitled to pension benefits from the social security system in that country, which will supplement your Swiss partial pension.
How can I check for gaps in my AHV contributions?
The easiest way to identify gaps in your AHV coverage is to review your individual AHV account statement (IK statement). Every insured person has an individual AHV account where all income and contributions are recorded on an annual basis. You can request an account statement at any time, free of charge, from your local AHV compensation office—in writing, by phone, or, in many cases, online.
If you don’t know which compensation fund manages your account, the central information registry can help. To place an order, you generally only need your AHV insurance number (the 13-digit AHV number) and your address.
As soon as you receive your IK statement, review it carefully each year. The statement lists your income subject to contributions for each year. Starting with the year you turned 18 (or 21 if you were not employed), check whether, for each year, either an income above the applicable minimum amount is recorded or a reason for exemption is noted. As a rough guideline: A gross annual salary of 5,000 CHF corresponds to the minimum contribution (approximately 530 CHF). Years with lower income may be considered incomplete. A handy list of the annual minimum income thresholds can be found on the AHV website. This threshold rises slightly over time (e.g., CHF 4,700 in 2015).
Pay special attention to years in which no income—or very little income—is reported. If no income is reported for a calendar year, or if it is significantly below the minimum threshold, this generally indicates a contribution gap.
Exceptions
The statement may include certain credits, such as child-rearing or care credits for years in which you raised children or cared for relatives in need of care. These credits appear as a note on your statement (they do not represent actual income), but they ensure that you are credited with a notional income for those years. While child-rearing and care credits do not replace the payment of AHV contributions, they prevent periods spent raising children from reducing your average pension. If a given year lacks both income above the minimum threshold and such a credit notation, a gap exists.
If there are discrepancies in the statement—for example, if a year is missing or the reported income does not match your salary at the time—you have 30 days to file an appeal for correction with the compensation office. Errors can occur if an employer reported wages incorrectly or not at all. In such cases, you must be able to prove that you worked and would have been required to pay AHV contributions (e.g., by providing a pay stub), and the compensation office will retroactively add the missing contributions.
Tip: Request your AHV account statement regularly, about every 3–5 years. This will help you stay on top of things and allow you to identify and close any gaps within the 5-year period in a timely manner. These checks are important because claims for back payments or corrections expire after five years.
Catching Up on AHV Contribution Gaps: Is That Possible?
Many insured individuals wonder whether they can make retroactive payments for missing AHV contributions in order to secure their pension. The answer is: Yes, but only under certain conditions. The key factor is how long ago the gap occurred.
Gaps over the past five years
AHV contributions that were due but not paid in the last five years can be paid retroactively on a voluntary basis. This 5-year period is based on the statute of limitations under AHV law. So, for example, if you failed to pay your contribution in 2022 as a non-working person, you can make up for it by the end of 2027. Gaps can be voluntarily closed within five years. The sooner, the better. Contact your compensation office; they will inform you of the amount due for the missing year and how to make the payment.
Gaps that are more than five years old
For contribution years that occurred more than 5 years ago, it is no longer possible to make retroactive payments. These gaps remain and will irrevocably result in a reduction in pension benefits. After five years have elapsed, missing contributions can no longer be paid. This is prohibited by law. Anyone with such older gaps must, unfortunately, accept a lower AHV pension.
Special Case: “Adolescence”
As mentioned, contributions made before the age of 20 may, under certain circumstances, be used to fill earlier gaps. This rule is particularly helpful for people who started working at a very young age: For example, if you paid AHV contributions as early as age 18, those years spent working as a young person can be used to make up for any missing contribution years later on. When you apply for a pension, the compensation office automatically checks whether such additional years can be counted toward your pension.
New Option Starting in 2024 — Continuing to Work After Retirement Age
In the past, insured individuals with contribution gaps older than 5 years simply had to accept the reduction. However, as of January 1, 2024, there is a new opportunity for new female retirees with contribution gaps: Those who continue working beyond the normal retirement age can fill contribution gaps under certain conditions. Specifically, AHV contributions paid after reaching the reference age (64/65) can be used to close earlier gaps. However, the following requirements must be met:
- Your earned income during retirement must be at least 40% of your average previous annual income (the average is calculated based on your entire contribution period, not just your most recent income).
- You must pay at least the minimum AHV contribution each year, which is currently 530 CHF—equivalent to an income of 5,000 CHF.
Important: Retirees actually have an exemption of 16,800 CHF per year, up to which no AHV contributions are due. However, to fill any gaps, you should forgo this exemption and pay AHV contributions starting with the first franc you earn. You must notify your employer of this in advance so that they continue to withhold AHV contributions. Additionally, back payments for work performed during retirement are only possible until you reach the age of 70.
If you continued working after reaching retirement age and met the requirements, you can submit a one-time request to the compensation office to have your AHV pension recalculated. This process takes into account all AHV contributions you paid after the reference age up until the date of the recalculation. Your pension will then be increased accordingly going forward (there is no retroactive payment). This option offers you a chance to still qualify for a full pension or, at the very least, to reduce the amount of the reduction.
Those who are already receiving the maximum pension cannot increase their pension beyond the statutory maximum by continuing to work—in this case, only deferring the pension (postponing when you start receiving it) offers any benefit.
Partial Retirement and Living Abroad
Please note that the 5-year rule applies only to periods during which you were subject to AHV contributions. Gaps in contribution history due to years spent abroad or prior to immigration cannot be closed by making retroactive payments. Similarly, missing contribution periods during the receipt of IV pensions or other insurance benefits that were not subject to AHV contributions can no longer be made up after more than 5 years. In such cases, the only options are to accept the reduced pension or to supplement it with voluntary private retirement savings.