International Programs
Totalization Agreement with Switzerland
Introduction
For Switzerland, the Agreement covers sickness (disability) compensation, old-age (retirement), surviving spouse's and children’s allowance, and disability insurance.
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Eliminating dual coverage for self-employment
- Self-employed workers who reside in the United States are assigned U.S. coverage.
- Self-employed workers who reside in Switzerland are assigned Swiss coverage.
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Swiss certificates for employees
To establish your exemption from coverage under the U.S. Social Security system, your employer in Switzerland must request a certificate of coverage (form CH/USA 10) from the Compensation Fund in Switzerland that collects your social security taxes in Switzerland.
Please provide the following information:
- Full name of worker (including maiden name for a married woman);
- Date and place of birth;
- Citizenship;
- Country of worker’s permanent residence;
- U.S. Social Security number;
- Date of hire;
- Country of hire;
- Name and address of the employer in the United States and Switzerland;
- Date of transfer and anticipated date of return; and
- Your Swiss social security number.
In addition, your employer must indicate if you remain an employee of the U.S. company while working in Switzerland or if you become an employee of the U.S. company’s affiliate in Switzerland.
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Swiss certificates for self-employed workers
If you are self-employed and would normally have to pay social security taxes to both the United States and Swiss systems, you can establish your exemption from one country’s taxes.
- Self-employed workers who reside in the United States are assigned U.S. coverage.
- Self-employed workers who reside in Switzerland are assigned Swiss coverage.
However, workers normally self-employed in one country who transfer their trade or business to the other country for five years or fewer will remain covered under the country from which the worker transferred the self-employment activity.
Be sure to provide the following information:
- Full name (including maiden name for a married woman);
- Date and place of birth;
- Citizenship;
- Country of permanent residence;
- U.S. and Swiss social security number;
- Nature of self-employment activity;
- Dates the activity was or will be performed; and
- Name and address of your trade or business in both countries.
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Monthly benefits
Under U.S. Social Security system, you may earn up to four credits each year depending on the amount of your covered earnings. For example, in 2022, you receive one credit for each $1,410 of your covered annual earnings up to a maximum of four credits per year. For more information, see How You Earn Credits (Publication No. 05-10072).
Under the Swiss system, credits are measured in months. To simplify the information in the table, requirements are shown in years of credits.
|
Retirement or old-age benefits |
|
United States |
Switzerland |
Worker—Full benefit at full retirement age.* Reduced benefit as early as age 62. Required work credits range from one and one-half to 10 years (10 years if age 62 in 1991 or later). |
Worker—Full benefit at age 65 for men or reduced benefit as early as age 63. Full benefit for women at age 63 increasing to age 64 in 2005 or reduced benefit as early as age 62. One year of coverage required if a Swiss citizen or resident. Ten years of coverage required if neither a citizen nor a resident of Switzerland. |
*Full retirement age for people born in 1938 is age 65 and 2 months. The full retirement age increases gradually until it reaches age 67 for people born in 1960 or later.
Disability benefits |
|
United States |
Switzerland |
Worker—Under full retirement age* can get benefit if unable to do any substantial gainful work for at least a year. One and one-half to 10 years credit needed, depending on age at date of onset. Some recent work credits also needed unless worker is blind. |
Worker—Under retirement age and at least 40 percent disabled. Must be insured at the time the disability occurs. Workers who are not Swiss citizens must also reside in Switzerland and either have at least one year of Swiss coverage or have resided in Switzerland for 10 years without interruption. |
*Full retirement age for people born in 1938 is age 65 and 2 months. The full retirement age increases gradually until it reaches age 67 for people born in 1960 or later.
|
Family benefits to dependents of retired or disabled people |
|
United States |
Switzerland |
Spouse—Full benefit at full retirement age* or at any age if caring for the worker’s entitled child under age 16 (or disabled before age 22). Reduced benefit as early as age 62 if not caring for a child. |
Spouse—No provision. However, a supplement may be paid to a disabled worker whose spouse is not entitled to a retirement or disability benefit and has at least one year of Swiss coverage or resides in Switzerland. |
Divorced spouse—Full benefit at full retirement age.* Reduced benefit as early as age 62. Must be unmarried and have been married to worker for at least 10 years. |
Divorced spouse—No provision. |
Children—If unmarried, up to age 18 (age 19 if in an elementary or secondary school full time) or any age if disabled before age 22. |
Children—Additional pension paid to worker if child is under age 19 (age 26 if in school). |
*Full retirement age for people born in 1938 is age 65 and 2 months. The full retirement age increases gradually until it reaches age 67 for people born in 1960 or later.
|
Survivors benefits |
|
United States |
Switzerland |
Surviving Spouse—Full benefit at full retirement age* or at any age if caring for the deceased’s entitled child under age 16 (or disabled before age 22). Reduced benefit as early as age 60 (or age 50 if disabled) if not caring for child. Benefits may be continued if remarriage occurs after age 60 (or age 50 if disabled). |
Widow—Monthly benefits if caring for a child under age 18 (age 25 if in school or an apprentice) or at least age 45 and marriage lasted at least five years. If under age 45 and not caring for a child, but marriage lasted five years, a flat one-time payment is made. |
Widower—Any age if caring for a child of the worker under age 18 (age 25 if a student or an apprentice). |
|
Divorced Surviving Spouse—Same as surviving spouse if marriage lasted at least 10 years. |
Divorced Surviving Spouse—Any age if caring for a child under age 18 or there are one or more children (regardless of age) and marriage lasted at least 10 years. Age 45 if youngest child has reached age 18 or, if no children, marriage lasted at least 10 years. |
Children—Same as for children of retired or disabled worker. |
Children—Under age 18 (age 25 if a student or apprentice) and, if the deceased worker was the mother, she must have been covered under the Swiss system at time of death. |
| Lump-sum death benefit—A one-time payment not to exceed $255 payable on the death of an insured worker. | Lump-sum death benefit—No provision. |
*Full retirement age for people born in 1938 is age 65 and 2 months. The full retirement age increases gradually until it reaches age 67 for people born in 1960 or later.
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How benefits can be paid
If you have social security credits in both the United States and Switzerland, you may be eligible for benefits from one or both countries. If you meet all the basic requirements under one country’s system, you will get a regular benefit from that country. If you do not meet the basic requirements, the Agreement may help you qualify for a benefit as explained below.
- Benefits from the United States - If you do not have enough work credits under the U.S. system to qualify for regular benefits, you may be able to qualify for a partial benefit from the United States based on both United States and Swiss credits. However, to be eligible to have your Swiss credits counted, you must have earned at least six credits (generally one and one-half years of work) under the U.S. system. If you already have enough credits under the U.S. system to qualify for a benefit, the United States cannot count your Swiss credits.
- Benefits from Switzerland - Under the Agreement, if you are a U.S. citizen, you can qualify for Swiss retirement and survivors benefits with just one year of Swiss coverage. (Before the Agreement, U.S. citizens needed at least five years of Swiss coverage to qualify). Therefore, credits under the U.S. system will not be counted when determining eligibility for Swiss retirement and survivors benefits.
To qualify for Swiss disability benefits, you would normally need one year of Swiss coverage and also need to be covered by the Swiss system at the time you become disabled. If you do not meet the current coverage requirements for Swiss disability benefits, the Agreement can help you qualify if you have recent U.S. credits (or are receiving U.S. benefits) at the time you become disabled.
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Claims for benefits
If you live in the United States and wish to apply for United States or Swiss benefits:
- Visit or write any U.S. Social Security office.
- Phone our toll-free number, 1-800-772-1213, 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. any business day. People who are deaf or hard of hearing may call our toll-free TTY number, 1-800-325-0778.
You can apply for Swiss benefits at any U.S. Social Security office by completing an application form SSA-2490-BK (Application for Benefits Under a U.S. International Social Security Agreement).
If you live in Switzerland and wish to apply for U.S. or Swiss benefits, contact:
- The Federal Benefits Unit at the U.S. Embassy in Frankfurt, Germany by email: FBU.Frankfurt@SSA.gov to file for U.S. benefits.
- The Compensation Fund in the canton where you live (or one of its local branch offices) to file for Swiss benefits.
You can apply with one country and ask to have your application considered as a claim for benefits from the other country. Information from your application will then be sent to the other country. Each country will process the claim under its own laws, counting credits from the other country when appropriate, and notify you of its decision.
If you have not applied for benefits before, you may need to provide certain information and documents when you apply.
This includes:
- The worker’s United States and Swiss social security numbers.
- Proof of age for all claimants.
- Evidence of the worker’s U.S. earnings in the past 24 months.
- Information about the worker’s coverage under the Swiss system.
You may wish to call the social security office before you go there to see if you need any other information.
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Payment of benefits
Each country pays its own benefit. U.S. payments are made by the U.S. Department of Treasury each month and cover benefits for the preceding month. Payments under the Swiss system are paid by the Swiss Compensation Office early each month and cover benefits for that month. For more information, contact the Swiss authorities at the address in the section titled, “For more information.”
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For more information about Switzerland's social security programs
If you live outside the United States, write to:
For more information about Switzerland’s social security programs, visit the Swiss social security system’s website at https://www.bsv.admin.ch/bsv/en/home/social-insurance/ueberblick.html or write to the Compensation Fund in the canton where you live or one of its local branch offices.
If you do not live in Switzerland, write to:
Swiss Compensation Office
18 Avenue Ed. Vaucher
CH-1211, Geneva 28
SWITZERLAND