Frequently asked questions

When starting a job, the entire vested benefits must be transferred to the new pension fund by law.

The current law fundamentally permits a cash payment of the pension fund assets when leaving Switzerland for good. However, a distinction must be made between mandatory and non-mandatory assets. If you move to a country with which Switzerland has a social insurance agreement that also contains provisions on occupational benefits, you can only withdraw your non-mandatory retirement assets; the rest is transferred to a vested benefits account of your choice. You will find a list of all countries with which Switzerland has a social insurance agreement at (https://www.bsv.admin.ch/bsv/de/home/sozialversicherungen/int/grundlagen-und-abkommen/sozialversicherungsabkommen.html ).

If you move to another country not on this list, you can withdraw your entire pension fund assets. Further information about cash payment when moving abroad can be found at http://www.sfbvg.ch/xml_3/internet/de/application/d3/f13.cfm

If the pension fund receives no instructions as to where to transfer the money, it will deposit it in accordance with Art. 4 para. 2 VBA after about six months in a vested benefits account with the Substitute Occupational Benefit Institution.

Yes, those currently insured can withdraw all or part of their capital instead of their old-age pension when they retire but please note the provisions in the pension regulations. Should you wish to have a lump sum, this must be communicated to the UWP Collective Foundation at least 3 months before retirement using this form. Married couples will require the written consent of their spouse.

3 months

The advantages of a capital withdrawal are:
•    Amortization of the mortgage is possible in order to reduce living costs
•    Financial flexibility
•    You can make your own investment decisions
The disadvantages of a capital withdrawal are:
•    Capital withdrawal tax becomes due
•    Longevity risk must be borne by the insured person
•    Capital must be managed and managed independently (until old age)

Yes, your current pension is guaranteed by the BVG Security Fund up to an amount of CHF 92,610 per year.

Take a look at our video in the UWP app to learn more.

The interest on retirement savings is based on the investment return generated by the pension fund and the fund’s existing reserves. Over the past 20 years, interest rates have fallen, and health insurance companies have had to expend a lot of money to finance current pensions which has used up reserves That’s also why interest rates have fallen. For the insured, however, this is not as bad as expected. Because over the last 20 years, wages have risen less and inflation has been very low, therefore, the real interest on retirement savings, measured in relation to wages is still at the same level as 20 years ago!

Should you wish to withdraw capital in old age, you must make your last voluntary purchase no later than 3 years (calculated to the exact day) before the planned capital withdrawal. Otherwise, you will no longer be able to deduct this purchase from your taxes.

Yes.

A purchase serves to close pension gaps (missing contributions or insurance years). In this context, we refer to the purchasing form, which you should send us, duly completed and signed, if you would like to make a purchase.

If you wish to enhance your retirement planning, you should first ensure that you make annual payments into a Pillar 3a account This is because it is not possible to make such deposits retrospectively, but these are possible with the pension fund. You should also bear in mind that purchases in the pension fund are not accessible to you in the long term. You should therefore only pay in funds that you will not require for your living expenses over the next few years.

Yes, if you have a purchasing gap, you can make voluntary purchases. However, the following principle applies: “First repayment, then purchase”. This means that you must first pay back the amount you received at the time. Once the repayment has been made, you can claim back the capital distribution taxes you paid at the time. Only when you have repaid the advance withdrawal in full can you make purchases again, which can be fully deducted from your income taxes.

You can have a dedicated account in your pension fund and can make one-off or regular payments into it. Contact your account manager.

All your voluntary purchases will be paid out to your surviving dependents as an additional death benefit.

If you wish to withdraw capital in old age, you must make your last voluntary purchase no later than 3 years (calculated to the exact day) before the planned capital withdrawal. Otherwise, you will no longer be able to deduct this purchase from your taxes.

The existence of a life partnership that gives rise to a claim must be reported to the Foundation in writing by the insured person using the form provided by the Foundation at the earliest after the eligibility conditions have been met (five years of existence of the life partnership or joint children). This notification must be signed by both partners. In all cases, entitlement to receipt of a partner's pension shall be determined in the light of the circumstances prevailing at the time of the insured person's death.
Or follow the instructions in your app. This will guide you through the necessary steps.

According to pension regulations, article 20.4, in the event of the death of the insured person, a civil partnership (including between people of the same sex) establishes the entitlement to a civil partner’s pension for the surviving civil partner, if at the time of death all the following conditions are met:
•    both civil partners are unmarried;
•    the partners are neither related to each other nor linked to each other in a stepchild relationship;
•    the surviving civil partner has lived in the same household with the insured person and has had a civil partnership without interruption over the last five years until the insured person’s death or
•    the surviving partner was living in the same household as the insured person at the time of death and must support one or more children together or
•    the surviving partner lived in the same household as the insured person at the time of death and received considerable support from the insured person
Further information can be found in our information sheet.

To do this, follow the instructions in your app. This will guide you through the necessary steps.

If a civil partner’s pension is paid out and the retirement savings saved up to the date of death are not needed to finance the pension entirely, the difference will be paid to the surviving dependents as an additional death benefit. If you would also like this capital to go to your civil partner, we would ask you to report this to us using the enclosed “Change of Beneficiary” form. For more information, please refer to our information sheet regarding the change in benefits.

You can check the current status of your retirement assets at any time in the UWP app. You can complete an application for an advance withdrawal using the in-app form. 
If you have not installed the UWP app, you are welcome to request information on the amount of capital currently available and UWP will send you an application form with information documents. Following receipt of the fully and correctly completed application form with all requisite enclosures we will review your application and subsequently transfer the withdrawal sum.

An advance withdrawal will result in a reduction of the retirement benefits equivalent to the amount of the advance withdrawal.

Registration must be completed:
If you are unable to work for 30 days due to illness or after recurring, shorter absences due to illness in the course of one year.
Accidents can usually be reported after 90 days of absence due to an accident. Please report your inability to work to us using our official form.

employers have been transferred to your current pension fund, contact the Central Office 2nd Pillar.