Maternity insurance (APG-Amat)

If you are in paid employment, you need not worry about your social security contributions as it is your employer’s responsibility to pay them into our Compensation Fund.  For administrative purposes, AVS/AI/APG contributions are taken together at an overall rate of 10.55%.  Within this overall rate, AVS is 8.7%, AI is 1.4% and APG is 0.450%. Your employer will deduct from your gross salary a part of the contributions due (5.275%), and will pay in himself an identical share (5.275%).  The obligation terminates when you reach retirement age and cease all paid employment.  If you carry on working, contributions will be levied after deduction of an exemption of CHF 1,400 per month or CHF 16,800 per year.  

You are paid a maternity allowance at the birth of your child provided you can prove that you were insured for a period of at least nine months prior to giving birth, and that you were gainfully employed for at least five months during that period. Entitlement to an allowance starts on the day of delivery and expires at latest 14 weeks or 98 days (including weekends) after delivery, insofar as you do not resume gainful employment during that period. The allowance is 80% of your average income, but not more than CHF 220 per day.

The application for a maternity allowance must be made through your employer, who should pay your salary during maternity leave.  You can claim maternity allowance up to five years after the birth of your child.