Switzerland will pay out its first-ever 13th old-age pension in December 2026, with the Federal Social Insurance Office (BSV/OFAS) estimating an average payment of around CHF 1,580. But that figure masks enormous variation depending on where recipients live, their marital status and their individual contribution record.
Where does the CHF 1,580 figure come from?
The estimate, published in an analysis by the BSV on Tuesday, 15 September 2026, is not a forecast based on new data. It is calculated directly from actual 2025 pension figures, since the 13th payment corresponds to one-twelfth of the pension a person receives during the current year.
In 2025, some 2.6 million people received an AHV old-age pension, averaging CHF 1,576 per month. Projected forward, that produces the roughly CHF 1,580 figure now being cited for December’s supplementary payment.
Why could your payment be far higher or lower?
The single biggest driver of variation is place of residence. In 2025, the average pension for recipients living in Switzerland was CHF 1,969 per month, while the average for recipients living abroad was just CHF 702 per month, nearly three times lower.
Roughly one-third of all AHV pensions are paid to recipients living outside Switzerland, but because those pensions are so much smaller on average, they account for only about 14% of the total pension amount paid out.
The BSV attributes this gap to contribution history: many recipients living abroad were insured under the Swiss system for only part of their working lives, for instance, foreign nationals who worked in Switzerland for a limited period before returning home, and therefore accumulated fewer contribution years than lifelong Swiss residents.
How the underlying AHV pension is actually calculated?
To understand why your 13th payment might diverge sharply from CHF 1,580, it helps to understand the base pension formula itself:
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The full, uncapped pension requires 44 complete contribution years with no gaps and requires an average lifetime income of at least CHF 90,720 to reach the 2026 maximum.
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The 2026 minimum pension is CHF 1,260 per month; the maximum is CHF 2,520 per month for a single person.
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Each missing contribution year — due to time abroad, education, a career break, or arriving in Switzerland partway through a working life — permanently reduces the pension by approximately 1/44, or roughly 2.3%.
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For married couples, a “plafonnement” or capping rule applies: combined pensions cannot exceed 150% of the maximum single pension, capping a couple’s joint monthly total at CHF 3,780 in 2026, a rule that also applies proportionally to the 13th payment.
Someone who arrived in Switzerland at age 30 and contributed faithfully until retirement, for example, would reach only about 80% of the maximum pension, according to one financial-planning analysis, due to the missing contribution years from before their arrival.
Who is eligible for the December payment
Eligibility rules for the first 13th pension are straightforward, according to the BSV:
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Anyone receiving an ordinary AHV old-age pension in December 2026 automatically qualifies. No application or form is required.
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The payment equals one-twelfth of the pension received during the current year, so it directly mirrors whatever base pension amount a person is already entitled to.
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New retirees in 2026 will receive only a pro-rated share, reflecting the partial year they were actually drawing a pension.
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Children’s pensions, supplementary pensions (“Zusatzrenten”) and the special AHV-21 transitional supplement for women are explicitly excluded from the calculation and do not receive a 13th payment.
Read More: Switzerland’s Individual Taxation Reform: Timeline Set 2032
13th AHV Pension In 2026: Personalize Your Own Estimate
The CHF 1,580 figure is a national average, not a personal prediction. To estimate your own 13th payment, take your current monthly AHV pension and divide by 12, that is essentially what you should expect to receive as the supplementary December payment, adjusted pro rata if you only started receiving your pension partway through 2026.
Given the gap between domestic (CHF 1,969 average) and foreign-resident (CHF 702 average) pensions, Swiss citizens living abroad should expect a notably smaller supplementary payment than the headline CHF 1,580 figure suggests, a distinction that has already drawn attention in Swiss-abroad community discussions about the fairness and adequacy of pensions for the diaspora.
The 13th pension itself stems from a popular initiative approved by Swiss voters on March 3, 2024, and December 2026 will mark its first-ever disbursement, paid as a supplement alongside the regular December pension payment.
