Maternity: What do I do as a woman if I lose my pension contributions?

In principle, a mother is entitled to maternity allowance for a period of 14 weeks from the child's birth. Said allowance amounts to 80% of the previous average earned income, although there is a maximum amount that can be paid out. 

Employees, self-employed persons and daily allowance recipients of compulsory social insurances are entitled to the contributions under the following conditions: 

• The mother was insured under the OASI (AHV) scheme in the nine months immediately preceding the birth
• The mother was gainfully employed for at least five months during these nine months

Maternity must be registered 

Maternity must be registered on the day of the child's birth with the compensation office where contributions were last paid. This can be done either by the mother, the employer, or by relatives. 

Contributions are settled automatically 

During the 14 weeks in which new mothers receive maternity benefits, OASI contributions are automatically deducted. This ensures that the mother does not have any gaps in her OASI contributions, which is important as each missing year of contributing reduces the old age pension by around 2.3%. 

If, after the 14 weeks, mothers decide to continue to devote themselves fully to motherhood, any contributions missed must be paid by the mothers themselves in the same way as for those who are not gainfully employed. This is the only way to avoid gaps in contributions.

The exception: marriage 

There is one exception, however - in the case of marriage and if the working spouse pays OASI contributions of at least CHF 1,006.- per year. This also applies to registered partnerships, but not to cohabiting partners. 

As you can see, having children also involves a lot of paperwork. But to ensure that you can fully prepare for and look forward to the wonderful and exciting time as a mum, we will be happy to take care of the administrative matters relating to pension provision and insurance for you free of charge. Get the Caveo app now and receive uncomplicated and advice at the touch of a button.