AHV slightly up from January

Context

In brief

• Minimum AHV/IV pension: 1,280 francs per month
• Maximum pension: 2,560 francs with full contribution
• Price and wage adjustment: 1.59%
• Additional costs: approx. 7 million for the Confederation

Key Facts

• Effective → January next year
• Decision → Federal Council, Friday
• Minimum AHV/IV pension → CHF 1,260 to CHF 1,280 per month
• Maximum pension → from 2,520 to 2,560 francs
• Adjustment → the evolution of prices and wages, +1.59%
• Minimum contribution for self-employed and non-gainfully employed persons (AHV, IV and EO) → CHF 530 to CHF 541 per year
• Voluntary AHV/IV → CHF 1,010 to CHF 1,030
• Additional costs → around 7 million for the Confederation and 4 million for the cantons

From January next year, pension pensions will become slightly higher. On Friday, the Federal Council decided to adjust the amounts to 1.59% in line with price and wage developments.

The figure concerns the social security items indicated in the note: AHV, IV and, for some minimum contributions, IPG. For cross-border commuters working in the Canton of Ticino, the source does not distinguish between residents and people living across the border and does not indicate a specific regulation for permesso G/B.

Pensions and contributions

For the maximum pension, the source specifies that the amounts indicated are paid if the contribution period is full. For an incomplete duration, however, the text does not indicate a different amount. The minimum contribution of the self-employed and non-gainfully employed persons to AHV, IV and EO is increased from CHF 530 to CHF 541 per year; that for the voluntary AHV/IV increases from CHF 1,010 to CHF 1,030.

The adjustment of pensions will lead to an overall increase in expenses of around 1,055 million francs: 940 million for the AHV, of which 190 million will be borne by the Confederation, equal to 20.2% of insurance expenditure, and 115 million for the IV, of which 44 million will be borne by the Confederation, equal to 37.7% of expenditure.

For supplementary benefits and bridging benefits, the annual amounts allocated to cover general living needs increase to 21,000 francs for single persons, compared to 20,670, and to 31,500 francs for married couples, compared to 31,005. For children, the amount is 10,980 francs if they have already reached the age of 11 and 7,710 francs if they have not yet completed them. These adjustments add about 7 million francs to be borne by the Confederation and 4 million by the cantons; the note does not allocate a specific share to the Canton of Ticino.

Operational details

For the cross-border commuter, the news should be read as a grid of items, not as a single increase applicable to each person. The source lumps together monthly pensions, minimum contributions and annual benefits, but assigns each amount to a different audience. The first practical question is therefore which item is being read, not how much it generically increases the pension.

A reading by categories

The minimum AHV/IV pension is a monthly amount. The minimum contribution for the self-employed and non-gainfully employed persons, on the other hand, is expressed on an annual basis and includes AHV, IV and EO. The contribution for the voluntary AHV/IV is a separate item. For those who cross the border to work, this separation avoids putting a pension and a contribution payment on the same footing: the text does not present the minimum contribution as a general deduction valid for every employee.

The maximum pension also requires careful reading. The note links the maximum amounts to the full contribution period and does not provide an alternative figure for those who do not reach that duration. The cross-border commuter cannot therefore derive a personal amount from the information alone if his position does not coincide with the condition indicated.

Supplementary and transitional benefits follow yet another logic: the amounts are annual and change according to the category indicated, i.e. single person, married couple or child over or under 11 years of age. The source does not add any other criteria, monthly payments or administrative steps. This limit prevents the annual amounts from being converted into a monthly payment promise.

What Stays Out of the Note

The measure concerns the AHV/IV items and the minimum contributions mentioned. However, it does not enter into BVG, KVG, withholding tax, rebates or double taxation. It does not even deal with INPS, the new 2026 tax agreement or the Brogeda pass. For the reader with a G permit, these topics cannot be updated on the basis of this source alone. Even the reference to the 4 million for the cantons does not allow a specific figure to be attributed to the Canton of Ticino.

To keep your pension provision separate from the other chapters of cross-border work, you can consult approfondimento sulla pensione AVS.

Useful planning tools

To estimate your pension strategy, use the pension planner and the pillar 3 simulator.

Key points

Personal verification can be done without adding data that the note does not contain. For the cross-border commuter, the most solid method is to separate the starting date, category, unit of measurement and contribution condition. In this way, the decision is read for what it communicates, without turning it into a new tax rule or an administrative procedure.

Five Controls

1. Set the effective date. The only time reference provided is from January next year. The text does not indicate a precise day of the month.

2. Identify the item. Distinguish the minimum AHV/IV pension from the maximum pension. If you are checking a contribution, check whether the description refers to self-employed and non-gainfully employed persons or the voluntary AHV/IV.

3. Check the unit of measurement. Pensions are expressed per month, while the minimum contributions and amounts for supplementary and bridging benefits are indicated on an annual basis.

4. Check the stated condition. A full contribution period is required for the maximum pension. For the amounts intended for general living needs, the source distinguishes between single persons, married couples and children who have already reached the age of 11 or have not yet turned 11.

5. Keep public costs separate. The approximately 1,055 million in additional expenditure for pension adjustments, as well as the approximately 7 million to be borne by the Confederation and the 4 million to be borne by the cantons for other adjustments, are not presented as sums to be paid individually.

This check also avoids automatically reading the note as a change to the position of each cross-border commuter. The source does not indicate forms, documents, offices or a separate procedure for the G permit and does not give workers in the Canton of Ticino separate treatment. For this reason, changes to BVG, KVG or withholding tax cannot be derived from the text.

For a separate payroll comparison, use the calcolatore stipendio.

Source: rsi.ch