Adjustment of LPP survivors’ and disability pensions from 1 January 2027

Context

TL;DR

• From January 1, 2027, pensions will be adjusted in line with prices.
• 2,1% for entitlements arising in 2023.
• 1% after one year for pensions adjusted in 2026.
• 1,2% after two years for those adjusted in 2025.

Key facts

• What → survivors' and disability pensions under mandatory LPP
• Publication → October 22, 2026
• Effective date → January 1, 2027
• Entitlement arising in 2023 → 2,1%
• Subsequent adjustments → 1% after January 1, 2026; 1,2% after January 1, 2025

The measure announced in Bern

The announcement, issued in Bern on October 22, 2026, provides that from January 1, 2027, the amount of survivors' and disability pensions under mandatory occupational pension provision will follow price trends. The measure will affect both benefits undergoing their first adjustment and benefits already adjusted previously.

Within the mandatory occupational pension scheme, adjustments to survivors' and disability pensions periodically follow the development of the consumer price index until the ordinary retirement age. The first takes place three years after entitlement begins; subsequent ones are carried out in conjunction with AVS updates, generally at two-year intervals.

For pensions for which entitlement arose in 2023, the announced rate is 2,1%. The calculation uses the consumer price index for September 2023, equal to 99,4159, and that for September 2026, equal to 101,4737. The stated base is December 2025 = 100.

As part of the increase in AVS pensions planned for 2027, the document addresses these cases separately. For pensions whose first adjustment dates back to January 1, 2026, the new measure will take place after one year and will be 1%; the announcement also expresses the same rate as 1,0%. Those last adjusted on January 1, 2025, on the other hand, will receive the adjustment after two years, at a rate of 1,2%.

The distinction used by the source is precise: in the first group, the year in which entitlement arose matters, while in the other two the date of the last adjustment matters. The calendar therefore shows the different use of dates: for entitlement arising in 2023, the origin of the benefit is considered; for pensions adjusted in 2026 or 2025, the previous revision is considered instead. The common effective date remains January 1, 2027, while the technical basis is indicated through the indices for the respective periods.

Operational details

The comparison between the indices

The clearest figure for checking the difference between the cases is the period observed. The September 2026 value, 101,4737, is the common endpoint of the comparisons shown; the starting value and the date to which it refers vary. The table brings together the figures indicated by the source.

When read as arithmetic differences in index points, the values show three distances from the September 2026 reference. There are 2,0578 points between 99,4159 and 101,4737; there are 0,9948 between 100,4789 and 101,4737; and 1,2198 between 100,2539 and 101,4737. These calculations do not alter the reported rates: they make the values being compared visible.

The first comparison covers September 2023-September 2026, while the second uses September 2025-September 2026 and the third September 2024-September 2026. The source links these periods to the dates on which the previous adjustments took effect: after one year for pensions adjusted for the first time on January 1, 2026, and after two years for those last adjusted on January 1, 2025. The criterion for the first adjustment after three years is reported separately for the mandatory scheme.

The link to the cost of living here runs through the consumer price index: the source does not express the adjustment in francs, but in relation to the change in the indices. The December 2025 = 100 base makes the values comparable, even though they refer to September in different years. The communiqué also places the two subsequent adjustments in the 2027 increase in AVS pensions, so that the occupational pension calendar is considered alongside that of AVS.

Key points

The limit provided for by the LPP

Automatic adjustment is not provided for all pensions. If the amount exceeds the statutory minimum, the pension institution is not required to offset price developments.

The supreme governing body of the pension institution determines each year whether to adjust the pensions and sets the possible extent of the adjustment. The source refers to Art. 36 para. 2 LPP; these determinations are discussed in the pension institution's accounts or annual report. The passage distinguishes the rates indicated for the groups considered from the annual assessment provided for other situations covered by the communication.

The informational limit is equally clear: the text indicates percentages, indices and reference dates, but does not report individual amounts in francs, does not identify a single pension institution and does not indicate a specific pension. The rates of 2.1%, 1% and 1.2% can therefore be used to derive the adjustment criterion described, but not a personal amount. The note also does not provide a list of pensions that exceed the statutory minimum; that requirement remains the explicit criterion for the obligation to adjust.

The temporal scope remains that indicated in the rules described: survivors' and disability pensions under the mandatory second-pillar scheme are periodically adjusted in line with the evolution of the consumer price index until the ordinary retirement age. The communication separates this rule from cases in which the decision depends on the institution's financial capacity and on the supreme governing body.

For the overview of benefits AVS/LPP/pension.

Source: admin.ch