How many Swiss households employ domestic staff on a regular basis?

According to the Confederation, around 500,000 families throughout Switzerland use the services of a domestic worker. However, only 65 '669 state it regularly via the simplified SECO procedure. This means that over 80% operate in the undeclared or regulatory grey.

What is the real risk of being controlled in domestic work?

In 2025, checks in private homes were only 239 out of ~500,000 families potentially affected. This equates to a statistical probability of about 0.048% per year — virtually once every 2,000 years per family. The perceived risk of sanction is therefore minimal.

How do you get those who hire domestic staff in order?

SECO provides a simplified declaration procedure. The employer must register the domestic employee WITH SECO, communicate the remuneration, and pay social contributions (AVS, AI, IPG, AD) and tax at source on a quarterly or monthly basis. The procedure is designed to be accessible even to those without administrative experience.

What changes with the revision of the federal law in June 2026?

The Federal Council has proposed a revision of the law against undeclared work that mainly aims to strengthen collaboration and data exchange between federal, cantonal and municipal authorities. However, the proposal does not introduce specific measures to increase direct controls in private household economies.

What are the consequences of undeclared work for domestic workers?

Undeclared domestic workers have no social security coverage (AVS, AI), are not protected in the event of an accident, and operate without a written contract. The social cost of the situation falls completely on them, depriving them of fundamental rights and protections.

Black work in cleaning: the collapse of the declared (cross-border guide)

Di Redazione Frontaliere Ticino · Published on 26 August 2026

Domestic worker cleaning in a modern Swiss apartment

In 2025, filers plummeted to 65,669. Only 239 checks in homes. The Federal Council proposes a revision of the law on undeclared work.

Context

In a nutshell

In 2025 only 65,669 declared domestic employers (down from 68,247)
Checks: just 239 in homes (probability 0.048% per year)
Federal Council proposes law review in June 2026

Key facts

What: Dramatic drop in domestic employers reporting
When: 2025 (Confederation data)
Where: Whole Switzerland (~500'000 families involved)
Who: SECO, Federal Council, cantonal authorities
Amount: From 2021 to 2025, a decrease from 100,000 to 65,669 registrants
Probability of control: 0.048% per year (1 control every 2,000 years per family)
Suspects transmitted: 4'367 in 2025 (2'045 on social insurance)

In 2025 the Swiss domestic labour market hit a new low: only 65,669 employers regularly declared their staff, down from 68,247 the year before. The figure is even more alarming when compared to 2021, when the registrants were around 100,000: in four years the number has decreased by a third.

The contrast with actual estimates is staggering. The Confederation estimates that around 500,000 families throughout Switzerland use the services of a domestic worker. If only 65'669 use the official reporting channel, it means that over 434'000 households are presumably operating in the undeclared — a shadow economy representing 86% of the sector.

The simplified procedure: how it works (and why it is

Operational details

Why the Undeclared Spreads: Minimal Risks, Maximum Incentives

The logic is simple: the cost-benefit is totally unbalanced in favor of undeclared work. For a family that hires a domestic worker for 20 hours a week, declaring means paying contributions to social insurance. The tax burden for the employer increases significantly.

At the same time, the probability of a penalty is practically zero. The 239 controls in 2025 represent such a tiny fraction of the total that the perceived risk is zero. Even when checks take place, they are almost always based on reports (4'367 suspects were transmitted in 2025), not on systematic checks. Those who declare remain a minority, and the margin of safety for those who operate in the black is enormous.

The gap between registrants and actual workers

A critical aspect often overlooked: among the 65,669 declarations of 2025, a significant part comes from the formal sector (cleaning agencies, professional services), not from private families. This means that the number of people actually working in private household economies without reporting is even larger than the number of “non-reporting households” suggests.

Cleaning women — and they are mainly women — therefore operate in a regulatory limbo: without a written contract, without social security coverage, without protection in the event of an accident. The social cost falls

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Key points

How to Become Compliant: Step-by-Step Procedure

Even though the path to regularization remains complex, it is technically possible. Anyone who employs a domestic worker can access the simplified SECO procedure, which centralizes the declaration of contributions and taxes. The process requires:

1. Initial Registration: Register with SECO with the personal data of the employer and the domestic worker. 2. Communication of Remuneration: Declare the gross monthly or annual amount and the number of working hours. 3. Periodic Payment: Pay social contributions (AVS, AI, IPG, AD according to current rates) and source tax, directly through SECO. 4. Documentation: Keep contracts and payment receipts for any future inspections.

The system is designed to be simple, but still requires a certain administrative discipline. Many families choose undeclared work precisely because they prefer to avoid this bureaucracy.

What Concretely Changes with the 2026 Revision

The federal proposal focuses on information exchange between authorities. This means that tax, social security, and municipal databases will be better synchronized. An employer who declares income but does not declare domestic staff can more easily be identified through this interoperability.

The structural problem remains: increasing direct inspections in homes is complicated from a legal and practical point of view. The new regulation therefore relies primarily on administrative transparency, not on capillary checks. An improvement, certainly, but probably insufficient to reverse the trend.

…

Frequently Asked Questions

How many Swiss households employ domestic staff on a regular basis?: According to the Confederation, around 500,000 families throughout Switzerland use the services of a domestic worker. However, only 65 '669 state it regularly via the simplified SECO procedure. This means that over 80% operate in the undeclared or regulatory grey.
What is the real risk of being controlled in domestic work?: In 2025, checks in private homes were only 239 out of ~500,000 families potentially affected. This equates to a statistical probability of about 0.048% per year — virtually once every 2,000 years per family. The perceived risk of sanction is therefore minimal.
How do you get those who hire domestic staff in order?: SECO provides a simplified declaration procedure. The employer must register the domestic employee WITH SECO, communicate the remuneration, and pay social contributions (AVS, AI, IPG, AD) and tax at source on a quarterly or monthly basis. The procedure is designed to be accessible even to those without administrative experience.
What changes with the revision of the federal law in June 2026?: The Federal Council has proposed a revision of the law against undeclared work that mainly aims to strengthen collaboration and data exchange between federal, cantonal and municipal authorities. However, the proposal does not introduce specific measures to increase direct controls in private household economies.
What are the consequences of undeclared work for domestic workers?: Undeclared domestic workers have no social security coverage (AVS, AI), are not protected in the event of an accident, and operate without a written contract. The social cost of the situation falls completely on them, depriving them of fundamental rights and protections.