Switzerland.

Listed shares

0% (exempt private capital gain)

The gain on realisation of personally owned listed shares is an exempt private capital gain at federal, cantonal and communal level, with no holding-period condition. The corresponding loss is not deductible.

Fund and ETF units

0% on the price gain (private capital gain)

The price gain on selling fund/ETF units held privately is an exempt private capital gain like a direct share. The fund's home or EU regulatory status does not change that.

Losses

No separate rule

A private capital loss on movable assets is not deductible and cannot be offset or carried forward. For this case, losses only become relevant (and deductible) if the person is a professional dealer or the assets are business assets, where gains would also be taxable.

Foreign and US listings

0% on the gain (private capital gain)

A resident's price gain on a foreign or US-listed share, or a US-domiciled ETF, is the same exempt private capital gain. Only the dividend or interest income from the foreign holding is taxable income, with tax taken abroad relieved by a capped credit.

Accumulating funds and annual tax

Taxable under the ordinary rule

Switzerland taxes the income a fund earns, whether distributed or accumulated. An accumulating fund's internal dividends/interest are taxable to the holder in the year they accrue as movable-capital income, even without a cash payout.

Swiss company dividend

Taxable under the ordinary rule

A Swiss-source dividend uses the progressive federal, cantonal and communal rates; the federal scale alone tops out at 11.5%. The company withholds 35%, which a declaring resident can normally reclaim or credit.

Foreign listed-share dividend

Progressive plus tax taken abroad

The foreign listed dividend is included in the resident's ordinary income at full progressive rates (no minority relief). The source country withholds (treaty-limited, commonly 15%).

Passive or substantial holding

Different rules apply

The threshold that matters in Switzerland. The passive/minority dividend is taxed on 100% of the amount at ordinary rates.

Fund or ETF distribution

Ordinary progressive income

A fund/ETF distribution of dividends/interest is taxable to the resident as ordinary movable-capital income. The fund's underlying capital gains.

New-resident treatment

Expenditure-based assessment replaces actual dividend tax (if elected)

A newcomer using lump-sum taxation generally gives up the ordinary foreign-dividend tax-credit claim.

There is no separate rule here. Use the general foreign-income case, then check what the treaty says about the country paying the money.

Sale for money

0% (exempt private capital gain)

A private investor's sale of payment tokens to fiat is an exempt private capital gain, treated like a foreign-currency gain. The matching loss is not deductible.

Crypto-to-crypto exchange

0% (exempt private capital gain)

A private crypto-to-crypto exchange produces an exempt capital gain. Professional dealing can instead make the result taxable self-employment income.

Spending crypto

0% (exempt private capital gain)

Paying for goods or services with payment tokens realises a private capital gain or loss that is exempt/non-deductible for a private holder.

Staking and lending

Ordinary income (movable-capital income)

For this case, staking and lending rewards are taxable income on receipt at market value, classified as income from movable assets (Ertrag aus beweglichem Vermoegen). The later disposal of the received coins is again a private capital-gains question.

Mining, validation and airdrops

Ordinary income on receipt

Mining/validation rewards are taxable income (potentially self-employment income if organised as a business), and airdrops fall under income tax at the time of allocation.

Private investor or business

Different rules apply

The rate line above gives the resident result. The rule is tested when the relevant tax event occurs.

Wealth tax and departure tax

Taxable under the ordinary rule

Crypto is in the annual net-wealth base at its 31 December market value (tax authority publishes official year-end values for the main tokens). Switzerland has no exit tax on emigration for individuals.

New-resident treatment

Expenditure-based assessment (if elected)

A qualifying non-working foreigner using lump-sum taxation is assessed on living expenses, not crypto income or wealth value. The regime replaces ordinary income and wealth tax.

All 34 crypto rules, side by side →

Switzerland pension

Income-tax bands

Swiss pensions (old-age social insurance 1st pillar, occupational pension 2nd pillar, 3rd pillar) are taxed as ordinary income when drawn periodically. A capital/lump-sum withdrawal is taxed separately at one-fifth of the ordinary progressive tariff, at federal level and analogously in the cantons.

Foreign state or social-security pension

Income-tax bands

A foreign state or social-security pension paid to a Swiss resident is included as ordinary income. The treaty decides whether the source state may also tax it and how Switzerland relieves (usually exemption-with-progression under Swiss practice, occasionally credit).

Foreign occupational or private pension

Income-tax bands

A qualifying private annuity (rente viagere) is taxed on only 40% of the payments under Swiss law. A structural relief that can apply to some annuity income. Check the treaty for source tax and Switzerland's relief.

Foreign government or civil-service pension

Usually source-state taxed

For this case, Switzerland typically exempts it with progression where the treaty assigns it to the source state. The specific treaty article governs.

Foreign pension lump sum

Separate tax at one-fifth of the ordinary tariff (federal)

A capital/lump-sum payment from occupational or recognised individual pension provision is taxed separately from other income, at one-fifth of the ordinary progressive tariff at federal level. Cantons apply their own reduced lump-sum tariffs.

Special foreign-pension rule

Lump-sum taxation covering all foreign income

Switzerland has no pension-specific reduced regime. A qualifying non-working foreign pensioner can instead use general lump-sum taxation covering all foreign income.

Company profit

Combined effective about 11.66–20.54% (federal 8.5% on profit-after-tax)

A same-country (Swiss) company pays federal company tax of 8.5% on profit after tax (about 7.83% effective on pre-tax profit) plus cantonal/communal tax.

Distribution from a Swiss company

Reduced rule

The rate line above gives the resident result. The rule is tested when the income is received.

Distribution from a foreign company

Partial taxation from a 10% holding

A dividend from the owner's foreign company is taxed to the individual with the same at least 10% partial taxation (70% federal / min 50% cantonal). A lump-sum credit (foreign-tax-credit claim) for tax taken in the source country up to the Swiss tax.

Foreign entity type

Special rule

The rate line above gives the resident result. The rule is tested when the relevant tax event occurs.

Ownership threshold

10% for partial-taxation relief

The threshold that matters for owners is 10% of the company's capital. At/above it a dividend gets partial taxation (70% federal / min 50% cantonal).

Sale of your company stake

0% (private capital gain) unless anti-abuse applies

The rate line above gives the resident result. The rule is tested when the relevant tax event occurs.

Salary or director fee

Income-tax bands

Salary from the company enters the progressive income-tax bands. Employee and employer social-insurance contributions apply separately.

Social contributions and remuneration risk

Special rule

Old-age social insurance attaches to salary, not to dividends, so owner-managers are tempted to pay low salary/high dividend. The old-age social insurance authorities can requalify part of an excessive dividend on a modest-salary/high-participation-value company as salary subject to social contributions.

Running the company from Switzerland

Special rule

A company incorporated abroad but effectively managed from Switzerland (day-to-day direction or managerial decisions taken there) is Swiss tax-resident and taxed on worldwide profit.

Controlled foreign company rules

No separate rule

Switzerland has no controlled foreign companies or 'subject-to-tax' anti-deferral legislation. A Swiss-resident owner is not taxed currently on an undistributed foreign company's profits merely because it is low-taxed.

New-resident treatment

Lump-sum taxation with no Swiss gainful activity

A qualifying non-working foreign newcomer can elect lump-sum taxation. The regime requires no gainful activity in Switzerland.

Review the company and your personal position together before the move.

Property in Switzerland

Ordinary progressive income (including imputed value on own home)

Actual rent from a Swiss let property uses progressive rates, with maintenance costs and mortgage interest deductible. An owner-occupier is also taxed on an imputed rental value.

Property abroad

Exempt-with-progression (rate-determining only)

Foreign-property rent is exempt in Switzerland but included when setting the rate on other income. The property country normally taxes the rent first.

Rental deductions

Taxable under the ordinary rule

For a Swiss let property, actual maintenance costs (or a lump-sum percentage) and mortgage interest are deductible. Residential property is not depreciated for private holders.

There is no separate rule here. Use the general foreign-income case, then check what the treaty says about the country paying the money.

Switzerland main home

Cantonal property-gains tax

A Swiss main-home gain falls within cantonal property-gains tax. Reinvesting the proceeds in a replacement owner-occupied Swiss home within the permitted period defers that tax.

Switzerland investment or second property

Cantonal gains tax, holding-period scaled (high short, low long)

The Swiss investment/second property is fully within the cantonal/communal real-estate gains tax. The rate depends heavily on the holding period.

Foreign property

Exempt-with-progression (rate-determining only)

A resident's gain on foreign real estate is not taxed in Switzerland. Swiss domestic law allocates immovable property to its situs and exempts the gain (with progression on Swiss wealth/income). Check the treaty for source tax and Switzerland's relief.

Main-home conditions

Special rule

The rate line above gives the resident result. The rule is tested when the asset is sold or otherwise disposed of.

Starting value after a move

Special rule

For Swiss property the cantonal gains tax uses actual acquisition cost, not a value reset on the owner's arrival. Arriving in Switzerland does not step up a Swiss property's basis.

New-resident treatment

Lump-sum taxation if elected

Foreign property gains already use exemption with progression for an ordinary resident. A person using lump-sum taxation is assessed on expenditure and does not separately declare the foreign gain.

There is no separate rule here. Use the general foreign-income case, then check what the treaty says about the country paying the money.

Switzerland royalties

Ordinary progressive income (plus old-age social insurance if business)

A passive royalty is ordinary movable-capital income at progressive rates. A royalty earned in an active creative/licensing business is self-employment income, taxed at ordinary rates plus old-age social-insurance contributions.

Foreign royalties

Taxable under the ordinary rule

Foreign royalties are ordinary income in Switzerland with a lump-sum credit (foreign-tax-credit claim) for tax taken in the source country, capped at the Swiss tax. Many treaties reduce royalty withholding tax toward zero, but this is pair-specific.

Which rights qualify

Taxable under the ordinary rule

Covers copyright, patent and licensing income. Switzerland has a corporate/cantonal patent box (post-traf) for companies, but no intellectual property-box for individuals.

Passive or active

Different rules apply

A one-off or passive royalty is movable-capital income. Ongoing self-authored/licensing activity is self-employment, moving the income to business treatment plus old-age social insurance contributions and potentially different deduction rules.

Social contributions and value-added tax

Special rule

Active creators pay old-age social insurance self-employment contributions, and licensing/royalty turnover above the CHF 100,000 threshold can trigger Swiss value-added tax registration.

Employment in Switzerland

Income-tax bands

Salary uses the progressive federal, cantonal and communal rates. Employee social contributions are about 6.4%, plus 1.1% unemployment insurance up to its ceiling.

Remote work for a foreign employer

Income-tax bands

A Swiss resident working remotely for a foreign employer is taxable in Switzerland on that work. A foreign employer with an employee working from Switzerland risks creating a Swiss permanent establishment and payroll/social obligations. Check the treaty for source tax and Switzerland's relief.

Self-employment and consulting

Ordinary progressive income plus self-employed old-age social insurance (up to about 10%)

Self-employment income carries tax at ordinary progressive rates plus self-employed old-age social insurance contributions (the individual covers both employer and employee shares, up to roughly 10% on a sliding scale).

Director fees

Treaty category

Director fees are a separate treaty category: the state where the company is resident may tax them no matter where board work is performed. Switzerland then relieves double tax.

New-resident worker rule

No separate rule

Switzerland has no special reduced income-tax regime for inbound skilled workers. Foreign workers without a C permit use ordinary tariff-based withholding.