Which pillar 3^a is right for you?

How does this pillar 3a comparison tool work?

The tool cross-references six parameters that on their own determine the form of pillar 3^a suited to a situation: employment status, the contract already held, the investment horizon, the presence of dependants, the compliance requirement and the capacity to contribute. It retrieves no external data and keeps nothing: the calculation is done entirely in your browser.

The logic is deliberately simple, because in most cases so is the decision. What is complex is the execution: choosing the institution, selecting the funds, and leaving an existing contract cleanly.

What forms does pillar 3^a take in Switzerland?

Pillar 3a is a legal framework defined by the OPP 3 ordinance (RS 831.461.3), within which two families of institutions may open a contract. Three concrete forms follow from it.

• The interest-bearing 3a account — blocked savings that pay interest. Simple, liquid, but with a return structurally below inflation.
• The securities-based pillar 3a — contributions are invested in one or more funds. The return comes from the assets held, and therefore from taking real risk.
• The 3a insurance policy — a contract that combines savings, risk cover and charges, with a premium commitment over time.

Which form is the easiest to make compliant?

The securities-based pillar 3a, without hesitation. Not because it is compliant in itself, but because it is the only form that leaves the choice of investments open. Once that freedom is secured, making it compliant consists in screening the funds against verifiable criteria: sector exclusion first, then the three AAOIFI ratios — interest-bearing debt below 33 % of market capitalisation, interest-bearing cash below 33 %, non-compliant income below 5 %.

The interest-bearing account is disqualified by its interest. The insurance policy is disqualified by its structure: guaranteed technical interest rate, contractual uncertainty and bond reserves. Our guide to the halal pillar 3^a sets out what each form involves.

Do you need death and disability cover?

It depends on one thing only: whether anyone would be financially dependent on you in the event of your death or of an incapacity to earn. If so, the need is real and must be quantified against the household's expenses and the outstanding balance of any mortgage. If not, adding cover to a savings contract amounts to paying for a risk that does not exist.

Where the need exists, the effective answer is to separate the two building blocks: a securities-based pillar 3a for the savings, pure risk insurance for the cover. Each then remains clear, comparable and cancellable independently.

How much can you pay into pillar 3^a in 2026?

The deduction limits are unchanged for the 2026 tax year: 7'258 francs for a person affiliated to a pension fund, and 20 % of net income with a maximum of 36'288 francs for a self-employed person without a 2^nd pillar. These amounts are set by the Confederation and published by the Federal Social Insurance Office.

Since 2026, it has also been possible to fill a gap year retroactively, up to the limit of the small contribution and within a rolling ten-year window. Our 3a buy-back simulator quantifies the tax recoverable and sets out the exact conditions.

What to do with a contract already signed?

Cancel nothing before running the numbers. A bank pillar 3a can be transferred freely to another foundation, with no tax and no loss. An insurance policy, by contrast, returns a surrender value that is often lower than the premiums paid during the first years — and that value is not paid out in cash, but transferred to another recognised form of tied pension.

Three routes then exist: keeping the contract, waiving the payment of premiums, or cancelling with a transfer. The ALG Club programme teaches you to compare them with figures in hand before any decision.