Pillar 3a calculator:
work out your tax savings for 2026

The calculator retrieves the official rates from the FTA tax calculator and works out your income tax twice: once with your taxable income, once after deducting your 3a contribution. The difference is the tax saving, including federal, cantonal and municipal tax. If a canton's rates for the current year are not yet available, the calculator uses the previous year and says so in the result.

Employees with a pension fund can pay in up to CHF 7'258 a year. Working people without a pension fund, such as many self-employed people, can pay in 20 % of their net earned income, up to CHF 36'288. In both cases you need income subject to AHV contributions.

Income tax is progressive: as your income rises, so does the rate on each additional franc. Your 3a contribution is deducted from exactly these last francs earned, which is why the saving grows with your income. It differs between cantons because their tax rates and multipliers differ.

No. When you withdraw your 3a assets, a one-off capital withdrawal tax is due, at a reduced rate and separately from your other income. It is usually lower than the sum of the annual savings, especially if you spread the withdrawal over several accounts and years. This calculator shows the ongoing tax saving; it does not calculate the withdrawal tax.

Yes, if you select your religion. If you belong to a state church, your 3a contribution also lowers your church tax, so the saving is a little higher. With “None or other” the calculator leaves church tax out.

Your contribution has to be booked to your 3a account or custody account by the end of the year. It is best to transfer it a few days before the last banking day in December. You deduct the amount in your tax return for the same year; the provider sends you the certificate.