# Leaving Switzerland for good - Please advice with the pillars **URL:** \ **Category:** Share your story\ **Created:** [April 16, 2023, 12:20pm UTC](https://forum.mustachianpost.com/t/leaving-switzerland-for-good-please-advice-with-the-pillars/10175 "2023-04-16T12:20:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Jagermeister](https://forum.mustachianpost.com/user_avatar/forum.mustachianpost.com/jagermeister/32/8551_2.png) [@Jagermeister](https://forum.mustachianpost.com/u/Jagermeister)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2023, 12:20pm UTC](https://forum.mustachianpost.com/t/leaving-switzerland-for-good-please-advice-with-the-pillars/10175/1 "2023-04-16T12:20:20Z")
Hello everybody The time has come for me. I am leaving Switzerland. Not ready to FIRE but for personal reasons I don’t want to live here anymore :-/ Will still work towards FIRE though, it will just take longer. I am relocating to a EU country, so I want to know what to do with my 1st and 2nd pillars. 1st - I understand there is no way to cash this out, this always stays in Switzerland. Will I get something from this once I retire or should I keep it in mind or I completely forget about this? 2nd - I have read that since I move to a EU country, the 2a pillar moves to a vested benefits, it cannot be cashed out. What does that mean then, that I will be able to cash it out once I get to retirement age? 2b pillar can be cashed out, I understand those are the voluntary contributions, and so far I didn’t do any but I will ask if my employer did. Any advice will be very appreciated 🙂 Thaaanks! ---
**Author:** ![yetanothername](https://forum.mustachianpost.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/y/f4b2a3/32.png) [@yetanothername](https://forum.mustachianpost.com/u/yetanothername)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2023, 10:07am UTC](https://forum.mustachianpost.com/t/leaving-switzerland-for-good-please-advice-with-the-pillars/10175/2 "2023-04-17T10:07:56Z")
Hi Most of these questions should already have been answered on this forum. [https://forum.mustachianpost.com/search?context=topic&context\_id=10175&q=Leaving%20Switzerland%20&skip\_context=true](https://forum.mustachianpost.com/search?context=topic&context_id=10175&q=Leaving%20Switzerland%20&skip_context=true) Would you please check those and then specify the information you need? ---
**Author:** ![San\_Francisco](https://forum.mustachianpost.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/s/ea5d25/32.png) [@San\_Francisco](https://forum.mustachianpost.com/u/San_Francisco)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2023, 11:41am UTC](https://forum.mustachianpost.com/t/leaving-switzerland-for-good-please-advice-with-the-pillars/10175/3 "2023-04-17T11:41:43Z")
1st - Do _not_ just forget about AHV/AVS: [https://www.ahv-iv.ch/p/880.e](https://www.ahv-iv.ch/p/880.e) 2nd - Particularly [this thread](https://forum.mustachianpost.com/t/does-anyone-have-experience-with-cashing-out-your-2nd-pillar-as-a-lump-sum/7164) should sort you out. Depending on your social status in your new EU country, you [_may_ be eligible for a full payout](https://forum.mustachianpost.com/t/early-retirement-move-to-another-country-and-pension-fund-withdrawal-pillar-2-and-3/6078/7) (much valuable info in that thread, too!) upon leaving. Or non-mandatory part only, with the mandatory part having to stay on a Swiss vested benefits product until a few years before retirement age. Non-mandatory meaning benefits that _exceed_ the legally required minimum old-age savings credits. Do not confuse them with voluntary contributions or “freiwillige Einkäufe”. The latter will, as the name implies, never be legally required either. But many people will have non-mandatory benefits because their pension fund and its rules provided for them (thereby exceeding legally required minimums), without ever having _chosen_ to contribute voluntarily. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.PI](https://forum.mustachianpost.com/user_avatar/forum.mustachianpost.com/dr.pi/32/5299_2.png) [@Dr.PI](https://forum.mustachianpost.com/u/Dr.PI)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2025, 11:33am UTC](https://forum.mustachianpost.com/t/leaving-switzerland-for-good-please-advice-with-the-pillars/10175/4 "2025-08-27T11:33:35Z")
5 posts were merged into an existing topic: [Leaving Switzerland and withdrawing 2nd pillar (pension)](https://forum.mustachianpost.com/t/leaving-switzerland-and-withdrawing-2nd-pillar-pension/4332/99) ---
**Author:** ![San\_Francisco](https://forum.mustachianpost.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/s/ea5d25/32.png) [@San\_Francisco](https://forum.mustachianpost.com/u/San_Francisco)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2023, 6:27pm UTC](https://forum.mustachianpost.com/t/leaving-switzerland-for-good-please-advice-with-the-pillars/10175/7 "2023-04-17T18:27:36Z")
> [@Leaving Switzerland and withdrawing 2nd pillar (pension)](https://forum.mustachianpost.com/t/leaving-switzerland-and-withdrawing-2nd-pillar-pension/4332/100): > > Can you please explain me why I should not forget about 1st pillar AHV/AVS? Read [the PDF I linked to](https://www.ahv-iv.ch/p/880.e) above 😉 _“Individuals who have paid insurance contributions in more than one signatory state are entitled to a pension from each state in which they have been insured for a minimum of one year.”_ > [@Leaving Switzerland and withdrawing 2nd pillar (pension)](https://forum.mustachianpost.com/t/leaving-switzerland-and-withdrawing-2nd-pillar-pension/4332/100): > > I have been living 3yrs in Switzerland, how much should I expect to get once I retire from this? The equivalent of 30 CHF per month? 100 CHF? If you aren’t insured and then retiring with a Swiss (2nd pillar) pension fund, you are not going to get a monthly 2nd pillar pension - only a lump-sump payment. (In practice, since hardly any vested benefits foundation will convert your capital into a monthly pension. They aren’t legally required to. Even if they did and you had lots more in capital, it would likely not be worth it) ---
**Author:** ![Jagermeister](https://forum.mustachianpost.com/user_avatar/forum.mustachianpost.com/jagermeister/32/8551_2.png) [@Jagermeister](https://forum.mustachianpost.com/u/Jagermeister)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2023, 9:11pm UTC](https://forum.mustachianpost.com/t/leaving-switzerland-for-good-please-advice-with-the-pillars/10175/10 "2023-04-17T21:11:15Z")
I see. That’s what I don’t understand… at all. Excuse my ignorance. I thought retirement was 2nd pillar. Then you say for 1st pillar: _“Individuals who have paid insurance contributions in more than one signatory state are entitled to a pension from each state in which they have been insured for a minimum of one year.”_ So is it that one part of the pension comes from 1st pillar and another from 2nd? But how is this logical if both are mandatory if you are a swiss resident? Sorry I don’t get it :-/ ---
**Author:** ![nabalzbhf](https://forum.mustachianpost.com/user_avatar/forum.mustachianpost.com/nabalzbhf/32/3277_2.png) [@nabalzbhf](https://forum.mustachianpost.com/u/nabalzbhf)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2023, 9:11pm UTC](https://forum.mustachianpost.com/t/leaving-switzerland-for-good-please-advice-with-the-pillars/10175/11 "2023-04-17T21:11:23Z")
> [@Leaving Switzerland and withdrawing 2nd pillar (pension)](https://forum.mustachianpost.com/t/leaving-switzerland-and-withdrawing-2nd-pillar-pension/4332/103): > > And the amount is increased only by what it generates if you put it in VIAC or similar or the government adjusts the inflation also? Because I will still have to wait 25 or 35 yrs for the retirement (depending if they keep increasing the age). You should read up on pillar2, this is a totally private scheme (money is yours, government won’t bail you out, there’s some minimum interests etc. but those I think don’t apply to your case, only for employed people). And I think if you’re not employed you won’t have a choice, you will only get a lump sum of whatever capital you managed to accumulate. ---
**Author:** ![Jagermeister](https://forum.mustachianpost.com/user_avatar/forum.mustachianpost.com/jagermeister/32/8551_2.png) [@Jagermeister](https://forum.mustachianpost.com/u/Jagermeister)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2023, 9:14pm UTC](https://forum.mustachianpost.com/t/leaving-switzerland-for-good-please-advice-with-the-pillars/10175/12 "2023-04-17T21:14:16Z")
I see. I think I am starting to understand. Retirement pension comes from both 1st and 2nd pillar, 2nd is private and the government forces you to have it so it kind of does the paternalistic thing for you, so government doesn’t end up having to sustain you if you end up becoming homeless because you didn’t save for retirement. Am I getting this right? I have read about it btw, even the HR guy from my job has explained me, I still don’t get it 100% sorry :-/ ---
**Author:** ![San\_Francisco](https://forum.mustachianpost.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/s/ea5d25/32.png) [@San\_Francisco](https://forum.mustachianpost.com/u/San_Francisco)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2023, 11:33pm UTC](https://forum.mustachianpost.com/t/leaving-switzerland-for-good-please-advice-with-the-pillars/10175/13 "2023-04-17T23:33:18Z")
> [@Jagermeister](#): > > Retirement pension comes from both 1st and 2nd pillar This. It’s two separate systems, one government-run and one privately (sort of). > [@Jagermeister](#): > > so government doesn’t end up having to sustain you if you end up becoming homeless because you didn’t save for retirement. That’s taking it a bit too far but… Anyway, pillar 1 (AHV/AVS) is supposed to cover your very basic needs, at a _maximum_ monthly pension of CHF 2450/month. Pillar 2 pensions are supposed to (more or less) cover your standard of living during retirement. [Das Dreisäulensystem der Alters-, Hinterlassenen- und Invalidenvorsorge](https://www.bsv.admin.ch/bsv/de/home/sozialversicherungen/ueberblick/dreisaeulensystem.html) ---
**Author:** ![Barto](https://forum.mustachianpost.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/b/e9c0ed/32.png) [@Barto](https://forum.mustachianpost.com/u/Barto)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2023, 5:34am UTC](https://forum.mustachianpost.com/t/leaving-switzerland-for-good-please-advice-with-the-pillars/10175/14 "2023-04-18T05:34:42Z")
Google search Swiss pension system [for example](https://www.axa.ch/en/pension/pension-system.html) ---
**Author:** ![Jagermeister](https://forum.mustachianpost.com/user_avatar/forum.mustachianpost.com/jagermeister/32/8551_2.png) [@Jagermeister](https://forum.mustachianpost.com/u/Jagermeister)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2023, 4:41pm UTC](https://forum.mustachianpost.com/t/leaving-switzerland-for-good-please-advice-with-the-pillars/10175/15 "2023-04-18T16:41:34Z")
Thank you so much man. I really appreciate it. The different pieces of the puzzle finally clicked now. ---
**Author:** ![yetanothername](https://forum.mustachianpost.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/y/f4b2a3/32.png) [@yetanothername](https://forum.mustachianpost.com/u/yetanothername)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2023, 5:25pm UTC](https://forum.mustachianpost.com/t/leaving-switzerland-for-good-please-advice-with-the-pillars/10175/16 "2023-04-18T17:25:29Z")
> [@Leaving Switzerland and withdrawing 2nd pillar (pension)](https://forum.mustachianpost.com/t/leaving-switzerland-and-withdrawing-2nd-pillar-pension/4332/100): > > Can you please explain me why I should not forget about 1st pillar AHV/AVS? You can calculate your likely future 1st pillar pension on this site: [https://www.acor-avs.ch/requerant](https://www.acor-avs.ch/requerant) Just enter your specific values ---
**Author:** ![yetanothername](https://forum.mustachianpost.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/y/f4b2a3/32.png) [@yetanothername](https://forum.mustachianpost.com/u/yetanothername)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2024, 9:58am UTC](https://forum.mustachianpost.com/t/leaving-switzerland-for-good-please-advice-with-the-pillars/10175/17 "2024-12-18T09:58:11Z")
> [@yetanothername](#): > > You can calculate your likely future 1st pillar pension on this site: > [https://www.acor-avs.ch/requerant](https://www.acor-avs.ch/requerant) Wow, 50 people have clicked on this link, just got a notification. Just for reference (calclulated at 44 years of contributions): For every year that you pay in the maximum, you get CHF 57.27 AHV per month 687.27 per year For every year that you pay in the minimum, you get CHF 28.64 per month or 343.64 per year So, even if you’ve worked in Switzerland for 3 years, you can get up to CHF 171 per month, which is nothing to be sneezed at in most parts of the world. Data accurate as of December 2024. ---
**Author:** ![Moustachienne](https://forum.mustachianpost.com/user_avatar/forum.mustachianpost.com/moustachienne/32/12347_2.png) [@Moustachienne](https://forum.mustachianpost.com/u/Moustachienne)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2024, 9:21pm UTC](https://forum.mustachianpost.com/t/leaving-switzerland-for-good-please-advice-with-the-pillars/10175/18 "2024-12-18T21:21:13Z")
Would that amount be adjusted for inflation? ---
**Author:** ![nabalzbhf](https://forum.mustachianpost.com/user_avatar/forum.mustachianpost.com/nabalzbhf/32/3277_2.png) [@nabalzbhf](https://forum.mustachianpost.com/u/nabalzbhf)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2024, 10:26pm UTC](https://forum.mustachianpost.com/t/leaving-switzerland-for-good-please-advice-with-the-pillars/10175/19 "2024-12-18T22:26:57Z")
Yes, it updates every two years and aims to follow cost of life changes.