Downloads
Documents can easily be completed on-screen and printed out. If you have any questions, you can contact us on +41 71 228 52 52.
- Questionnaire for Calculating the Maximum Possible Purchase
- Application for an Advance Withdrawal of Retirement Assets of the Pension Fund for Home-Ownership Promotion (HOP)
- Utilisation of the Termination Benefit
- Declaration of beneficiaries for single persons
- Declaration of beneficiaries/Notification of partnership for persons with a cohabiting parting
- Declaration of beneficiaries/Notification of partnership for married persons and persons in a registered partnership
- Declaration Concerning Cash Payout due to the Start of Self-Employment as a Main Occupation
- Declaration Concerning Cash Payout of Vested Benefits due to permanent Departure from Switzerland
- Payout of the Termination Benefit due to Marginal Employment
- Registration for continuing insurance for external insurees
- Notification of transfer: continuing insurance for external insurees
- Leaflet Purchase for Early Retirement
- Leaflet Home-Ownership Promotion With Funds from Occupational Pension
- Leaflet continuing insurance for external insurees
- Leaflet Unpaid Leave
- Conversion Rates in Percent of the Retirement Assets
- Opportunities for single persons to name beneficiaries
- Opportunities for persons with a cohabiting partner (living-in partner) to name beneficiaries
- Opportunities for married persons or persons in a registered partnership to name beneficiaries
- Leaflet Retirement Pension or Retirement Assets
- Fund Regulation
- Regulation of Asga Pension Fund Cooperative on the Facilitation of Home Ownership
Insurance certificate
What actually is the “insured salary” and what precisely does the “estimated retirement lump-sum capital” consist of? Here you will find the answers to key questions.
Why contributions and benefits can change:
- Adjustment of the insured salary or change in the degree of employment
- Transfer to the next higher savings percentage level for retirement credits (savings contributions)
- Adjustment of risk contributions as a result of increasing age
- Adjustment of the pension plan with amended pension benefits
Joining the pension fund
Your employer will register you with the pension fund. If prior to commencing the job you already had 2nd pillar cover, the retirement assets accumulated under the previous pension fund must be transferred to us.
Important Â
Who can join a pension fund?
- The obligation to contract insurance begins on 1 January after reaching age 17 and continues until the normal pension age.
- Your annual AHV/AVS salary as an employee is higher than CHF 22 050.
- You are in an employment relationship that is limited to more than three months or is unlimited.
- You do not already have occupational pension coverage from other (primary) employment.
Procedure
- Registration is through the employer.
- You will receive your personal insurance certificate directly from us. Please check your insurance certificate as soon as you receive it to ensure that the personal details and the reported annual salary are correct.
- You arrange for your vested termination benefit to be transferred by your previous insurer to the Asga Pension Fund. You will receive a payment slip for this purpose together with the insurance certificate. You are responsible for transferring your vested termination benefit from your previous insurer to the Asga Pension Fund.
Exiting the pension fund
If you change jobs, become self-employed or temporarily stop working, you will automatically exit your current pension fund. What happens to your 2nd pillar assets?
You change your job.
Important     Â
In the absence of any instructions from you, we will transfer your termination benefit plus interest to the BVG/LPP Substitute Pension Plan at the earliest six months but no later than two years after your exit.
Procedure     Â
- Please complete and send us the form Utilisation of the termination benefit.
- We will transfer your assets, with interest up to the payment date.
- You will receive written confirmation of payment.
You will not be taking up a new position subject to BVG/LPP contributions in the near future.
Important             Â
In the absence of any instructions from you, we will transfer your termination benefit plus interest to the BVG/LPP Substitute Pension Plan at the earliest six months but no later than two years after your exit.
Procedure            Â
- You open a vested benefit account / take out a vested benefit policy with a bank or insurance company of your choice.
- We will transfer your assets, with interest up to the payment date.
- You will receive written confirmation of payment.
You are venturing into the world of self-employment and so are no longer subject to mandatory occupational benefits insurance.
Important
In the absence of any instructions from you, we will transfer your termination benefit plus interest to the BVG/LPP Substitute Pension Plan at the earliest six months but not later than two years after your exit.
Decide now how you wish to continue as regards your occupational benefits:
- You join your employees’ pension fund or an occupational benefit institution set up by your professional association and transfer your vested termination capital into it.
- You invest your occupational benefit assets in a vested benefit account.
- You arrange for your pension assets to be paid out in cash (only possible if you have self-employed status in your main occupation).
Procedure         Â
- You send us the form Declaration concerning cash payment due to the start of self-employment as a main occupation as well as confirmation from the AHV/AVS Compensation Fund that you are registered as a self-employed person. If your AHV/AVS Compensation Fund does not confirm that you have self-employed status in your main occupation, please additionally send us the questionnaire for self-employed persons.
- We will transfer your assets to your private account, with interest up to the payment date.
You have decided to leave Switzerland.
Important             Â
- If you are emigrating to an EU or EFTA state and are insured there for old age, disability and death in accordance with the current legislation, the mandatory component of your termination payment remains in Switzerland in a vested benefit account until you reach retirement age or payment is possible for other reasons. The extra-mandatory component can be paid out in cash. If you do not have mandatory insurance in the respective EU or EFTA state, Asga requires proof of contributions made to the BVG/LPP Guarantee Fund. The necessary application form can be found on the BVG/LPP Guarantee Fund website.
- If you are emigrating to a non-EU or non-EFTA state, the entire termination benefit can be paid out in cash.
- Payment can only be made after you have left Switzerland permanently.
- In the absence of any instructions from you, we will transfer your termination benefit plus interest to the BVG/LPP Substitute Pension Plan at the earliest six months but no later than two years after your exit.Â
Procedure            Â
- You complete and send us the form Declaration concerning Cash payout of vested benefits due to permanent departure from Switzerland.
- If you are emigrating to an EU or EFTA state, we will send you the application form to be sent to the BVG/LPP Guarantee Fund to clarify your social security obligations. In this connection, please see our information sheet Cash payment of termination benefit.
- A payment will be made as soon as a positive decision from the BVG/LPP Guarantee Fund is received.
Beneficiary
The death of a loved one is a profound experience that can turn your life upside down. So that at least the financial consequences remain manageable, spouses, registered partners and designated cohabiting partners are entitled to a partner’s pension. Depending on the pension plan, a lump-sum payment on death can be insured in addition to the partner’s pension. And voluntary purchases are usually treated as an additional lump-sum death benefit. How do you find out if you have additional insured lump-sum death benefits? Consult your insurance certificate – you will find the amounts under “Lump-sum payment on death” and “Additional lump-sum death benefit”.
Partners can be nominated as beneficiaries under occupational benefits insurance through a simplified process We have to be notified of the names of the beneficiaries during the insured’s lifetime. We recommend that persons living in a cohabiting partnership as well as anyone who has made provisions for an insured lump-sum payment on death or for an additional lump-sum death benefit should think about beneficiary arrangements.
What do I have to do?
Who is to receive the additionally insured lump-sum death benefits, and in what percentages, can be stipulated in a beneficiary’s declaration. In order to make beneficiary arrangements more flexible, you now have the option of apportioning the lump-sum death benefit percentage-wise to a specific group of persons independently of an existing partnership:
Group a: spouse/registered partner and any children entitled to orphans’ pensions
Group b: companion in life (cohabiting partner) or the person responsible for the maintenance of joint children
Group c: other children
Group d: parents
Group e: siblings
Group a may now be combined with or ranked lower than other groups, and the lump-sum death benefit can be divided up proportionally within a group as you wish.
And how does that concern me?
At all events, it makes sense for cohabiting partners to think about beneficiary arrangements. That being said, married couples or registered partners should take note of important changes under the new rules: The spouse, registered partner or designated cohabiting partner is no longer automatically the sole beneficiary of the lump-sum death benefit. Without a beneficiary’s declaration, it will be divided proportionally between said partner and any children entitled to orphans’ pensions.
So when should I complete a (new) beneficiary’s declaration?
A beneficiary’s declaration form needs to be completed if you wish to diverge from the new standard, i.e. you do not want equal shares to be apportioned to your spouse and any children entitled to orphans’ pensions. If, for instance, your spouse is to receive the full lump-sum death benefit despite the presence of children entitled to orphans’ pensions, the order of beneficiaries must be stipulated. The same applies if children entitled to orphans’ pensions as well as those with no pension entitlement (e.g. if they are older than 25 or in gainful employment) are to be factored in. This is naturally also the case if you have been living in a domestic/cohabiting partnership with your life partner for more than five years and the latter is to receive your full lump-sum death benefit. These examples are not exhaustive – Asga’s new approach is designed to appropriately accommodate more complex family and relationship structures.
Seize the opportunity to determine the proportional allocation yourself by completing a beneficiary’s declaration. We therefore recommend you review your personal situation even if you are married, living in a registered partnership or have already submitted a beneficiary’s declaration. Let us know how you envisage your beneficiary arrangements. We have put together further information for you below.
Retirement
Some people can barely wait and are looking forward to their new-found freedom. Others wish to put off retirement and continue working. We will be glad to help you with your retirement planning.
Pension or lump-sum withdrawal
The law permits the withdrawal of one quarter of the BVG/LPP retirement savings capital. However, most pension funds go beyond the law and allow their insureds to withdraw a higher proportion or even the entire amount. We too allow our insureds to withdraw more than 25% of the capital in one lump sum, and up to 100% if you so wish.
Before such a major decision can be taken, it is important to be aware of your own financial requirements in retirement. You are therefore recommended to make a list of the fixed costs incurred in the course of a year and to add them up at the year end. This gives you an idea of the running costs you will also need to cover in retirement. If that is too time-consuming, you can either draw up a budget or apply the rule of thumb that assumes costs will amount to 80% to 90% of current outlays.
The advantage of drawing a retirement pension is that it is paid out lifelong. In the event of the death of a married person entitled to a pension, the surviving spouse will receive 60% of the previous retirement pension. This pension is also paid in the form of a lifelong survivors’ pension. All pension benefits are taxed as income.
The advantage of a lump-sum withdrawal lies in the flexibility of use. The pensioner themself can determine how much money they wish to withdraw and when. In the event of early death, unused capital will go back to the deceased’s estate. At the same time, provisions must be made to ensure that the retirement lump-sum capital is sufficient should the pensioner be blessed with a long life. To prevent any gaps in financing, the pensioner can opt to invest the capital assets effectively. But caution is advised since the current financial markets are very challenging and it is difficult to generate an adequate return. A lump-sum payment is taxed at a reduced rate at the time of the withdrawal. Anyone interested in a lump-sum withdrawal and who wishes to know how high the tax burden will be can calculate this on the website of the cantonal tax authority. Most cantons provide a simple tax calculator for this purpose.
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Good to know:
For tax reasons, the Swiss Federal Supreme Court has ruled that if you made voluntary purchases within the last three years prior to your retirement, a lump-sum withdrawal is no longer possible (not even a partial withdrawal).
When planning a flexible retirement, a number of AHV/AVS and BVG/LPP-specific conditions need to be met, as do certain regulatory requirements. AHV/AVS rules and occupational pension plans (BVG/LPP) differ with respect to the legal timeframe for drawing a retirement pension. The AHV/AVS pension can be drawn early either 2 years or 1 year before the normal retirement age (from age 62 for women and age 63 for men). BVG/LPP regulations allow for early retirement from age 58.
By contrast, under both AHV/AVS and occupational pension plan rules a pension can be deferred for a maximum of 5 years beyond the normal retirement age up to age 70. Asga has adopted a timeframe from age 58 to age 70 in its Fund Regulation. We thus give our insureds scope to plan their retirement flexibly at the regulatory level as well.
Do not hesitate to contact us at any time if you have any questions about your retirement. Simply contact an Asga office near you.
Voluntary purchases of pension benefits
Voluntary purchases of pension benefits allow you to make up missing contribution years or offset gaps in cover caused by salary increases. You profit from attractive interest rates over the long term, higher retirement benefits and tax savings.
You can only make voluntary purchases if there are gaps in your cover. The provisional possible purchase amount is shown on your insurance certificate below the line “maximum possible purchase”.
Important             Â
- If you are planning to retire within the next few years and are considering a full or partial lump-sum withdrawal, you must bear in mind the three-year blocking period imposed following the voluntary purchase. Please contact the relevant tax authority.
- In the case of persons who have relocated from abroad and never belonged to a pension fund in Switzerland, during the first five years the annual purchase amount may not exceed 20 percent of the insured salary.
Procedure     Â
- Complete the questionnaire for calculating the maximum possible purchase amount and send it to us at hc.agsa@etrehcisrev or by post.
- We will determine your effective purchase potential and send you the corresponding calculation together with a payment slip.
- You decide whether you wish to pay in and, if so, how much of your available purchase potential you want to draw on.
- When you have made a payment, you will receive a new insurance certificate.
- At the beginning of the following year, you will be issued a tax certificate detailing the purchase.
Your purchase potential has been exhausted, but you still plan to take early retirement. Your goal is to receive a pension in the same amount as would be the case with a normal retirement. By purchasing additional benefits to finance early retirement, you can close gaps in cover that this option creates. However, making a purchase of this kind is not possible in every case. See our information sheet to find out whether you can and what you need to be aware of.
Important             Â
If you are planning to retire within the next few years and are considering a full or partial lump-sum withdrawal you must bear in mind the three-year blocking period imposed following the voluntary purchase. Please contact the relevant tax authority.
Procedure       Â
- Complete the questionnaire for calculating the maximum possible purchase and send it to us at hc.agsa@etrehcisrev or by post and inform us at the same time as of when you plan to take early retirement.
- We will determine your effective purchase potential and send you the corresponding calculation together with a payment slip.
- You decide whether you wish to pay in and, if so, how much of your available purchase potential you want to draw on.
- When you have made a payment, you will receive a new insurance certificate.
- At the beginning of the following year, you will be issued a tax certificate detailing the purchase.
Are you planning to repay your WEF advance withdrawal in full or in part? Please get in touch with us.
Promotion of home ownership
The Federal Act on Use of Pension Assets for Encouragement of Home Ownership of 1 January 1995 permits insureds to use pension fund assets to acquire residential property up to three years before reaching retirement age.
An advance withdrawal leads to a reduction in the pension benefits on retirement, disability or death. It is the insured’s responsibility to clarify whether the curtailed insurance benefits together with the reduced costs of home ownership are sufficient to be able to maintain an appropriate standard of living. Supplementary insurance can be taken out with an insurance company to offset any reduction in coverage for the risks of disability and death.
Until age 50, the amount of the available capital corresponds to the retirement savings capital as at 31.12. of the previous year plus the vested termination benefit brought in during the current year. If the insured is older than 50, they are merely entitled to the vested termination benefit that they would have received at age 50 or half of the current vested termination benefit if this amount is higher.
ImportantÂ
Assets from the pension fund can be withdrawn in advance of retirement for the following purposes:
- To construct or acquire residential property that the insured themself will live in permanently. This includes single-family homes or owner-occupied apartments, but not holiday or second homes.
- To acquire unit certificates in a cooperative residential association, or similar scheme, if the buyer themself is to live in the home that they are co-financing.
- For the repayment of mortgages on owner-occupied homes.
- Renovation or refurbishment work on owner-occupied homes
- Purchases made in the last 3 years cannot be withdrawn as a lump sum.
An advance withdrawal can be made every five years subject to a minimum amount of CHFÂ 20Â 000 and by no later than three years prior to normal retirement.
We will notify the Federal Tax Administration directly of the advance withdrawal.
Insureds are required to repay advance withdrawals to us if the home is sold or leased to a third party.
Procedure
- Submit the application form to us with all the necessary documents.
- After your application has been reviewed, in the case of a positive decision you will receive a contract and a restriction on sale notice (residential property in Switzerland) for signature. Asga will charge a fee of CHFÂ 400.
- When the withdrawal has been made, Asga will have a restriction on sale notice for your property (residential property in Switzerland) entered in the land register.
The insured person may pledge the entitlement to pension benefits or the amount corresponding to the vested termination benefits for the acquisition of residential property. The pledge does not reduce pension cover unless collateral subsequently has to be realised. Similarly, the pledge is not subject to tax, except in the case of realising a pledge.
Until age 50, the amount of the available capital corresponds to the retirement savings capital as at 31.12. of the previous year plus the vested termination benefit brought in during the current year. If the insured is older than 50, they are merely entitled to the vested termination benefit that they would have received at age 50 or half of the current vested termination benefit if this amount is higher.
Important
Assets from the pension fund can be pledged for the following purpose:
To construct or acquire residential property that the insured themself will live in permanently. This includes single-family homes or owner-occupied apartments, but not holiday or second homes.
Procedure
- Please send the following documents to us: Pledge agreement from the bank, purchase agreement or extract from the land register.
- We will charge you a fee of CHFÂ 200.
- Entry of the pledge will be confirmed by us to the financing bank.
Are you planning to repay your WEF advance withdrawal in full or in part? Please get in touch with us.
Voluntary continued insurance
If after you have reached age 58 your employer terminates your employment relationship, the option of voluntary continued insurance is now available to you. The advantages? You remain protected against the risks of death and disability, you can continue making savings contributions and increase your retirement lump-sum capital as well as profit from above-average interest.
As an insured person, you have the option of at least continuing the risk insurance (disability and death) or additionally the retirement planning (savings process). The total contributions (employee and employer contributions) will be borne by you as the insured person. The contributions break down as follows:
- risk contribution
- administrative fees
- savings contribution (continued retirement planning)
- any restructuring contributions in accordance with Art. 50, Sec. 3 of the Fund Regulation (employee contributions only)
To get a general idea of the annual costs, please consult your current insurance certificate. You will find the relevant amounts listed under the headings risk contribution, savings contribution and administrative costs.
Key points in brief:
- As of 1 January 2021, any insured who loses their job after age 58 can opt to remain insured in the pension fund with no change in pension benefits.
- Insureds have more scope when it comes to pension planning and can also draw their retirement lump-sum capital in the form of a pension on retirement.
- Voluntary continued insurance can be terminated at any time and ends no later than on reaching retirement age or starting a new job.
- Contributions must be voluntarily financed 100% by insureds.
Unpaid leave
Insurance cover is not automatically continued by the pension fund during a period of unpaid leave. As a general rule, coverage continues for one month after an exit is reported. There is, however, an option to fully or partially continue insurance protection.
Insurance coverage continues in full as previously. Both savings and risk contributions are continued unchanged.
Important    Â
- The duration of any unpaid leave must be reported to us by your employer prior to commencement.
- The contributions will be charged in full to your employer, who will settle with you how they are to be divided.
- If contributions are not paid or not in full, insurance coverage can no longer be guaranteed further.
- We recommend that you take out interim UVG/LAA insurance for the duration of the unpaid leave.
Procedure            Â
- Your employer reports to us the duration of your unpaid leave in writing.
- We will keep a record, but not send out any further documents in this regard as the insurance coverage and the contributions remain unchanged.
Savings contributions are suspended during the period of unpaid leave and only risk insurance is continued at the same level as before.
Important       Â
- The duration of any unpaid leave must be reported to us by your employer prior to commencement.
- The amounts (risk contribution and administrative costs) will be charged in full to your employer, who will settle with you how they are to be divided.
- If contributions are not paid or not in full, insurance coverage can no longer be guaranteed further.
- We recommend that you take out interim UVG/LAA insurance for the duration of the unpaid leave.
Procedure Â
- Your employer reports to us the duration of your unpaid leave in writing.
- As is the case with an exit, coverage continues for one month, i.e. during the 1st month of unpaid leave the risks of death and disability remain covered as before, though contributions by the insured person will be waived. From the 2nd month on, risk contributions, incl. administrative costs, will be charged as before (without savings contributions).
- Your employer will receive a list of benefits/contributions as well as an insurance certificate to forward to you in a sealed envelope.
Pension payment dates
On which day of the month are pensions paid out? Here is an overview of the payment dates for retirement, disability and survivors’ pensions. Payments are made in advance.
If you have any questions about your insurance certificate, payments, purchases, advance withdrawals, etc.
At your service. hc.agsa@etrehcisrev
If you have any questions about your insurance certificate, payments, purchases, advance withdrawals, etc.:
