How do you hire a Swiss employee in 2026?
Swiss law caps the probationary period at 3 months. Either side can end the contract during probation with just 7 days notice. After probation ends, notice scales from 1 month in year one to 3 months from year ten onwards.
· Switzerland guide
Illustration · Zurich, Switzerland
The Switzerland hire process has five steps. Offer letter, work-permit check, written employment contract, AHV/social-insurance registration, first payday.
Probation is capped at 3 months by law. During probation either side can end the contract with 7 days notice.
There is no federal minimum wage in Switzerland. Each of the 26 cantons sets its own rules. The Geneva cantonal floor is CHF 24.59/hour, the highest in the country.
What does the end-to-end Switzerland hire process look like?
Five steps take you from accepted offer to first payslip. Offer letter, work-permit check, written contract, AHV registration, first payday.
The written contract has no statutory delivery deadline under federal law. Issue it before or on day one as standard practice.
| Step | What happens | Owner | Timing |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Offer letter | Written offer with role, salary, start date, and key terms including probation | Client / Teamed drafts | Same day after verbal accept |
| 2. Work-permit check | Verify Swiss or EU/EEA nationality, or check residence and work permit for non-EU nationals | Teamed | Before the employee starts |
| 3. Written employment contract | Full written contract under the Code of Obligations, including probation terms and notice schedule | Teamed (legal employer) | On or before day one |
| 4. AHV and social-insurance registration | Register the employee with AHV (old-age insurance), ALV (unemployment), and BVG (occupational pension); collect cantonal withholding tax details | Teamed | Days 1 to 7 |
| 5. First payday | First monthly payslip issued; salary paid on or before the last day of the month | Teamed | End of first pay month |
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Issue the offer letter
Send a written offer the same day as verbal acceptance. Include role, salary, start date, probation of up to 3 months, notice during probation of 7 days, and any conditions such as work-permit or reference checks.
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Complete the work-permit check
Check identity documents for Swiss and EU/EEA nationals, or verify the residence permit for non-EU nationals, before the employee starts. Record the document details and retain a copy.
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Issue the written employment contract
Issue the full written contract on or before day one. The contract must cover the probation period, notice schedule, salary, working hours of up to 45 hours per week, and leave entitlement. Teamed's standard Swiss contract meets all Code of Obligations requirements. Clients choose commercial terms; Teamed signs as the legal employer.
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Complete AHV and social-insurance registration
Register the employee with the AHV (old-age insurance), ALV (unemployment insurance), and BVG occupational pension fund. Collect withholding tax details for foreign-national employees. This runs across days one to seven.
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Issue the first payslip
Run the first payroll at the end of the first calendar month. Salary is paid on or before the last day of the month. The employee receives their payslip and is on the payroll record.
What must a Swiss offer letter include?
An offer letter is not the binding contract. It is the document the candidate decides against.
Standard inclusions: role title, reporting line, start date, gross monthly salary, probation period of up to 3 months, notice during probation of 7 days, post-probation notice schedule, working hours, location, and any conditions such as work-permit or reference checks.
Three traps to avoid in Swiss offer letters:
- Quoting net salary. Switzerland operates a withholding tax (Quellensteuer) system for foreign-national employees. Quoting a net figure creates problems when cantonal withholding rates change. Always quote gross.
- Understating the notice schedule. Swiss notice periods scale with tenure under the Code of Obligations. Stating only the year-one figure without explaining the escalation can set the wrong expectation for a senior hire who expects to stay for years.
- Conflicting probation terms. The offer letter and the written contract must state the same probation length. The maximum under law is 3 months. If the two documents differ, the contract governs. Align them before the employee starts.
Teamed's standard Swiss offer letter template covers all required ground. Clients choose commercial elements. Teamed holds the legal-employer position.
Switzerland work-permit checks (Aufenthaltsbewilligung)
Every employer must check work authorisation before the employee starts.
Swiss and EU/EEA nationals can work in Switzerland without a separate work permit. Non-EU and non-EEA nationals need a valid Swiss residence permit that includes work authorisation before they can start.
Swiss nationals and EU/EEA nationals
Swiss citizens and nationals of EU or EEA member states have the right to work in Switzerland under the Agreement on the Free Movement of Persons. The employer checks the identity document or passport and retains a copy. No separate work-permit application is required. EU/EEA nationals staying longer than three months register with the cantonal migration authority, but this is the individual's obligation, not the employer's.
Non-EU and non-EEA nationals (third-country nationals)
Third-country nationals require a Swiss residence permit with work authorisation before starting employment. The type of permit depends on the role and the applicant's situation. Common categories include the B permit (annual residence permit with work authorisation) and the L permit (short-stay permit for up to one year). The employer must apply for the permit through the cantonal labour market authority (Amt fuer Wirtschaft und Arbeit) before the employee can start. Processing times vary by canton and are often several weeks.
Switzerland operates annual quota caps on certain permit categories for non-EU/EEA nationals. Quota availability affects how quickly a permit can be granted.
Foreign nationals who wish to work in Switzerland must hold the necessary permit. EU/EEA nationals benefit from the Agreement on the Free Movement of Persons and can take up employment without a prior work permit. Third-country nationals require a permit before starting work.
Source: State Secretariat for Migration (SEM): Working in Switzerland
Follow-up checks for time-limited permits
For employees on permits with an expiry date, the employer must verify the permit remains valid throughout the employment. Teamed tracks each permit expiry and triggers a renewal reminder ahead of the deadline to avoid a compliance gap.
The Swiss written contract: what must it contain?
Swiss federal law does not set a strict deadline for issuing a written employment contract.
Best practice is to issue the contract before the start date. The contract is the binding document. The offer letter is not.
What a Swiss employment contract should include under the Code of Obligations:
- Names and addresses of both the employer and employee
- Start date of employment
- Job title or a brief description of the work
- Gross salary and any variable components (bonus, commissions, allowances), payment method, and pay intervals
- Agreed working hours per week (the law caps the maximum at 45 hours for office and industrial roles)
- Annual paid leave entitlement (the law sets a minimum of 20 days per year for employees aged 20 and over)
- Probation period, if agreed (the maximum under the Code of Obligations is 3 months)
- Notice period during probation (7 days by law) and post-probation notice schedule
- Place of work and any remote-work arrangement
- Reference to any applicable collective employment agreement (Gesamtarbeitsvertrag, GAV) if the role or sector is covered
- Details of the occupational pension (BVG/LPP second pillar) arrangement
- Continued salary during illness entitlement and any group daily allowance insurance (Krankentaggeldversicherung)
- Applicable disciplinary or grievance procedures
Switzerland does not have a Nachweisgesetz-style mandatory written-statement law with a fixed delivery deadline. However, under Code of Obligations Art. 330b, the employer must confirm the key terms in writing on request. Teamed issues the full contract before day one as standard.
Key source: Swiss Code of Obligations (OR/CO) via Fedlex.
Onboarding admin in the first week
Days 1 to 7: written contract signed, AHV and social-insurance registration completed, BVG pension enrolment, withholding tax details collected, bank details collected, and benefits setup.
Teamed handles the payroll and compliance side. The client handles the cultural and operational side.
| Onboarding task | Who does it | Day |
|---|---|---|
| Employment contract signed | Employee and Teamed | Day 0 or 1 |
| Work-permit check completed | Teamed | Day 0 (before start) |
| AHV/IV/EO registration (old-age, disability, income-replacement) | Teamed | Days 1 to 3 |
| ALV registration (unemployment insurance) | Teamed | Days 1 to 3 |
| BVG/LPP occupational pension enrolment | Teamed | Days 1 to 7 |
| Quellensteuer (withholding tax) details collected for foreign-national employees | Employee submits to Teamed | Day 1 |
| IBAN and bank details collected for salary payment | Teamed | Days 1 to 7 |
| Group daily allowance insurance (Krankentaggeld) enrolment | Teamed (admin) and Client (decision) | Days 1 to 7 |
| Equipment and system access | Client | Days 0 to 1 |
| Manager introduction and first-week plan | Client | Days 0 to 7 |
| 30-60-90 day plan documented | Client (manager) | Days 1 to 14 |
How does Teamed handle Swiss employment for you?
Teamed becomes your legal employer of record in Switzerland for from $599 per employee per month, with zero FX mark-up in any currency.
Payroll, AHV registration, BVG pension enrolment, and the full Swiss employment law stack run on one platform.
Real HR and legal experts handle your Swiss hires, from the first offer letter through every monthly payslip and cantonal withholding tax filing. An actual person, not a chatbot or a pooled queue. There is no setup fee and no exit fee. Employer cost passes through at cost, itemised on every invoice.
EOR payroll, contractor onboarding, and entity setup all live on one platform. A Swiss contractor who converts to full employment keeps their record. Run the Crossover Calculator to see the month your Swiss hire is ready to graduate to your own entity. Start from the Switzerland hiring overview; each guide takes one layer of Swiss employment law.
Key sources: Swiss Code of Obligations (Fedlex), State Secretariat for Migration (SEM), and AHV-IV.ch.
Frequently asked questions
How long does it take to hire someone in Switzerland through Teamed?
For Swiss nationals and EU/EEA nationals, Teamed can onboard an employee within a few business days. The critical path is issuing the written contract and completing social-insurance registration in the first week. For non-EU/EEA nationals, the timeline depends on the cantonal work-permit process, which often takes several weeks. Teamed starts the permit application in parallel with the offer letter to reduce delays.
What is the probation period and notice during probation in Switzerland?
The maximum probationary period in Switzerland is 3 months under the Code of Obligations. During probation, either side can end the contract with 7 days notice. The employer and employee can agree a shorter probation or no probation at all. After probation ends, the post-probation notice schedule applies.
What are the post-probation notice periods in Switzerland?
Notice periods under the Code of Obligations scale with tenure. In year one, the minimum is 1 month. From year two to year nine, the minimum is 2 months. From year ten onwards, the minimum is 3 months. Notice is served to the end of a calendar month in each case. The employer and employee can contractually agree longer notice than the statutory minimum.
Does Switzerland have a national minimum wage?
Switzerland has no federal minimum wage. Of the 26 cantons, only a handful have their own cantonal minimums. The Geneva cantonal floor is CHF 24.59/hour from January 2026, the highest in the country. If you hire outside Geneva, no cantonal minimum may apply, though sector-level collective agreements (GAV) often set their own floors. Teamed checks cantonal and sector-level requirements before setting salary.
What is the minimum annual leave entitlement for a Swiss employee?
The minimum paid annual leave under the Code of Obligations is 20 days per year for employees aged 20 and over. That is four weeks on a five-day week. Switzerland has only one nationwide federal public holiday (August 1). Total public holidays vary from canton to canton, typically ranging from 8 to 15 days in total when cantonal holidays are added. Employers should confirm the public holidays applicable in the employee's canton.
Switzerland trips up companies on two things. First, the probation period: it looks generous at three months but it is a hard ceiling, not a starting point. Second, the permit timeline for non-EU hires: cantonal quotas make a start date a moving target until the permit is actually in hand. We run both tracks from the day the offer goes out.
Switzerland gives you three months of probation and seven days to change your mind during it.
After that, notice scales by tenure. Get the contract right on day one.
The AHV and pension registrations have to happen in the first week. That is the compliance clock.
