Receive pension fund money

For young entrepreneurs, there may be the possibility to withdraw the balance from the pension fund when transitioning to self-employment.

Withdrawing funds from the pension fund

Those who are not mandatorily part of the occupational pension plan have the option to withdraw the balance from the 2nd pillar while founding a company. The 2nd pillar represents the pension fund in Switzerland. Owners of sole proprietorships and partners in a general partnership, who are not under the obligation of occupational provisions, may withdraw the already accumulated money from the pension fund when they become self-employed. It is also possible to withdraw from the 2nd pillar in other cases, such as financing homeownership or in the case of emigration.

It is not possible to withdraw pension fund money for the founders of a joint-stock company (AG) or a limited liability company (GmbH). For young entrepreneurs founding an AG or a GmbH, it applies that they are not considered self-employed since they have an employment contract with their own AG/GmbH as an employee.

It must be credibly demonstrated to the pension fund that independent gainful activity exists on a case-by-case basis. Various documents can be presented for this. This could be a trade register extract or confirmation from the AVS compensation office. Depending on the pension institution, up to a certain degree different provisions apply. The exact conditions for the early withdrawal of the vested benefits from the pension fund can be inquired at the respective pension institution.