Pillar 3a Tax Savings Calculator
See exactly how much income tax your Pillar 3a contribution saves you this year, split into federal, cantonal and communal tax, and what your 3a pot could be worth at retirement.
1Your situation
Calculated with the tax multipliers of Zürich, the cantonal capital.
CHF
Your taxable income after all deductions. You find it on your last tax assessment.
Marital status
For church members, church tax at the capital parish rate is included in the saving.
2Your 3a contribution
Pension situation
With a 2nd-pillar pension fund you may pay in up to 7,258 CHF per year.
CHF
Your legal maximum: 7,258 CHF
3Until withdrawal
%
3a interest accounts pay roughly 0.5–1 %; 3a securities solutions have historically returned 3–6 % per year.
4Marginal tax rate overrideAdvanced
Tax saved in 2026
1,877 CHF
for a deductible contribution of 7,258 CHF in the canton of Zurich
CHFWithout 3aWith 3aSaved
Direct federal tax2,0241,545479
Cantonal tax5,0074,386621
Communal tax (Zürich)6,2715,494777
Total tax saved13,30211,4251,877
Effective marginal rate on the contribution: 25.9 %
7,258 CHF of the 7,258 CHF legal maximum
Projected 3a balance in 25 years
272,560 CHF
181,450 CHF paid in plus 91,110 CHF growth at 3 % per year
294k
221k
147k
74k
0
5y10y15y20y25y
Paid in
Growth
Repeated every year, this contribution saves roughly 46,925 CHF in taxes over 25 years, assuming your income, canton and tax law stay the same.
Withdrawal tip: split your savings across several 3a accounts and close them in different tax years. Each withdrawal is taxed separately at a reduced rate, while withdrawals in the same year are added together and pushed into higher brackets.
Embed this calculator Updated: July 2026 · Tax year 2026 (ESTV)
How to
From taxable income to real savings in four steps.
1
Pick your canton
Choose your canton of residence. The calculator uses the official bracket schedules plus the cantonal capital’s multipliers.
2
Enter income and status
Type in your taxable income and set marital status and, if applicable, your church membership.
3
Set your contribution
Choose your pension situation to get the correct legal cap, then enter what you plan to pay into Pillar 3a this year.
4
Read savings and projection
See the tax saved this year, split by tax level, and how your contributions compound until withdrawal.
Concepts
The five ideas behind the number.
Pillar 3a
Switzerland’s tied private pension. Contributions are deducted from taxable income; the money is locked until shortly before retirement (with a few legal exceptions).
Marginal tax rate
The tax on your last franc of income. Because a 3a contribution removes your highest-taxed francs, the saving equals the contribution times your marginal rate.
Simple tax and multiplier
Cantons compute a “simple tax” from their bracket schedule, then canton, commune and parish each multiply it by their own factor (Steuerfuss). That is why the same income is taxed differently from village to village.
Contribution caps
Employees with a pension fund may pay in a fixed maximum per year; the self-employed without one may pay in 20 % of net earned income up to a higher cap (Art. 7 BVV 3).
Withdrawal tax
At payout, 3a capital is taxed once, separately from your other income. The federal share is one fifth of the ordinary federal rate, and the cantons apply their own reduced schedules. The tax is far below income tax but progressive, so large single payouts are taxed relatively more.
Account vs. securities
A 3a account pays interest; a 3a securities solution invests in funds. Over decades the expected extra return usually outweighs the fluctuations.
Staggered withdrawals
Because withdrawal tax is progressive per calendar year, closing several 3a accounts in different tax years keeps each payout in a lower bracket. Most cantons add up all lump-sum pension payouts of the same year, so spreading them out matters.
Pillar 3b and pension fund buy-ins
Pillar 3b is unrestricted saving: no deduction caps and no lock-in, but generally no income tax deduction either. Voluntary pension fund buy-ins are deductible like 3a, often in much larger amounts, with a three-year block on capital withdrawals after each buy-in.
Tips
Get more out of every franc you pay in.
Pay in at the start of the year
A January contribution compounds a full year longer than a December one. Over 30 years that difference alone is worth thousands of francs.
Max the cap when your income peaks
The higher your marginal rate, the more each 3a franc saves. In high-income years, filling the cap should be one of your first tax moves.
Open several 3a accounts
You cannot withdraw a 3a account partially. With 2–5 separate accounts you can close them in different years and keep each payout in a lower withdrawal-tax bracket.
Married? Use both caps
Each spouse with qualifying income has their own 3a allowance. Two full contributions double the joint deduction.
Self-employed: mind the 20 % rule
Without a pension fund your cap is 20 % of net earned income, not the flat maximum. In good years that allows far larger deductions, so plan liquidity for it.
Check your own commune
This tool uses the cantonal capital’s multiplier. If your commune differs a lot, look up your marginal rate on your tax assessment and use the advanced override.
FAQ
How much tax does a Pillar 3a contribution save?+
Your contribution is deducted from taxable income, so you save roughly the contribution times your marginal tax rate. At a CHF 100,000 income, the full 2026 contribution of CHF 7,258 typically saves between CHF 1,500 and CHF 2,500 depending on canton, commune and marital status.
What is the maximum 3a contribution for 2026?+
CHF 7,258 for employees who belong to a pension fund. Self-employed people without a pension fund may pay in 20 % of net earned income, up to CHF 36,288.
What happens if I pay in more than the maximum?+
Amounts above the cap are not tax-deductible. Foundations check the limits and refuse or refund excess payments: the caps are hard legal limits, not targets.
How is the money taxed at withdrawal?+
Capital payouts from Pillar 3a are taxed once, separately from your other income, at a reduced progressive rate that depends on canton and payout size. Staggering withdrawals over several tax years usually lowers the total bill.
Why does the calculator use the cantonal capital?+
Each of Switzerland’s 2,000+ communes sets its own multiplier. To stay exact rather than estimate, the calculator applies the official bracket schedule with the capital’s multiplier and offers a marginal-rate override for your own commune.
Are church tax and children included?+
Church tax is included if you select a denomination, using the capital parish rate. Child deductions and child tariffs are not modelled in this version, so families with children will typically save slightly different amounts.
Account or securities solution for my 3a?+
The tax saving is identical; only the growth differs. With ten or more years to go, a broadly diversified 3a securities solution has historically beaten account interest clearly, at the cost of fluctuations.
Can I withdraw Pillar 3a money early?+
Only in defined cases: buying owner-occupied property, becoming self-employed, leaving Switzerland permanently, invalidity, or buying into a pension fund. Otherwise the money stays locked until five years before AHV retirement age.
How high is the tax when I withdraw Pillar 3a capital?+
The payout is taxed once, separately from your other income. The Confederation charges one fifth of the ordinary federal rate, and each canton applies its own reduced, usually progressive schedule, so the total depends on your canton and the payout size. For typical balances it is a small fraction of what you saved at your marginal rate over the years. Note that most cantons add up all lump-sum pension payouts you and your spouse receive in the same year, including pillar 2 capital, when setting the rate.
Should I also look at pillar 3b or pension fund buy-ins?+
Yes, they are the two natural complements. Voluntary pension fund buy-ins are also fully deductible and often allow much larger amounts, but the money is tied to your fund and capital withdrawals are blocked for three years after each buy-in. Pillar 3b is free saving: no lock-in and a tax-free payout, but generally no deduction (Geneva and Fribourg allow limited amounts). A common order: fill the 3a cap first, use buy-ins in high-income years closer to retirement, and put the rest into free savings.
Partner link
Hands-off investing, Swiss-style
True Wealth runs one of the cheapest Pillar 3a solutions in Switzerland: no management fee on the 3a, your money in low-cost index funds, and you pay only the product costs. With our code you also get 50 % off the regular mandate fees for a full year.
Code: 0FD272EA
The calculator computes your income tax twice: on your taxable income, and on that income minus the deductible 3a contribution; the saving is the difference. It uses the official ESTV bracket schedules for the direct federal tax and all 26 cantons (tax year 2026) and multiplies the cantonal simple tax by the Steuerfuss of canton and cantonal capital. Between the official 100-franc table steps the tax is interpolated linearly, so small changes in income or contribution move the result smoothly. Simplifications: your commune may differ from the capital (use the marginal-rate override for exact local numbers); church tax is included only if a denomination is selected, at the capital parish rate; child deductions and child tariffs are not modelled; the same taxable income is used at federal and cantonal level. Projection: contributions compound at the chosen constant return, and the repeated-savings figure assumes unchanged income, rates and law. This is not tax advice.
Source: Swiss Federal Tax Administration (ESTV) open data, tax year 2026 · Contribution caps per Art. 7 BVV 3 · Verified against the official ESTV tax calculator