Do the Swiss really get a 13th salary?

The real rule

Why the Swiss laugh, and what it means if you're new here.

Many Swiss salaries are paid in 13 instalments, the extra one usually in December, which is why colleagues seem to get paid twice. It is not a law: it depends on your contract or a collective agreement, though about three in four employees get one. As a newcomer, check whether your annual salary is split into 12 or 13 payments before you compare offers.

Is 100k, 120k or 150k CHF enough?

The rule, explained

The federal SME portal kmu.admin.ch is clear: the 13th monthly salary is not required by law, so it exists only where an employment contract includes it. The Code of Obligations (Art. 322d) gives a claim to a bonus only if it was agreed. In practice it is common. Blick, reporting on the BFS wage structure survey 2024, says 75.9 percent of employees receive a 13th salary. When you compare a Swiss job offer, check whether the annual salary is paid in 12 or 13 instalments, and read the line before December.

Sources: kmu.admin.ch, Zweck des Arbeitsvertrags; Code of Obligations Art. 322d; Blick, 25 November 2025, on BFS 2024

Questions people ask

Is the 13th salary mandatory in Switzerland?

No. It is owed only if your contract or a collective agreement provides it (kmu.admin.ch).

How many Swiss employees get a 13th salary?

About three in four: 75.9 percent, according to the BFS 2024 survey reported by Blick.

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