Family Allowances - Overview

Anyone who would like to claim family allowances or has questions about their specific situation must contact the competent body: For salaried employees, the competent body is their employer or the family allowances compensation fund (CAF) where their employer is registered. For the self-employed, the competent body is the CAF where they are registered. For individuals who have both self-employed and employee status, the competent body is their employer or the CAF where the employer is registered. For individuals who are not in paid work, the competent body is usually the cantonal CAF in their canton of residence.

Special rules apply to the payment of family allowances for children living abroad.

Individuals who work in the agricultural sector and wish to claim the family allowances to which they are entitled or have questions about their specific situation must contact or apply to the cantonal compensation office.

Various actors are involved in the family allowances scheme.

The family allowances register (RAFam) is the main information platform for family allowances paid in accordance with Swiss law for children residing in Switzerland or abroad.

The cantons establish the rules governing the financing of family allowances.

The Family Allowances Act is in force since 1st January 2009. Introduced for the purpose of standardisation, the law nevertheless leaves the cantons a certain degree of discretion with regard to the amounts of the allowances, their organisation and financing.

The database of court judgements on family allowances contains court rulings on matters relating to the Family Allowances Act (FAA) and the Federal Act on Family Allowances for Agricultural Workers (AFAA). It contains a selection of judgements on important family allowance-related issues handed down since 2009.