Published on 22 October 2025

Family allowances for agricultural workers

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.

Types and amounts

Family allowances for agricultural workers:

  • Child allowance: This is paid from the month of the child's birth until the end of the month they turn 16. If your child is under 16 but already meets the eligibility requirements for an education allowance, this will be paid instead of the child allowance. The minimum monthly child allowance is CHF 215 per child in lowland regions, and CHF 235 per child in mountain regions.
  • Education allowance: This is paid from the beginning of the month when the child's post-compulsory education or training programme begins but no earlier than their 15th birthday. Entitlement finishes at the end of the month when the child completes their education/training programme but no later than their 25th birthday. The minimum monthly education allowance is CHF 268 per child in lowland regions and CHF 288 per child in mountain regions.
  • Household allowance: This is paid exclusively to agricultural workers and amounts to CHF 100 per month.

Certain cantons have brought in supplementary regulations for the agricultural sector and offer higher allowances.

Children giving rise to entitlement

Family allowances for agricultural workers can be claimed for:

  • Children related to the claimant;
  • Children of the claimant's spouse who live most of the time with the claimant, or who had lived with them until the age of majority;
  • Children living permanently in the claimant's household provided that the child's upkeep and education costs are covered free of charge or in exchange for a small fee;
  • The brothers, sisters and grandchildren of the claimant provided that the latter is their primary carer.

Persons entitled to claim

The following may claim family allowances for agricultural workers:

  • Self-employed farmers for whom farming is their principal occupation;
  • Self-employed farmers for whom farming is an ancillary occupation;
  • Alpine farmers;
  • Commercial fishers (principal occupation);
  • Agricultural employees.

In principle, family allowances are paid:

  • on a quarterly basis if the claimant is a farmer or commercial fisher for whom farming/fishing is their principal occupation;
  • on an annual basis if the claimant is an alpine farmer or a farmer for whom farming is an ancillary occupation;
  • on a monthly basis if the person is a farm employee. The allowances are paid through the employer.

Leaflets ‘Family allowances’ and ‘Family allowances for agricultural workers’

Order of entitlement

Only one allowance of the same type may be paid for each child (concurring claims are prohibited). If multiple individuals are simultaneously entitled to family allowances, only one allowance will be issued per child. As duplicate claims are not permitted, the following legal order of entitlement applies:

  • Principle of gainful employment: the entitlement of the person in gainful employment takes precedence;
  • Principle of parental authority: if both persons are gainfully employed, the entitlement of the person with parental authority takes precedence;
  • Principle of custody: if parental authority is shared or if none of the eligible parties has parental authority, the entitlement of the person with whom the child primarily lives takes precedence;
  • Principle of domicile: if both parents live in the same household with the child, the entitlement of the person who is gainfully employed in the child's canton of residence takes precedence;
  • Principle of income: if both parents are gainfully employed either in or outside the child's canton of residence, the entitlement of the person earning the higher income from dependent employment and on which they pay OASI contributions takes precedence. If neither parent earns income from dependent employment, the entitlement of the person earning the higher income from self-employment takes precedence.

If entitlement cannot be determined on the basis of the first criterion, the second criterion is applied, then the third, and so on.

Intercantonal differential allowance

When the child benefit of the second entitled person is governed by the Family Allowances for Agricultural Workers Act, that person is entitled to payment of the difference if the cantonal amount of child benefit within the meaning of the Family Allowances Act paid to the person with priority entitlement is lower than that payable under the Family Allowances for Agricultural Workers Act.

Similarly, when the family allowances of the first entitled person are governed by the Family Allowances for Agricultural Workers Act, the second entitled person is entitled to the difference if the cantonal amount of the family allowance within the meaning of the Family Allowances Act applicable to them is higher than that provided for by the Family Allowances for Agricultural Workers Act.

Payment to a third party

Family allowances must be used for the child's upkeep. The parent claiming the allowance must pass it on to the parent who lives with the child. If the claimant fails to do so, the child's primary carer or the child themselves, if they are over 18, can apply to have the family allowances paid directly to them. This application is called "payment to a third party".

A request must be submitted in writing to the family allowances compensation fund (CAF) which pays out the allowances in question. The applicant must present convincing documentary evidence to support their claim. They must prove that the parent claiming the allowance is not transferring the allowance to them or transferring only a share of the allowance. The CAF will thoroughly examine the particulars of the case and issue a decision. The parties to the case can appeal this decision.

Exportability of allowances

Family allowances are paid for children living in another country only if Switzerland is required to do so as part of an international social security agreement. Family allowances for agricultural workers can be exported in the following cases:

  • Citizens of an EU or EFTA member state who are employed or self-employed in the agricultural sector in Switzerland are entitled to a child allowance and an education allowance for children living in an EU or EFTA member state. Agricultural employees are also entitled to a household allowance.
  • Nationals from Bosnia-Herzegovina, North Macedonia, Montenegro, San Marino and Turkey who are employed or self-employed in the agricultural sector in Switzerland are entitled to a child allowance and education allowance for their children no matter where the children live.

For children and young people who leave Switzerland to study or train elsewhere, it is assumed that they will retain their residence in Switzerland for a maximum of five years. During this period, entitlement to family allowances remains unaffected.

Financing

Family allowances paid to farm employees are financed in part by the employer who pays contributions to the cantonal compensation office. The contribution amounts to 2% of the salaries which the employer pays their employees, in cash and in kind, and which are subject to OASI contributions.

The remaining funding and payment of family allowances to self-employed farmers are covered by the Confederation (two-thirds) and the cantons (one-third).