Persons in military, alternative civilian and civil protection service
Individuals who are in military, alternative civilian or civil protection service receive an allowance to compensate for the resulting loss of earnings. This allowance is capped (maximum and minimum amounts).
Eligibility criteria
You are entitled to income compensation allowances (IC) if you serve in one of the following institutions or participate in one of the following training courses:
- Swiss army
(basic military training, refresher training, officer school) - alternative civilian service
- civil protection
- Red Cross
- federal and cantonal courses for Youth & Sport leaders
- courses for youth shooter instructors
Country of residence or employment status (in work, unemployed, in training) has no bearing on entitlement.
You are entitled to compensation for each day spent in service or training.
Benefits
In addition to basic allowance, you may, under certain circumstances, be entitled to other allowances, namely a child allowance, a childcare allowance or an operating allowance.
Basic allowance
If you are in paid work, you are entitled to an allowance which covers 80% of your average income prior to entering service. The minimum allowance per day is CHF 69; the maximum is CHF 220.
If you are in basic military training or are not in paid work (e.g. you are a student), the allowance is CHF 69 per day.
Other amounts may apply to those who are in service for the purpose of promotion in that service.
If you are in salaried employment and in basic military training, your employer must continue to pay your salary.
Child allowance
If you have a child or children in your care who are younger than 18 (or under 25 if they are in education or training), you are entitled to an allowance of CHF 22 per child, per day
You will receive a reduced daily child allowance if the child allowance(s) + basic allowance exceed a certain amount .
Childcare allowance
If you are in service for at least two successive days, you are entitled to a childcare allowance provided that you live with a child who is younger than 16 and that you incur additional childcare costs as a result of your absence.
This allowance reimburses the childcare costs you incur while in service, up to CHF 75 per day. The childcare allowance is issued in addition to the basic allowance.
Operating allowance
If most of your income comes from self-employed work and you have operating expenses (for example, renting premises), you are entitled to an operating allowance.
If you are primarily employed on a family farm, you may also be entitled to this allowance.
The operating allowance is CHF 75 per day and is issued in addition to the basic allowance.
Contributions
If you live or work in Switzerland, you have to pay contributions for income compensation insurance (IC) from 1 January following your 20th birthday. If you are already in paid work, this obligation begins at the age of 17. The same applies to individuals who remain in paid work beyond the reference age. IC contributions are deducted at the same time as contributions for old-age and survivors' insurance (OASI) and invalidity insurance.
- As an employee, you pay half of these contributions. Your employer pays the other half.
- If you are self-employed, your contributions are calculated on the basis of your earnings for the contribution year.
- If you are not in paid work, you still have to pay IC contributions. These are calculated based on your assets and/or your annual pension income.
More information on IC contributions: Overview of Swiss social security contributions
Application process
An application form for the basic allowance is available at your place of service. If you wish to claim an child, childcare or operating allowance, you need to fill out a separate application form.
If you are employed, your employer submits the application to the competent OASI office.
If you are self-employed or not in paid work, you need to send your application to the OASI office where you are registered.
Contact
For a full list of OASI offices:
Contacts | OASI/DI Information Center