How Much Can I Pay Into the Pillar 3a?

Placing money into a pillar 3a retirement account, a pillar 3a retirement fund, or a pillar 3a insurance product is one way to save for retirement. The primary reason for using the pillar 3a is that doing so enables you to save on taxes. Considering the tax benefits, it is hardly surprising that around half of all employees and 40 percent of self-employed residents in Switzerland use the pillar 3a.

The tradeoff: Money you place in the pillar 3a is blocked. With a few exceptions for early withdrawals, you can only withdraw your money from the age of 60.

How much can I pay into the pillar 3a in 2025?

There are two different limits for the maximum amount you can pay into the pillar 3a. You can only pay into the pillar 3a in tax years during which you earned an income on which you had to pay contributions to the Old Age and Survivor's Insurance (pillar 1).

• If you have an occupational pension fund (pillar 2), you can pay 7258 francs per year into the third pillar on a tax-privileged basis (2025 limit). While this limit typically applies to employed people, for which occupational pension funds are obligatory, it can also apply to self-employed people who choose to participate in an occupational pension fund on a voluntary basis.
• If you do not have an occupational pension fund, you can place up to 20% of your income into pillar 3a retirement savings, up to a maximum of 36,288 francs per year (2025 limit). This could be the case if you are self-employed, for example.

If you are in a domestic partnership, the pillar 3a limit applies to each person individually. 

The limit for people who have an occupational pension fund is referred to as the small pillar 3a, while that for people without an occupational pension fund is called the large pillar 3a. But those terms are somewhat misleading, as the limit for people without a pension fund can be lower than the "small pillar 3a" because it is limited to 20 percent of your income.

Example: A self-employed person without an occupational pension fund has a net income of 30,000 francs. The maximum pillar 3a contribution for that person is 6000 francs per year (20 percent of 30,000 francs). An employed person with an occupational pension fund, on the other hand, can place up to 7258 francs in their pillar 3a savings (2025 limit).

How have the annual pillar 3a limits changed over time?

The federal government defines the annual limit for pillar 3a contributions every two years.

The table below provides an overview of the annual pillar 3a limits since 2001, for people with and without an occupational pension fund.

More on this topic:
Compare 3a retirement accounts now
How to use the pillar 3a to lower your tax bill
Tips for choosing a pillar 3a retirement fund
The Swiss three-pillar pension system explained
A guide to Swiss occupational pension funds