This translation has not yet been read by a person. The German text is authoritative.
What am I entitled to? An overview for Switzerland
In Switzerland, support does not come from one pot but from many small ones — spread across the federal government, the cantons and the municipalities. Who is entitled to what therefore depends heavily on where you live. The most common reason why benefits go unclaimed is not the absence of an entitlement. It is not knowing that they exist.
Orientation, not legal or financial advice — the competent authority is what counts. This page deliberately gives no amounts and no deadlines.
Three levels that do not coordinate
For many benefits, the federal government only sets the framework: it requires that something must exist and leaves the design to the cantons. This applies to premium reduction, for example.
The cantons fill in that framework — with their own limits, their own forms, their own deadlines. Two households with identical figures can be treated differently in two cantons. That is not a flaw in the system; that is the system.
In several areas the municipalities carry out what the canton decides — in social assistance they are often the office you actually deal with.
In practice this means: there is no general answer to “am I entitled to this?”. There is only the answer for your place of residence, your situation and your year.
The topics in detail
Three areas affect most people, and with all three it is worth looking even if you believe they do not apply to you:
- Premium reductionPremium reduction (Prämienverbilligung, IPV) is a contribution towards your health insurance premium. The federal government sets the framework, the cantons decide — what that means for you.
- Social assistanceWho decides on social assistance, what it is made up of, and why the SKOS guidelines are not automatically law. An orientation without figures.
- TaxesWhy the same salary is taxed very differently depending on where you live — the three levels, the tax multiplier and what that means in practice.
Why so much goes unclaimed
An entitlement nobody knows about is not claimed. On top of that come obstacles that have nothing to do with the entitlement itself: forms in a language you first have to learn. Deadlines that are nowhere listed together. The worry of doing something wrong. And the widespread assumption that support is something for other people.
None of this changes the entitlement. But all of it means it is not claimed.
Frequently asked questions
How do I find out what I am entitled to?
The most reliable route is through the office that actually decides — that is, your own canton or your own municipality. Calculators and overviews such as those linked here give a first indication of whether an application is worthwhile. Only the ruling of the competent office is binding.
Why is it different depending on the canton?
Because for many benefits the federal government deliberately sets only the framework and the cantons fill it in. They set their own income limits, procedures and deadlines. Moving across a cantonal border can therefore change your entitlement, even if nothing else has changed.
Do I have to apply everywhere myself?
That varies by benefit and by canton. For some benefits the offices get in touch on their own; for others nothing happens without an application. When in doubt: asking costs nothing, and an application that is never made is never approved.
What does Maloja Plana cost?
Nothing. Maloja Plana is free and open source. There is no account, no advertising and no tracking; all entries stay on your own device.
Maloja Plana works this out for your situation.
A Swiss life folder — taxes, premium reduction, social assistance, minimum wage, pension provision and emergency card in one place. Everything stays on your device: no account, nothing sent to a server, no tracking. Free and open source.
The app is currently in a closed beta and needs an access code. An example can be viewed without a code — with invented data; nothing is saved.
Sources and calculators
- Cantonal assistance, overview of the Federal Housing Office (available in German only)
- Supplementary benefits, Federal Social Insurance Office (available in German only)
- Leaflet 3.01 “Old-age pensions and helplessness allowances of the AHV”
Maloja Plana has no connection with these organisations. Linking to them implies neither cooperation nor endorsement. Not all of them are authorities — SKOS, for instance, is a professional association, and its guidelines are recommendations.
This page is orientation based on public information — not legal or financial advice. It deliberately gives no amounts, deadlines or income limits: these differ from canton to canton and change regularly. What counts is always the information or the ruling of the competent authority.