Study
The same child, a different allowance: what a Helper’s family allowance is worth in each canton, 2026
The question
A Helper who has children and is employed by a household can claim family allowances through that household. How much does the allowance for the same child differ by the household's canton in 2026, what minimum wage must a Helper earn to receive it, and what changes when she works for several households?
Data table
Source of every amount: BSV, “Arten und Ansätze der Familienzulagen nach dem FamZG, dem FLG und den kantonalen Gesetzen 2026”, table 1, status 12 December 2025, read 20 October 2026. Helpore's payroll engine holds the same values as verified, dated rows, read on 16 October 2026.
Amounts in CHF a month per child, for the first and second child. “Two children under 12” is the child allowance for two children under 12, our calculation. Birth allowance is paid once per child; “none” means the canton pays none.
| Canton | Child allowance | Education allowance | Two children under 12 | Birth allowance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ZH | 215 (268 above age 12) | 268 | 430 | none |
| BE | 250 | 310 | 500 | none |
| LU | 215 (260 above age 12) | 268 | 430 | 1’075 |
| UR | 240 | 290 | 480 | 1’200 |
| SZ | 230 | 280 | 460 | 1’000 |
| OW | 220 | 270 | 440 | none |
| NW | 258 | 311 | 516 | none |
| GL | 215 | 268 | 430 | none |
| ZG | 330 | 330 (385 above age 18) | 660 | none |
| FR | 265 | 325 | 530 | 1’500 |
| SO | 215 | 268 | 430 | none |
| BS | 275 | 325 | 550 | none |
| BL | 215 | 268 | 430 | none |
| SH | 230 | 290 | 460 | none |
| AR | 230 | 280 | 460 | none |
| AI | 245 | 298 | 490 | none |
| SG | 245 | 298 | 490 | none |
| GR | 240 | 290 | 480 | none |
| AG | 225 | 278 | 450 | none |
| TG | 215 | 280 | 430 | none |
| TI | 215 | 268 | 430 | none |
| VD | 322 | 425 | 644 | 1’617 |
| VS | 327 | 477 | 654 | 2’142 |
| NE | 240 | 320 | 480 | 1’200 |
| GE | 311 | 415 | 622 | 2’073 |
| JU | 275 | 325 | 550 | 1’500 |
Federal minimum (FamZG): child allowance CHF 215, education allowance CHF 268. Higher amounts from the third child in Fribourg, Vaud, Valais, Neuchâtel and Geneva, and the per child amounts for multiple births in Vaud and Valais, are in the notes of the federal table and are left out of this table.
Further sources
- Income floor: CHF 630 a month or CHF 7’560 a year, wages from several employers added. Legal basis: FamZG Art. 13 para. 3. AHV/IV leaflet 6.08, Family allowances, status 1 January 2025, no. 14
- Several employers: incomes added (FamZV Art. 10b); the fund of the employer that pays the highest wage is responsible (FamZV Art. 11 para. 1). FamZV, version 1 January 2025
- Canton that applies: the employer's seat or, without one, its canton of residence (FamZG Art. 12 para. 2). One allowance per child (FamZG Art. 6), priority order between parents (FamZG Art. 7). FamZG, version 1 January 2026
- Allowance during maternity leave: up to 16 weeks without a wage. FamZV Art. 10
- Hourly minimum used for the hours illustration: CHF 20.35, category unskilled, federal NAV Hauswirtschaft. SECO, Information on the NAV Hauswirtschaft, status 1 January 2026
Method
- We took the monthly child allowance, education allowance and birth allowance of each canton from BSV table 1 for 2026, the first rate where a canton pays more from the third child or above an age.
- “Two children under 12” doubles the child allowance for the first two children.
- Yearly differences multiply the monthly difference by 12.
- The hours illustration divides the 2026 income floor by the federal NAV minimum for an unskilled Helper: 630 ÷ 20.35 = 30.96 hours a month; 7’560 ÷ 52 ÷ 20.35 = 7.14 hours a week. It uses the hourly minimum alone and leaves out holiday pay and other supplements. The federal NAV minimum does not apply in Geneva, which has its own standard contract.
- The comparison of allowance and wage at the floor sets the two children amount against CHF 630.
- Limits: an allowance is paid once per child, to the person first in line under FamZG Art. 7; if the other parent is employed, the Helper may not be the one who receives it. Below the floor, a Helper may claim as a person without gainful work if those conditions are met (leaflet 6.08, no. 14). Amounts and the income floor of later years are not in this study.
Data and files
Three findings
The same child is worth up to CHF 1’380 more a year depending on the canton.
A child under 12 brings CHF 215 a month in 7 cantons (Zurich, Lucerne, Glarus, Solothurn, Basel-Landschaft, Thurgau and Ticino) and CHF 330 in Zug. For two children, the range is CHF 430 to CHF 660 a month, a difference of CHF 2’760 a year. The household's canton decides, not the Helper's.
Every declared hour counts toward the CHF 630 floor, across all households.
A Helper needs a wage of at least CHF 630 a month, or CHF 7’560 a year, to receive the allowance through her work. Wages from all her households are added, and the fund of the household that pays the highest wage handles the claim. At the federal minimum of CHF 20.35 an hour, the floor equals about 31 hours a month, or about 7 hours a week. In Zug, Valais and Vaud, the allowances for two children (CHF 660, CHF 654 and CHF 644) are higher than the wage that opens the right to them.
9 cantons add a birth allowance, 17 do not.
Lucerne, Uri, Schwyz, Fribourg, Vaud, Valais, Neuchâtel, Geneva and Jura pay a one off amount per child, from CHF 1’000 in Schwyz to CHF 2’142 in Valais. In every canton, the allowance continues for up to 16 weeks of maternity leave even without a wage.
Is your Helper pregnant? Read what the household owes during the pregnancy and the maternity leave.
“The same child receives a different allowance depending on the canton of the household that employs the Helper. Every declared hour counts, because her wages from all her households are added together.”