Domestic Help Taxes Switzerland 2026: What Can You Deduct?

When tax season comes round, many Swiss households ask the same hopeful question: can I deduct what I pay for a cleaner, a nanny or home help? The honest answer has two parts. Ordinary cleaning and household help are usually not deductible. Childcare often is — but only up to set limits, and only when the work is declared.

This guide explains the purpose, limits and supporting records behind childcare and disability-related deductions. Cash payment can be documented and declared; the payment method alone does not decide whether a cost is deductible.

Check the applicable childcare or disability-related conditions, limits and supporting records with your cantonal tax office. For someone you already employ, compare Helpore Admin Light and Helpore Admin.

The short answer

The dividing line is purpose. The tax system sees a clean home as a private benefit you pay for out of your own income. It sees childcare differently: when both parents have to work, study or are unable to care for a child, the cost of having someone else look after the child is treated as a cost of earning income — and that is deductible.

Why cleaning and household help usually aren't deductible

Federal and most cantonal tax offices class ordinary cleaning, ironing and household help as private living costs (Lebenshaltungskosten). These are not deductible, in the same way your groceries or rent are not. It does not matter whether you hire privately, through an agency or via a platform — the category is the same.

There is one important exception. If you have a disability that means you genuinely cannot run your household without help, part of the cost of household assistance can be deducted as disability-related costs. The rules are specific and require documentation, so confirm the details with your cantonal tax office.

If your main goal is a fair, predictable price for cleaning rather than a tax break, our 2026 cost guide breaks down what home help really costs once social contributions are included.

Childcare: the deduction that does exist

Childcare is the big one. For direct federal tax, you can deduct documented third-party childcare costs of up to CHF 25’800 per child per year in 2026. To qualify:

• the child is under 14 and lives in your household;
• the care is provided by a third party (a daycare, a childminder, or a nanny you employ);
• the cost is caused by your employment, training or inability to care for the child. For couples, both partners must be working, in training, or unable to provide care at the same time.

What counts as childcare costs: daycare and after-school fees, payments to childminders, and a nanny's wages for the hours she actually looks after your children while you work or study. What does not count: leisure activities, music or sports lessons, tutoring, and the travel or meals around a holiday camp.

How much your canton lets you deduct

The federal ceiling is the same everywhere, but cantonal ceilings vary a lot. A few examples for orientation:

Cantonal ceilings, age limits and documentation rules vary. Check your own cantonal tax office for the exact rules before you file.

Keep supporting records for eligible costs

Here is the part that matters most. The childcare deduction is for documented costs. When the care is provided by someone you employ — a nanny, for example — the tax office asks you to attach a copy of the salary certificate (Lohnausweis) to your tax return. Some cantons, such as Zurich, state this explicitly.

Documented eligible costs matter. You can pay wages in cash and still keep receipts, a salary certificate and the applicable employment records. Undeclared work creates separate legal risks. Read cash payment and undeclared work.

Check the applicable domestic-work contribution and insurance duties, including the age/year exceptions. The legal hiring guide covers the steps.

A simple example

Imagine you employ a nanny for your two-year-old so you can work, and you pay CHF 18’000 in declared wages over the year.

• Federal tax: the full CHF 18’000 is below the CHF 25’800 ceiling, so the whole amount can be claimed.
• Cantonal tax: capped at your canton's limit — for example CHF 18’000 in Zurich (under the CHF 25’000 cap), but limited to CHF 15’200 in Vaud.

The tax saved depends on the eligible expense, limits, marginal rate and personal situation. The example assumes all listed wages qualify as childcare costs; declaration alone does not establish that. Cash payment itself does not remove eligibility.

What you need to claim it

To claim home-help deductions cleanly, keep:

• the employment contract;
• the annual salary certificate (Lohnausweis);
• proof of AHV/AVS registration and contributions;
• receipts or invoices for childcare;
• a list of childcare costs with the recipients, attached to your tax return.

If assembling that paperwork sounds like work, it usually is — which is exactly the problem Helpore is built to solve.

How Helpore makes the deduction easy to claim

For a Helper you already employ, choose the administration that fits your household. Correct records support a tax claim, but they do not establish eligibility on their own:

• Check the employment duties. The required contributions, insurance and declarations depend on the worker and arrangement.
• Payroll and salary certificate handled. The Lohnausweis and payment records the tax office asks for are generated for you.
• Choose the plan. Light prepares monthly payslips, paperwork and calculations for you to act on; Admin handles the agreed administration with authorization.
• No Helpore fee from the Helper’s gross wage. Employee deductions remain; household fees and employer costs are separate.

If someone already helps in your home, choose Helpore Admin Light for monthly payslips, paperwork and calculations while you register and pay, or Helpore Admin for the agreed administration under your authorization. Your Helper does not need a public profile or a Helpore account. To find someone new, you can book a Helper through Flex.

• Create a free household account
• How hiring home help works with Helpore
• Estimate your costs with the Helpore calculator
• Hiring a cleaner legally in 2026: the full checklist

Are you a cleaner, nanny or au pair? Create your free Helper profile.

Frequently asked questions

Can I deduct a cleaning lady or household help from my taxes?

Generally no — ordinary cleaning and household help are treated as private living costs and are not deductible. The main exception is disability-related help. Childcare is treated differently and can be deductible.

How much childcare can I deduct in 2026?

Up to CHF 25’800 per child per year for direct federal tax, for each child under 14 in your household, when the cost is caused by work, training or incapacity. Cantonal ceilings vary — for example CHF 15’200 in Vaud and CHF 25’000 in Zurich.

Do I need declared work to claim it?

Eligible costs need supporting records and, for employed carers, the applicable salary certificate. Cash wages can be documented and declared; cash payment itself does not remove eligibility.

Is a privately employed nanny deductible?

Yes, as childcare, if the work is declared, you can show the cost, and it was needed because of your work, training or incapacity — up to the per-child ceilings.

Does it depend on my canton?

Yes. The federal ceiling applies everywhere, but each canton sets its own cantonal ceiling and details. Check your cantonal tax office.

Official sources

• Federal Tax Administration (ESTV) — deductions, rates and tariffs for direct federal tax: estv.admin.ch
• Canton of Zurich — Finance Directorate ruling on social deductions and the third-party childcare deduction (from the 2026 tax period): zh.ch
• Canton of Vaud — tax deductions overview: Vaud’s official 2026 deductions table
• AHV/AVS domestic work leaflet 2.06: ahv-iv.ch/p/2.06.e