Cleaner minimum wage in Switzerland 2027: rates by canton

The answer for 1 January 2027

The household is the employer and pays its Helper at least the highest minimum wage that applies to the work, at the place where the work is done. On 1 January 2027, Geneva and Ticino change their minimums by published acts: CHF 24.73 an hour in Geneva and CHF 20.50 in Ticino. Everywhere except Geneva, the federal standard employment contract for household work (NAV) sets CHF 20.35 to CHF 24.55 an hour for a Helper working at least 5 hours a week for one household; its rates stay the same in 2027. Basel-Stadt, Jura, Neuchâtel and the City of Lucerne have not yet published a 2027 figure; their 2026 figure applies until they do, and the table below shows each one's status.

Which minimum wage applies to household work?

Three layers can set a minimum wage for household work. They do not add up: the household checks each layer that covers the work and pays at least the highest figure that applies.

The federal NAV. The federal standard employment contract for household work, the NAV Hauswirtschaft, sets binding minimum wages for private household staff who work on average at least 5 hours a week for one household, everywhere except Geneva. Work mainly consisting of childcare is outside it. The Federal Council has extended the NAV, and its rates are unchanged for 2027.

Federal NAV minimum hourly wages for household work, unchanged for 2027
Category under the federal NAV	Minimum hourly wage in 2027
No relevant training and less than four years of household work experience	CHF 20.35
At least four years of household work experience	CHF 22.30
Relevant two year vocational training, EBA	CHF 22.30
Relevant three year vocational training, EFZ	CHF 24.55

The cantonal minimum. A cantonal minimum wage covers work usually done in the canton. Basel-Stadt, Jura, Neuchâtel and Ticino each set one by their own law. Geneva has both a cantonal minimum wage and its own standard employment contract for domestic work (CTT-EDom), described below. In Basel-Stadt and Jura, household work under the NAV is exempt from the cantonal minimum.

The city minimum. A city minimum applies where the work is done. In the City of Lucerne it covers household work with no minimum of hours or earnings. The minimums of the City of Zurich and Winterthur are not in force until each city sets a start date.

Minimum hourly wages by canton and city in 2027

In a canton without a row, the federal NAV is the statutory minimum within its scope.

Minimum hourly wages for household work on 1 January 2027, gross, before holiday and public holiday pay
Canton or city	2026	From 1 January 2027	Status	Scope	Official source
Basel-Stadt	CHF 22.20	CHF 22.202026 figure, 2027 not yet published	Not yet published. Until the authority publishes the 2027 figure, the household pays the 2026 figure, then the new figure from 1 January, with the difference for the hours already paid; Jura's Government sets its own date	Household work below 5 hours a week with one household. From 5 hours, the household work falls under the federal NAV and is exempt.	Open the official source: Basel-Stadt (opens in a new tab)
Geneva	CHF 24.59	CHF 24.73	In force from 1 January 2027	Anyone who usually works in Geneva. The federal NAV does not apply in Geneva; the CTT-EDom grid was binding until the end of 2026 and no 2027 grid is published.	Open the official source: Geneva (opens in a new tab)
Jura	CHF 21.40	CHF 21.402026 figure, 2027 not yet published	Not yet published. Until the authority publishes the 2027 figure, the household pays the 2026 figure, then the new figure from 1 January, with the difference for the hours already paid; Jura's Government sets its own date	Household work is outside the cantonal minimum: work under the federal NAV is exempt, and the Jura standard contract for household work covers household work at any hours, including regular childcare. Binds only other work, such as tutoring, pet care or gardening.	Open the official source: Jura (opens in a new tab)
City of Lucerne	CHF 22.75	CHF 22.752026 figure, 2027 not yet published	Not yet published. Until the authority publishes the 2027 figure, the household pays the 2026 figure, then the new figure from 1 January, with the difference for the hours already paid; Jura's Government sets its own date	Work done within the City of Lucerne, household work included, with no minimum of hours or earnings. Not the rest of the canton.	Open the official source: City of Lucerne (opens in a new tab)
Neuchâtel	CHF 21.35	CHF 21.352026 figure, 2027 not yet published	Not yet published. Until the authority publishes the 2027 figure, the household pays the 2026 figure, then the new figure from 1 January, with the difference for the hours already paid; Jura's Government sets its own date	Work usually done in Neuchâtel, household work included.	Open the official source: Neuchâtel (opens in a new tab)
Ticino	CHF 20.00	CHF 20.50	In force from 1 January 2027	Sector 97, households as employers. If your Helper works at least 5 hours a week for you, the NAV rate applies instead of the sector 97 minimum until the end of 2028.	Open the official source: Ticino (opens in a new tab)
Winterthur	None in force	None in force	Not in force yet	Not in force until the city sets a start date.	Open the official source: Winterthur (opens in a new tab)
City of Zurich	None in force	None in force	Not in force yet	Not in force until the city sets a start date.	Open the official source: City of Zurich (opens in a new tab)

Geneva: the cantonal minimum, with no 2027 wage grid for household staff

Geneva's minimum wage rises to CHF 24.73 an hour on 1 January 2027, set by the arrêté of the Conseil d'État announced on 7 October 2026 and published on the canton's minimum wage page. It covers anyone who usually works in Geneva.

The federal NAV does not apply in Geneva. Household staff there are also covered by the CTT-EDom. Its wage grid was binding until the end of 2026, and no grid for 2027 has been published. The cantonal minimum of CHF 24.73 is therefore the legal floor for every category of household work in Geneva, and it stays so while no new arrêté sets a grid. A wage agreed above it remains the agreed wage under the contract.

Ticino: the household sector minimum, and the NAV from 5 hours a week

From 1 January 2027, Ticino's minimum for sector 97, households as employers, is CHF 20.50 an hour. It was set by the decree of 7 October 2026 on the minimum hourly wage per economic sector, published in the official bulletin 34/2026.

If your Helper works at least 5 hours a week for you, the NAV rate applies instead of the sector 97 minimum until the end of 2028: CHF 20.35, CHF 22.30 or CHF 24.55 according to experience and training. This follows from the amendment of 20 April 2026 to the cantonal minimum wage law. For shorter hours, and for work mainly consisting of childcare, the sector 97 minimum applies. A guaranteed thirteenth month can count towards it; holiday and public holiday pay cannot.

Registration with IAS, the cantonal social insurance office, and the contributions are covered in Hiring household help in Ticino in 2026: IAS, contributions and minimum wage.

Basel-Stadt, Jura, Neuchâtel and the City of Lucerne: the 2027 figure is still to come

These four have not yet published their 2027 figures; Helpore's forecast is on a separate page. Until the authority publishes the 2027 figure, the household pays the 2026 figure in the table, then the new figure from 1 January, with the difference for the hours already paid; Jura's Government sets its own date.

Basel-Stadt: the cantonal minimum covers household work below 5 hours a week with one household. From 5 hours, the work falls under the NAV and is exempt.
Jura: household work is outside the cantonal minimum. Work under the NAV is exempt, and the Jura standard contract for household work covers household work at any hours, including regular childcare. The cantonal minimum binds only other work, such as tutoring, pet care or gardening.
Neuchâtel: household work is covered. The cantonal minimum applies to work usually done in the canton, household work included.
City of Lucerne: household work done within the city is covered, with no minimum of hours or earnings. Neighbouring municipalities such as Kriens are not.

Zurich and Winterthur: no city minimum in force

Both cities have adopted a minimum wage of their own. Neither is in force until each city sets a start date, and the City of Zurich has said it will give at least six months' notice. The Canton of Zurich sets no minimum wage, so the federal NAV is the statutory minimum for household work there, within its scope.

Holiday pay on an hourly wage

A Helper paid by the hour is owed paid holidays on top of the hourly wage. With fixed weekly hours and a monthly wage, the holiday weeks are paid as they are taken, inside the monthly wage. Only when the hours are irregular and the holidays cannot be taken as paid time is holiday pay added to the wage as a percentage: 8.33% for four weeks of holiday, or 10.64% for five weeks, the minimum for employees under twenty. It then appears as its own line on each payslip and does not replace the right to take the holidays. Public holiday pay is a separate line again. The household compares the hourly wage without these supplements with the minimum. Holiday pay on an hourly wage explains the calculation.

Before the January payslip

A new minimum applies to every hour worked from 1 January 2027. In December, the household checks:

Find the minimum for the place of work, and the NAV category where the NAV applies.
Compare it with the agreed hourly wage. If the agreed wage is lower, raise it to at least the minimum and record it in the contract.
Recalculate the monthly wage.

For fixed weekly hours, the monthly wage is the hourly rate × the weekly hours × 52 ÷ 12. That monthly wage already pays the holiday weeks, which are paid as they are taken.

Worked example on the Geneva minimum from 1 January 2027, gross, before public holiday pay and social contributions
Geneva minimum from 1 January 2027, 4 hours a week	Amount
Hourly wage	CHF 24.73
Monthly wage, CHF 24.73 × 4 × 52 ÷ 12	CHF 428.65

The example is gross. Public holiday pay and the social contributions are calculated separately. For the written terms, read Employment contract for household staff.

“A new minimum wage should never be a surprise on the January payslip. If you employ a Helper, check the figure for your canton in December and agree the new rate with her before the first hour of the year.”

Gilberto de la Fuente, Helpore

Other changes on 1 January 2027

The Federal Social Insurance Office has published two figures for the occupational pension scheme (BVG) in 2027. The BVG entry threshold becomes CHF 23’040 a year: a Helper whose annual wage from one household is higher is insured in an occupational pension fund, with the exceptions the law sets. The coordination deduction, the part of the wage the mandatory pension does not insure, becomes CHF 26’880.

The limits of the simplified procedure, the settlement method households can use for contributions and tax, are derived from the same figures. By law they are the BVG entry threshold and twice the maximum annual AHV pension; the compensation offices' leaflet on the simplified procedure will confirm them in January 2027. The study on the 2027 thresholds for the AHV, the old age and survivors' insurance, and the BVG explains what the change means for one Helper's annual wage.

Helpore Admin

Already employ a Helper?

The household remains the employer and agrees the new rate with its Helper. Compare Helpore Admin Light and Helpore Admin for the administration in the household's name.

Your household remains the Helper's legal employer on both plans. Helpore Admin is optional and covers only the administration you authorize. Wages, contributions, insurance premiums and other employment costs remain separate.

The Helpore Admin fee never comes out of your Helper's wage. On the payroll bill it has its own block, and Helpore keeps nothing of the wage or the contributions.

Helpore Admin Light

Helpore records the agreed terms and prepares the payslips, the AHV registration pack and the annual documents. You file and pay yourself; Helpore charges only the Light fee.

Choose Helpore Admin Light

Helpore Admin

Helpore runs the registrations, the payroll, the accident insurance and the payments under your signed power of attorney.

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Frequently asked questions

What is the minimum hourly wage for household work in Geneva in 2027?

CHF 24.73 an hour, gross. That one figure is owed to every adult Helper working in a Geneva household from 1 January 2027, trained or not, with holiday and public holiday pay added on top.

Does the new Ticino minimum apply to every household?

Not always. If your Helper works at least 5 hours a week for you, the NAV rate applies instead of the sector 97 minimum until the end of 2028. The CHF 20.50 is the floor for shorter weekly hours and for work that is mainly childcare.

Is there a minimum wage for a few hours of household work a week?

It depends on the place. The NAV starts at 5 hours a week for one household. Below that, Geneva, Neuchâtel, Basel-Stadt, Ticino and the City of Lucerne still set a minimum. Elsewhere, no statutory hourly minimum applies to those hours, and the wage in the written contract counts.

Does the minimum wage depend on where the Helper lives?

No. It follows the place of work. A Helper who lives in Vaud or in France and works for a household in Geneva is owed the Geneva minimum.

Does holiday pay count towards the minimum wage?

No. The hourly wage alone has to reach the minimum; holiday pay comes on top of it, as paid holiday weeks or, for irregular hours, as 8.33% or 10.64%. In Ticino, from 2027, a guaranteed thirteenth month may count towards the cantonal minimum, but holiday pay may not.

Official sources

2027 minimum wages, calculated before the official announcements
CHF 23.00 in the City of Lucerne, CHF 22.50 in Basel-Stadt (in private households only below five hours a week) and CHF 21.53 in Neuchâtel. Helpore calculates the 2027 forecasts from official data.
In 2027, households can pay one Helper CHF 360 more before ordinary payroll is required
The annual simplified payroll limit rises to CHF 23’040 after a Federal Council pension decision. At CHF 20.35 an hour, the extra amount is about 20 minutes in each worked week.
Hiring household help in Ticino in 2026: IAS, contributions and minimum wage
How a Ticino household registers domestic help with IAS, checks contributions and wage rules, and separates household assistance from regulated care.
Household Cleaning Wages and Contributions by Canton in 2026
A 26-canton comparison of a regular cleaning wage with public holidays and holiday pay, plus specified employer contributions and the cantonal contributions, for four hours a week at 2026 rates. Accident insurance is separate.