You are the employer. At Helpore, the person you employ is called a Helper. If your household is in Geneva, Vaud, Fribourg, Neuchâtel, Valais or Jura, three things come first:
- Register your Helper with the compensation office of the canton where your household is, not where your Helper lives.
- Agree an hourly wage at or above your canton's minimum.
- Arrange accident insurance from your Helper's first day.
Contributions are owed on household wages from the first franc, except for the age exceptions below. Our guide How to register household help takes you through the steps.
The compensation office in your canton
Choose your canton below to see its office, its rates and its minimum wage.
GE · VD · FR · NE · VS · JU
Choose your canton
See the correct office, published social contribution rates and the minimum wage rule for the canton where your household is located.
The other cantons are shown for geographical context only.
Map geometry: swissBOUNDARIES3D. The six cantons covered by this guide are selectable. swisstopo
Selected canton
Geneva
- Compensation office
- OCAS, Caisse cantonale genevoise de compensation
- Employer social contributions
- 8.801%
- Employee social deductions
- 6.429%
- Hourly minimum, unqualified work
- CHF 24.59Geneva CTT-EDom for work within its scope, with no 5 hour threshold. Holiday and public holiday supplements are separate.
- Simplified Plus procedure
- Documented by the cantonal office
Geneva has its own CTT-EDom. Sickness pay insurance can only be waived by a written agreement with the employee, and limited continued pay then remains due.
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| Canton | Competent office | Plus procedure | What to check |
|---|---|---|---|
| Geneva | OCAS, Caisse cantonale genevoise de compensation | Documented by the cantonal office | Geneva has its own CTT-EDom. Sickness pay insurance can only be waived by a written agreement with the employee, and limited continued pay then remains due. |
| Vaud | Caisse cantonale vaudoise de compensation AVS | Documented by the cantonal office | The cantonal office charges PC Famille at 0.09% to both the employer and employee. |
| Fribourg | Caisse de compensation du canton de Fribourg | Documented by the cantonal office | Household employers use form AF06. A procedure change must be notified before the new calendar year begins. |
| Neuchâtel | Caisse cantonale neuchâteloise de compensation (CCNC) | Check directly with the office | The Plus option is not confirmed on the checked CCNC page. Ask the office before assuming accident premiums can be included. Higher federal categories still apply where the NAV requires them. |
| Valais | Caisse de compensation du canton du Valais | Documented by the cantonal office | The cantonal office lists an employee CIVAF contribution of 0.131% in 2026. |
| Jura | Caisse de compensation du canton du Jura | Documented by the cantonal office | Federal NAV wage rates apply at any number of hours through Jura's household contract; Jura's general minimum gives way to them. |
On the first day, write down your Helper's AHV number, name and date of birth.
Age exceptions in 2026:
- Born in 2009 or later: no contributions.
- Born from 2001 to 2008: the first CHF 750 a year per household is free of contributions, unless your Helper asks to pay them.
- After reference age: no unemployment contribution, and the first CHF 1’400 a month per employer is free of AHV, unless your Helper waives it. Early retirement does not count.
Not registering can lead to penalties.
The minimum wage in each canton
- Geneva: the federal NAV does not apply. Geneva's CTT-EDom sets binding 2026 minimum wages of CHF 24.59 (no qualification or under 4 years' experience), CHF 24.85 (EBA/AFP or 4 years' experience), CHF 25.11 (other EFZ/CFC) and CHF 26.78 (EFZ/CFC in horticulture) an hour. They apply at any number of hours, also for occasional work. The CTT-EDom does not cover, among others, your spouse or registered partner, relatives in direct line, au pairs, young people in training who babysit occasionally, and day mothers or lunchtime care for children outside the family.
- Neuchâtel: the cantonal minimum wage is CHF 21.35 an hour in 2026, with holiday and public holiday pay on top. If the federal NAV applies and your Helper has training or 4 years' experience, its higher rate applies (CHF 22.30 or CHF 24.55). The CHF 2’500 exception for minor earnings does not take household work out of the minimum wage, because AHV is due on household wages in every case.
- Vaud, Fribourg and Valais: the federal NAV applies from an average of 5 hours a week with the same employer. The rates are CHF 20.35 for unqualified household work, CHF 22.30 with at least 4 years of domestic work experience or relevant EBA/AFP training, and CHF 24.55 with relevant EFZ/CFC training. Holiday and public holiday pay come on top. Work that consists mainly of childcare is outside this federal wage NAV.
- Jura: the federal NAV wage rates apply to domestic work at any number of hours, through Jura's own standard contract for household staff, from CHF 20.35 for unqualified household work. Jura's general minimum of CHF 21.40 gives way to them, because under Jura law the wages of a standard employment contract take precedence (RSJU 822.41, art. 3 para. 4).
“In Geneva, two hours of cleaning a week already make a household an employer: the wage is at least CHF 24.59 an hour, and the household registers its Helper with OCAS.”
Gilberto de la Fuente, Director at Helpore
What applies without a written contract, for example in Geneva and Vaud, is covered in our post on the employment contract for a cleaner.
Accident insurance from the first day
Arrange occupational accident cover from your Helper's first day. Non-occupational cover is required from an average of 8 hours a week with the same employer; for irregular work, the insurer looks at the average. Hours at separate households are not simply added to reach this threshold. In Geneva, Vaud, Fribourg, Valais and Jura, the office's Plus option can also collect the accident premium. In Neuchâtel, ask the cantonal compensation office (CCNC) first. Details: cleaner accident insurance.
Helpore Admin
Already employ a Helper?
The household remains the employer. Compare Helpore Admin Light and Helpore Admin for 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 LightHelpore Admin
Helpore runs the registrations, the payroll, the accident insurance and the payments under your signed power of attorney.
Choose Helpore AdminContributions in 2026
You pay 5.3% for AHV/IV/EO (old age, disability and income loss insurance) and 1.1% for unemployment insurance; the same is deducted from your Helper's pay. Family allowance contributions and cantonal funds come on top and are paid by you. The figures below are the rates published by the six cantonal compensation offices. Another family allowance fund may charge a different rate.
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| Canton | Family allowance contribution, employer | Other cantonal contributions | Employer social total | Employee social total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Geneva | 2.22% | Maternity insurance 0.029%; Early childhood fund 0.07%; Vocational training fund 0.082% | 8.801% | 6.429% |
| Vaud | 2.62% | PC Famille 0.09% | 9.11% | 6.49% |
| Fribourg | 2.27% | Vocational training fund 0.04%; Day care fund 0.04% | 8.75% | 6.40% |
| Neuchâtel | 1.80% | Vocational training fund 0.507%; Childcare fund 0.18% | 8.887% | 6.40% |
| Valais | 2.78% | None in this comparison | 9.18% | 6.531% |
| Jura | 2.75% | None in this comparison | 9.15% | 6.40% |
The totals leave out the office's administration charge, accident insurance, sickness pay insurance, occupational pension and tax. Geneva's employer total includes the 0.082% vocational training contribution.
Example: CHF 520 gross pay a month
4 hours a week × CHF 30 × 52 weeks ÷ 12 months = CHF 520. The example leaves out holiday pay; in a real month, holiday pay, public holiday pay and benefits in kind count too. It assumes a Helper above the youth exemption and below reference age.
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| Canton | Employer social contributions | Employee social deductions | Simplified procedure tax | Social deductions plus simplified tax |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Geneva | CHF 45.75 | CHF 33.40 | CHF 26.00 | CHF 59.40 |
| Vaud | CHF 47.30 | CHF 33.70 | CHF 26.00 | CHF 59.70 |
| Fribourg | CHF 45.45 | CHF 33.25 | CHF 26.00 | CHF 59.25 |
| Neuchâtel | CHF 46.20 | CHF 33.25 | CHF 26.00 | CHF 59.25 |
| Valais | CHF 47.70 | CHF 33.95 | CHF 26.00 | CHF 59.95 |
| Jura | CHF 47.55 | CHF 33.25 | CHF 26.00 | CHF 59.25 |
These are social contributions only. Under the simplified procedure you also deduct 5% tax: CHF 26 on CHF 520. Under ordinary settlement, source tax depends on your Helper's tax position. Each contribution here is calculated on its own and rounded to 5 rappen.
For the full cost of a declared job, holiday pay included, in all 26 cantons, see our comparison What legal home help costs per canton (2026).
The simplified procedure
Under the simplified procedure, you report all your wages to the compensation office once a year, before 30 January of the following year, and the office sends one bill, payable within 30 days, for the social contributions and the 5% source tax deducted from your Helper's pay. With the Plus option, the accident insurance premium is on the same bill. If you are not yet with a compensation office, send form 318.147 within 30 days of the start of employment: it registers you with the office and applies for the simplified procedure in one step. A change from the ordinary procedure takes effect only at the start of a calendar year and must be notified before the previous year ends. In 2026, the simplified procedure is limited to CHF 22’680 of pay per Helper and CHF 60’480 of total annual payroll. All wages subject to AHV are included and settled under it. The CHF 1’400 a month that is free of AHV after reference age still counts towards these limits.
If your Helper lives in France and works across the border in Vaud, Neuchâtel, Valais or Jura, the simplified procedure is not available under the tax agreement; use ordinary settlement. A Geneva household may use it for a Helper living in France, with the 5% withheld as for any Helper. Other exclusions concern Helpers resident in Liechtenstein, companies and cooperatives, and the employer's spouse or children employed in the business. The compensation office checks eligibility. The 5% tax splits into 0.5% federal and 4.5% cantonal and communal. See simplified payroll and source tax.
Frequently asked questions
I live in Lausanne and my cleaner lives in Geneva. Where do I register?
In Vaud, with the Caisse cantonale vaudoise de compensation AVS (AHV/AVS leaflet 2.06).
Do I pay family allowance contributions if my Helper has no children?
Yes. Family allowance contributions are owed on the wage, whether or not your Helper has children. You pay them as the employer. In Valais, your Helper also pays the CIVAF contribution of 0.131% in 2026.
Can I register my Helper with a trade association compensation office instead of the cantonal one?
Yes, if you already belong to a trade association compensation office for employees outside household work. Otherwise you register with the cantonal office.
How much is deducted from my Helper's pay?
From your Helper's pay, before reference age: 6.40% in Fribourg, Neuchâtel and Jura; 6.49% in Vaud (PC Famille 0.09%); 6.531% in Valais (CIVAF 0.131%); 6.429% in Geneva (maternity insurance 0.029%). The simplified procedure adds 5% of gross pay for tax. Under ordinary settlement, source tax depends on your Helper's tax position.
Official sources
- AHV/IV information centre, leaflet 2.06 on household employment, valid from 1 January 2026
- AHV/IV information centre, leaflet 2.07 on the simplified procedure, valid from 1 January 2026 (French)
- OCAS Geneva, detailed 2026 contribution rates
- OCAS Geneva, household employers
- Canton of Geneva, conditions for employing household staff
- Geneva CTT-EDom, rsGE J 1 50.03, art. 10
- Vaud compensation office, household staff
- Fribourg compensation office, household staff
- Neuchâtel compensation office, household staff
- Canton of Neuchâtel, minimum wage memo 2026
- Valais compensation office, household staff
- Canton of Valais, 2026 family allowance fund decision
- Jura compensation office, household staff
- Canton of Jura, minimum wage overview
- Jura minimum wage law, art. 3
- SECO, federal NAV for household work 2026
- Suva, 8 hour threshold for irregular work
Further reading
- How to register household help
- Hiring a cleaner in Switzerland legally (2026)
- Employment contract for a cleaner (2026)
- What legal home help costs per canton (2026)
- Holiday pay on an hourly wage
- Canton guides: Geneva · Vaud
- Glossary: compensation office · family allowances · simplified procedure · CTT-EDom
This post provides general information, not legal or tax advice. The current AHV/AVS leaflets, laws and information from your compensation office are authoritative. Facts checked 10 October 2026.