How Much You Actually Take Home as a Cleaner or Nanny in Switzerland

If you clean, care for children or help older people at home, one question matters more than any other: what actually lands in my pocket at the end of the month. Job ads love to quote an hourly rate, but the honest answer depends on what that rate means and what comes off it.

This 2026 guide gives you a straight answer. On Helpore you set your own gross (brutto) hourly rate, you keep your wage, and every hour is declared and legal with AHV. Below we walk through what gets deducted to reach your net take-home, what can add to it or reduce it, and we give you a quick estimator so you can see your own numbers.

If you are ready, you can create your free Helper profile in a few minutes.

You set your own gross rate

The starting point is simple: you decide your number. On Helpore helpers set their own gross hourly rate, and in practice that runs from CHF 26 an hour at the entry end up past CHF 50 for experienced, specialised or in demand helpers. Your rate is yours to set, and Helpore never sets it for you.

That gross rate is the wage you are paid for your hours. It is not an all in agency price with a margin baked in, and it is not a cash figure with nothing behind it. It is a real, declared wage with AHV/AVS, accident cover and a proper contract. If you are weighing up where to pitch your number, our guide on how much to charge as a cleaner or nanny walks through it in detail.

What gets deducted to reach your net

Every declared employee in Switzerland pays a share of social contributions, and domestic work is no different. Under the simplified procedure used for household employment, the contributions are split between you and the household. The part that comes out of your gross wage is the employee share:

• AHV/IV/EO: 5.3 per cent. This is old age, disability and loss of earnings insurance. It builds your Swiss pension and counts your years of contributions.
• ALV: 1.1 per cent. This is unemployment insurance.

Together that is about 6.4 per cent of your gross pay. The household pays a matching share on top of your wage, so that half never comes out of your pocket. On a gross rate of CHF 30 an hour, roughly CHF 1.92 goes to the employee contributions and about CHF 28 an hour is your net, before any withholding tax.

Two more things sit outside that 6.4 per cent:

• Accident insurance is mandatory for domestic staff and costs around CHF 100 a year. A small non occupational accident premium may be shown on your payslip.
• Withholding tax (Quellensteuer) may apply depending on your permit, and we cover it below.

Estimate your take-home pay

Numbers are clearer than words, so set your own rate and hours below and see your estimated monthly gross and net. Treat it as a guide, not a payslip.

What can add to your pay: holiday pay

For hourly domestic work, your holiday entitlement is usually paid as a percentage on top of your hourly wage rather than as separate paid weeks off. The common rates are 8.33 per cent for four weeks of holiday and 10.64 per cent for five weeks. Where this applies, it is added to your gross pay, so it lifts your total earnings rather than reducing them. The exact treatment is written into your contract, so it is always worth checking.

What can reduce it: withholding tax

If you do not hold a C permit or Swiss citizenship, your income tax may be collected as withholding tax, called Quellensteuer in German or impôt à la source in French. Where it applies, it is deducted from your pay in addition to the social contributions above. The rate is not fixed: it depends on your canton, your total income and your family situation. Swiss citizens and C permit holders are usually taxed through the ordinary tax return instead, so nothing extra comes off at source.

Because it varies so much, the estimator above does not include withholding tax. If it applies to you, treat your net figure as a little lower than the estimate shows.

Why declared work is worth it

It can be tempting to take cash and skip the paperwork, but declared work pays you back in ways cash never does:

• It builds your pension. Every declared hour counts toward your AHV/AVS, so the contribution that comes off your wage is not lost, it is saved for you.
• You are covered. Accident insurance protects you if you are hurt on the job.
• You have proof of income. A documented, declared income record helps with rental applications, credit and residence permits.
• It is legal and safe. You are not exposed if a tax or insurance question ever comes up.

We compare the two routes honestly in cash in hand versus compliant work. For most helpers, a slightly smaller number that is real and protected beats a slightly bigger number that is not.

How you get paid on Helpore

Here is the part that makes Helpore different for helpers. You are not applying to individual adverts or bidding against other people for scraps of work. Instead:

1. You set your gross rate. From CHF 26 an hour to well above CHF 50, your number.
2. You choose your services and area. Cleaning, childcare, elderly help, ironing, whatever you offer, and the areas you are willing to travel to.
3. You set your real availability. The days and hours you actually want to work.
4. You get booked automatically. When a nearby household matches your services, area and availability, the booking comes to you. You do not have to hunt for or pick individual jobs.
5. Everything is declared. The contract, AHV/AVS registration, accident insurance and payroll are handled for you, from the first hour, anywhere in Switzerland.

You keep your wage, you work declared, and the admin is taken care of. If you want to see how helpers find steady work, our guide on how to find cleaning, nanny and home help work goes deeper, and you can browse the kinds of household jobs available on Helpore.

Join as a Founding Helper

The helper side of Helpore is live across Switzerland, and the first helpers to join get founding status and early access. You can read the full story in Helpore is now open for helpers.

Setting your rate, keeping your wage and working fully declared is not a trade off, it is the whole point. If that sounds like the way you want to work:

• Create your free Helper profile
• See how much to charge as a cleaner or nanny
• Read how Helpore opened for helpers

Frequently asked questions

How much do cleaners and nannies actually take home in Switzerland in 2026?

You set your own gross rate on Helpore, typically from CHF 26 to well above CHF 50 per hour. About 6.4 per cent comes off for the employee social contributions (AHV/IV/EO 5.3 per cent plus ALV 1.1 per cent), so a CHF 30 gross rate nets roughly CHF 28 an hour before any withholding tax. Holiday pay may be added on top where applicable.

What is deducted from my gross wage?

The employee share of the social contributions: AHV/IV/EO at 5.3 per cent and ALV at 1.1 per cent, about 6.4 per cent in total. Accident insurance of around CHF 100 a year and, for some permit types, withholding tax are separate. The household pays a matching contribution share on top of your wage.

Do I keep my whole rate on Helpore?

You keep your wage. You set your gross rate and that is what you are paid. Only the standard employee social contributions that every declared worker pays, about 6.4 per cent, and any withholding tax for your permit come off. Helpore does not take a cut of your wage.

What is holiday pay and is it on top?

For hourly domestic work, holiday is usually paid as a percentage on top of your wage, commonly 8.33 per cent for four weeks or 10.64 per cent for five weeks. Where it applies it is added to your gross pay, so it raises your total earnings.

What is Quellensteuer and will it reduce my take-home?

Withholding tax (Quellensteuer) is income tax deducted at source for certain permit holders, mostly people without a C permit. Where it applies it comes off in addition to social contributions, and the rate depends on your canton, income and family situation. Swiss citizens and C permit holders are usually taxed through the normal tax return instead.

Official sources

• AHV/AVS domestic work leaflet 2.06 (2026): ahv-iv.ch/p/2.06.e
• Federal standard employment contracts (NAV) overview: seco.admin.ch