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Guide for Helpers

When your wage does not arrive

The household that employs you owes you your wage on time. If it does not come, these are your steps, from a written reminder to the conciliation authority.

What can I do if my wage is not paid?

Your wage is due at month end unless another day was agreed. Remind your household in writing with a deadline; it then owes late interest of 5% a year, which can run from a fixed agreed payday. Failing that, file for debt collection or go to the conciliation authority, free of court fees up to CHF 30’000.

Step by step

  1. Check when your wage is due

    Unless your contract, a standard employment contract (NAV) or local custom sets another day, your wage is due at the end of each month.

    With each payment the household must give you a written statement of the wage. Keep your payslips together with your contract.

    Legal basis: Art. 323 para. 1 OR; Art. 323b para. 1 OR

  2. Remind the household in writing

    Ask in person first, then write: a short letter or message with the month, the amount and a deadline to pay. Keep a copy.

    Once you have reminded the household, it is in default and owes late interest of 5% a year on the unpaid amount.

    If your contract sets a fixed payday, the household can be in default as soon as that day passes, so the interest can run from the payday without a reminder.

    Legal basis: Art. 102 para. 1 OR; Art. 104 para. 1 OR; Art. 102 para. 2 OR

  3. Start debt collection

    If the deadline passes, you can file a debt collection request with the debt collection office (Betreibungsamt) where the household lives.

    You advance the office's fees, and the household bears them.

    You may take these fees first out of any payment the household makes, before your claim.

    The household can object within 10 days of receiving the payment order. You then need a court decision to go on.

    Legal basis: Art. 46 para. 1 SchKG; Art. 68 para. 1 SchKG; Art. 68 para. 2 SchKG; Art. 74 para. 1 SchKG; Art. 79 SchKG

  4. Go to the conciliation authority

    A wage claim in court starts with a conciliation hearing, before the authority where the household lives or where you usually work.

    For claims up to CHF 30’000 there are no court fees, neither for the conciliation nor for the decision, and the court follows the simplified procedure.

    At the conciliation stage, neither side pays the other's lawyer costs.

    If you lose in court, you can be ordered to pay the household's lawyer costs.

    A party who acts in bad faith or recklessly can be charged court fees, even in a claim otherwise free of them.

    Legal basis: Art. 34 para. 1 ZPO; Art. 197 ZPO; Art. 113 para. 2 let. d ZPO; Art. 114 let. c ZPO; Art. 243 para. 1 ZPO; Art. 113 para. 1 ZPO; Art. 95 para. 3 ZPO; Art. 106 para. 1 ZPO; Art. 115 para. 1 ZPO

  5. Keep an eye on the time limit

    Wage claims become time barred after 5 years, counted for each wage from the day it was due. Act early: the longer you wait, the harder it is to prove.

    Legal basis: Art. 128 no. 3 OR; Art. 130 para. 1 OR

If you work through Helpore

In the Helpore Pro app, your Helpore Flex payslips are under Earnings, and your Helpore Admin and Helpore Admin Light payslips are under Documents.

Write to Helpore support through the help page first. The household stays your employer and owes you the wage.

Open the help page

Questions Helpers ask

When must my wage be paid in Switzerland?

At the end of each month, unless your contract, a standard employment contract or local custom sets another day.

What can I do if my employer does not pay me?

Remind the household in writing and give it a deadline. If it still does not pay, file a debt collection request where it lives or go to the conciliation authority. Claims up to CHF 30’000 carry no court fees, and at the conciliation stage neither side pays the other's lawyer costs. If you lose in court, you can be ordered to pay the household's lawyer costs, and a party who acts in bad faith or recklessly can be charged court fees.

Is it a crime not to pay wages?

An unpaid wage is a claim you pursue through debt collection or the court. An employer who deducts AHV contributions from your wage and uses them for another purpose can be punished.

How do I check that my AHV contributions were paid?

Ask a compensation office for an extract of your individual account. If an entry is missing or wrong, you can ask for a correction within 30 days of receiving the extract.

What does it cost to claim my wage?

For claims up to CHF 30’000 there are no court fees, neither at the conciliation authority nor for the decision, and at the conciliation stage neither side pays the other's lawyer costs. If you lose in court, you can be ordered to pay the household's lawyer costs, and a party who acts in bad faith or recklessly can be charged court fees. The debt collection fees you advance are borne by the household, and you may take them first out of any payment it makes, before your claim.

What if my employer goes bankrupt?

Unemployment insurance can pay insolvency compensation when the household is declared bankrupt or after you have filed a seizure request for your wage. It covers at most the last 4 months of the work, each up to a monthly maximum. After a bankruptcy, claim it within 60 days of the day the bankruptcy is published in the Swiss Official Gazette of Commerce (SHAB), at the public unemployment insurance fund at the place of the bankruptcy office. After a seizure, claim it within 60 days.

Related terms

Find households that hire you

Create your Helper profile so households in Switzerland can find you. The household that hires you is your employer.

Create your Helper profileBack to the compliance guide

Official sources

The federal acts are binding in German, French and Italian; these links open the German text.