Helvetia Guide
Moving to Switzerland, without the marketing copy.
Real numbers, real tax law, and calculators built on Swiss federal data. For people who are tired of glossy relocation brochures and want to know what their first three years here will actually cost.
Who this is for
You're considering Switzerland for real, not just curiosity.
The wealth-tax escapee
Norwegian, Spanish, French, or Dutch. Your home country's wealth or exit tax is structurally hostile to entrepreneurs. You need to know what Switzerland actually costs after rent, health insurance, and Pillar 3a — and what your home country can claw back.
The post-non-dom Brit
The April 2025 changes ended your non-dom planning. You're weighing Switzerland against Dubai and Monaco. You want IHT clarity, QROPS reality, and the cost of a B-permit in a low-tax canton — not a sales pitch.
The pre-IPO operator
US- or EU-based, equity-heavy, looking at a Swiss lump-sum tax regime or the regular cantonal system. You want the dilution math, the place-of-management risk, and what a Zug residency actually unlocks.
The already-here resident
You moved last year and the Swiss system still feels opaque. Pillar 3a, Säule 3a, Eigenmietwert, Krankenkasse — you want one place that explains how the system fits together and what to optimise first.
How this is different
Three commitments that change what we publish.
Real numbers, primary sources
Every tax rate, every Pillar 3a maximum, every health insurance figure links back to its federal source. Eidgenössische Steuerverwaltung, Bundesamt für Sozialversicherungen, FINMA. If we can't cite it, we don't publish it.
Cantonal precision, not national averages
Switzerland has 26 cantons and ~2,120 communes, and they tax very differently. A ‘Swiss income tax’ number is meaningless. Our calculators ask for your commune and run the actual rates.
Affiliate transparency
Some of our recommendations link to brokerage, insurance, and banking partners. We disclose every commercial relationship. Editorial decisions — what we recommend, what we don't — are made before commercial terms are agreed.
What we cover
Six topic pillars. One country lens.
Taxes
Federal, cantonal, communal. Wealth tax. Lump-sum regime. Withholding (Quellensteuer) versus ordinary.
Health insurance
Mandatory basic (KVG/LAMal), supplementary (VVG), how to choose a Krankenkasse, deductible strategy.
Banking
Account options for new arrivals, the neobank wave (Neon, Yuh, Yapeal, Alpian), what a B-permit unlocks.
Mortgages
The Swiss two-tranche model. SARON versus fixed. Indirect amortisation via Pillar 3a. Affordability rules.
Investing
Brokerage choices for Swiss residents, Pillar 3b, ETF tax treatment, US estate tax exposure.
Retirement
The three-pillar system. Pillar 3a strategy. Pillar 2 buy-in. Old-age provision for self-employed and AS founders.