By law, women living in Switzerland are entitled to some form of maternity leave in the first weeks after childbirth. Anyone who is employed either full- or part-time in Switzerland can benefit from some form of maternity leave, to take care of their child in their early stages of development. Fathers and the partners of new mothers are also entitled to paternity or parental leave.
All those working in Switzerland are entitled to maternity and paternity (parental) leave. Rather than having to take standard annual leave or sick leave, the time off is designed to give mothers the chance to take care of their child in the earliest developmental stages, while benefiting from an income and a right not to get fired.
Maternity leave is paid for via the social security system in Switzerland. All those who have an income must pay a percentage of their salary or earnings towards the programme.
In Switzerland, both employed people and freelancers are able to apply for maternity leave. Those receiving unemployment benefits, disability benefits, accident insurance or welfare are also able to apply for the leave.
In order to get the full benefits of maternity leave, you must fulfil the following requirements:
In Switzerland, mothers are eligible to take at least 98 days or 14 weeks of maternity leave (16 weeks in Canton Geneva) - though some companies may offer a more generous leave allowance. The exact details of your company’s leave scheme will be outlined in your work contract.
This time generally begins on the day your baby is born, not before, though the time off can be delayed in some cases.
If your newborn baby has to be kept in hospital for more than 14 days, maternity benefits can be extended by a further 56 days, so long as the mother returns to work as soon as the leave ends.
Mothers on maternity leave, and mothers who have given birth less than 16 weeks ago, cannot be fired.
If a mother chooses to return to work early for any period of time during the 14 weeks of leave, they lose their right to any further maternity leave. Mothers are also not allowed to return to the workforce for eight weeks after the birth.
At a minimum, the maternity allowance in Switzerland consists of 80 percent of your income before you give birth, up to 220 Swiss francs a day. However, some cantons and companies may offer more generous benefits.
If you have not paid into the OASI/AHV system - or social security system provided by an EU or EFTA state, or the United Kingdom - for more than nine months, the rules on maternity benefits change. If you fall into this category, you as a mother are not allowed to be fired or return to work for eight weeks following the birth and must receive consent in order to return to work between eight and 16 weeks after the birth.
During your maternity period, instead of a maternity allowance, your employer must pay you a salary (between 80 and 100 percent of previous earnings) for a set period of time (depending on your canton of residence), provided you have been working for more than three months before the birth.
In Switzerland, the father or partner of the mother is entitled to paternity or parental leave. Like maternity leave, this type of leave is available to employed, unemployed and self-employed partners. Those receiving social security benefits are also entitled to receive a daily allowance during the parental leave.
For fathers, the requirements to apply for paternity leave are as follows:
For wives or partners of the biological mother, the requirements are that:
Paternity leave in Switzerland totals 14 days or two weeks. During this time, beneficiaries are paid 80 percent of their earnings before the leave, up to a maximum of 220 francs a day - though in some cantons, this may be higher.
Parental leave is completely flexible, meaning that it can be taken as individual days or all in one go. These days can take place at any point in the six months after the child’s birth.
Employed parents are able to claim their maternity and paternity allowance directly from their employer, who will then receive the allowance in their regular payslips. Unemployed, unable and self-employed people must claim the allowance via the federal compensation office.
After the 14 weeks of maternity leave, mothers are able to automatically extend their maternity leave by two weeks. However, during this period, they will not be financially compensated.
Any further extensions to maternity leave, whether paid or unpaid, is up to the discretion of the employer. Fathers and second parents are not able to apply for unpaid parental leave.
Those who have adopted a child in Switzerland are entitled to adoption leave in certain circumstances. This applies if applicants have been insured by the OASI/AHV for nine months preceding the child’s arrival, have been employed for five months before the adoption and the adoptee is less than four years old.
Applicants are then entitled to two weeks of paid leave, under the same terms and conditions as parental leave. However, unlike the other leaves which are applied automatically if the applicant is employed, adoption leave must always be applied for via the federal compensation office.