Employing a nanny in Switzerland: contract, registration and insurance

Four workstreams before the first day

Separate the employment decision, registration and daily working arrangements. Completing one area does not provide the evidence needed in another.

• Responsibility: Who is the employer, and who performs each administrative task?
• Working agreement: Which duties, hours, pay components and arrangements need to be written down?
• Registration and cover: Which confirmations does your case need from the compensation office, authorities and insurer?
• Ongoing operation: How will payroll, absences, handovers and later changes be handled?

First establish who employs the nanny

With direct employment, your family is the employer. A placement agency can help find a candidate without taking that role. In staff leasing, the provider employs the caregiver. SECO explains this distinction; make sure your documents clearly identify the actual arrangement.

Even with an administration service, you need a specific mandate. Rather than asking for comprehensive support, ask who submits forms, checks information, releases payments and answers follow-up questions. Keep access and records in a form that lets your family continue smoothly if you change providers.

• Compare placement, platforms and staff leasing

Sources for this section: SECO

Nanny contract in Switzerland: describe the actual working week

Start with an ordinary Tuesday: when does the nanny arrive, when does responsibility end, what travel is involved and when does handover happen? Separate childcare, child-related housework and any additional duties. A phrase such as everything the family needs leaves too much unresolved.

Record gross pay, agreed hours, payment date, expenses and the treatment of additional hours. Discuss holidays, sickness, short-notice schedule changes, probation and termination, and have the applicable rules checked. Do not copy a broad clause from another country and assume it works here.

SECO changed the domestic-work standard contract’s minimum wages from 1 January 2026. Check whether and how the relevant provisions apply to your role before agreeing pay. A statutory minimum is not a market-pay estimate for an experienced nanny.

• Identify the parties, workplace, start date and intended duration clearly.
• Describe the normal week, handover, travel and procedure for changing hours.
• List duties and boundaries explicitly, including driving or additional housework.
• Separate pay components and expenses; avoid an unexplained promise of net pay.
• Review absences, holidays, termination and the process for changing the agreement with suitable professional support.

• Plan gross pay and the full employer budget

Sources for this section: SECO

Resolve work eligibility before the agreed start

SEM guidance distinguishes situations including nationality and residence arrangements. Check the specific case with the responsible authority. An existing residence document or overseas work experience does not answer every question about the proposed employment.

Set a date for resolving outstanding information. Request only necessary documents, explain their purpose and restrict access. Avoid forwarding sensitive records to several search providers without thinking through the need. For other people involved in planning, a dated confirmation that the point is resolved may be enough.

Sources for this section: Staatssekretariat für Migration SEM

Registering your nanny: AHV and the payroll procedure

AHV leaflet 2.06 covers domestic work, including childcare. Social insurance contributions generally matter even for small wages, with specific exceptions. Do not assume a general low-pay exemption applies to your arrangement.

For Zurich households, SVA Zürich explains employer registration and the choice between standard and simplified accounting. The simplified procedure has eligibility conditions. Ask whether your actual pay and employment arrangement qualify, rather than deciding solely from the number of working days.

Prepare the core information once: employer identity, start date, agreed pay, working hours and necessary personal details. Record what was submitted and when a reply is expected. Sending a registration form does not by itself settle every insurance or tax question.

Sources for this section: AHV/IV · SVA Zürich

Nanny insurance: confirm the cover and its start date

Compulsory accident insurance covers occupational accidents and diseases. At least eight weekly hours with the same employer also triggers non-occupational accident cover. The particular employment relationship matters; Suva explains the distinction.

Ask the insurer to confirm the start date, insured activity and treatment of changing hours. Also clarify whether occupational pension provision needs checking and how salary continuation relates to any sickness daily-benefit arrangement. Accident insurance, health insurance and sickness daily benefits are different things.

Try a practical test of your records: if you were unavailable, could the other responsible adult report an accident and find the policy number? If not, add the contact, reporting route and storage location. Diagnoses and private health details should not sit in a family calendar that several people can access.

Sources for this section: Suva

Prepare the first payroll before the month ends

Clarify with the Zurich tax office whether withholding tax applies to your case. The canton’s guidance explains the employer’s role. Separately confirm the tax treatment of any simplified accounting procedure with the compensation office.

Build a routine with four dates: approve hours, check the calculation, pay wages and file documents. Agree when expense receipts are due and who corrects errors. If you use an administration service, ask it to explain a sample payroll for your case before it processes real payments.

SVA Zürich provides forms and guidance for payroll and annual documents. Add recurring deadlines to your calendar and review changes in hours, pay or status promptly. An initial registration is not a substitute for keeping the arrangement up to date.

Sources for this section: Kanton Zürich · SVA Zürich

Ready to start: give each document and decision a status

Use the table as a working list. Add an owner, completion date and storage location to each item. Pending is useful information when someone knows when to follow up. Avoid one tick marked everything done when several organisations are involved.

Separate administration from settling in. The first day should not require the nanny and your child to solve paperwork gaps. Arrange an unhurried handover covering meals, rest, authorised collection, contact details and what to do when something is unclear.

• Plan the first two weeks of settling in

Your next step

A sound hiring arrangement starts with clear responsibilities and verifiable confirmations. Complete the start checklist, take unresolved legal and insurance questions to the appropriate specialist, then prepare your first week together. Our independent planning resources support preparation; they do not replace individual legal or payroll advice.