Early withdrawal for a home (WEF)

An early withdrawal from a pension fund or pillar 3a for home ownership is taxed in the same way as a payout and added to your other withdrawals in the same calendar year. If you later repay an early withdrawal from the pension fund, the tax you paid is refunded on request, without interest; this right lapses 3 years after the repayment (Art. 83a BVG). The repayment is not deductible from income, and an early withdrawal from pillar 3a cannot be repaid. The calculator does not include the repayment.

Buy-in before withdrawal

If you bought into your pension fund in the 3 years before the withdrawal, the tax authority may reverse the deduction for the buy-in (Art. 79b para. 3 BVG). This is not included here.

Pension or lump sum?

A pension is taxed every year together with your other income; a lump sum is taxed once, separately.

Pension instead of lump sum? try it in the income tax calculator

After the withdrawal

The withdrawal, after tax, counts as part of your wealth (wealth tax) – for the first time on the reference date of 31 December of the year of withdrawal; interest and returns from it are income.

Schwyz 2026

Staggering and tax avoidance

Staggered withdrawals are common, for example across several pillar 3a accounts or partial withdrawals from the pension fund. If withdrawals are split up only to save tax, the tax authority may in an individual case treat this as tax avoidance and add the withdrawals together.

Estimate only, not advice

Calculated according to the rules of each canton and checked against the FTA calculator; the tax assessment is what counts. Not taken into account: residence abroad (tax at source) and benefits for surviving dependants or in the event of invalidity.