Not financial advice
This tool is for educational purposes only. It provides no personal financial, tax or investment advice and no recommendation. All outputs are based solely on the assumptions you enter — “here is the maths based on your figures”, not “this is what you should do”. All tax figures are estimates — please verify them with the official ESTV or cantonal tax calculator. Your inputs stay entirely within your browser and are never sent to a server.
The three pillars at a glance
The Swiss pension system rests on three pillars: the state AHV (pillar 1), occupational benefits / the Pensionskasse (pillar 2, BVG) and tied private provision (Säule 3a). For early retirement, the key point is that all three only pay out from a certain age — the gap before that must be bridged from your own freely available wealth.
- Pillar 1 — AHV
- Drawn flexibly from 63, regularly from reference age 65. Drawing early reduces the lifelong pension.
- Pillar 2 — Pensionskasse
- Capital or pension withdrawal, depending on the scheme often from 58–60. A capital withdrawal is taxed once.
- Säule 3a
- Withdrawal at the earliest five years before the reference age, so typically from around 60. Several 3a accounts allow staggered withdrawals.
Why staggering the withdrawal matters
Capital withdrawals from pension assets are added together in the year of withdrawal and taxed progressively. Drawing Säule 3a and the Pensionskasse in the same year quickly lands you in a higher progression band. Spreading them across several tax years can noticeably lower the total lump-sum withdrawal tax. The calculator mirrors this heuristic by drawing from at most one pillar per year.
Frequent questions
- What is the FIRE bridge phase?
- The bridge phase is the years between an early exit from working life (FIRE) and the point at which pension assets become available. Säule 3a and the Pensionskasse can usually be drawn at the earliest around five years before the reference age, the AHV from 63. During the bridge phase, living costs must be covered entirely from freely available (taxable) wealth.
- From what age can I draw Säule 3a and the Pensionskasse?
- Säule 3a balances can be drawn at the earliest five years before the AHV reference age, so usually from around 60. Pensionskasse capital is often available from 58 to 60, depending on the scheme. The exact age limits depend on the pension institution and its regulations.
- How is a capital withdrawal from pensions taxed?
- Capital withdrawals from Säule 3a and the Pensionskasse are taxed separately from other income at a reduced rate (lump-sum withdrawal tax). The rate is progressive and varies strongly by canton and municipality. If several withdrawals fall in the same tax year, they are added together — staggering them over several years can therefore lower the tax burden.
- Do I have to pay AHV contributions after exit?
- Anyone no longer in employment before the reference age counts as non-employed and pays AHV contributions based on wealth and any pension income. The contributions sit between a minimum and a maximum per year. These costs arise on top during the bridge phase and should be planned for.
- Does this tool calculate in real or nominal terms?
- The calculation is done throughout in real (inflation-adjusted) terms. Returns, spending and pensions are therefore to be understood in today's purchasing power. That simplifies interpretation, because amounts stay comparable across the years.