Guide
Stopping payments on a pillar 3a insurance
Stopping a pillar 3a insurance does not have one outcome. Depending on the contract, the policy is surrendered at its surrender value, reduced, or kept if a waiver of premium covers a disability. A 3a account can simply pause: you stop paying and the balance stays. This page does not choose for you and publishes no fee scale.
Account and policy
On an account or securities, stopping contributions leaves the balance in place, subject to the contract’s custody fees. On a policy, stopping premiums touches the cover and the surrender value. In the early years that value is generally below the premiums paid. The amount is the table’s, not a percentage from this page.
Waiver of premium is a different subject: waiver of premium. The wider frame is the Swiss third pillar.
Questions
Your questions, answered
The questions people ask before they request a comparison.
Must I surrender the policy if I stop?+−
Not under one rule published here. The contract may provide surrender, a reduction, or other outcomes. Ask the insurer in writing before you decide.
Does waiver of premium mean I can stop when I want?+−
No. It is a guarantee in case of disability, if it is in the contract. It is not the same as a voluntary pause.
Official sources
Official sources
- FSIO — The third pillar (article 7 OPP 3) — Small and large contributions. Pillar 3a buy-backs concern gaps from 2025. The first buy-back is possible in 2026.
- FSIO — Amounts valid on 1 January 2026 — OASI pensions, BVG thresholds and 2026 pillar 3a ceilings. Last editorial check: 6 octobre 2026.
- Federal Council — pillar 3a deduction from 1 January 2027 — Press release of 2 October 2026: 7,373 francs with a 2nd pillar, 36,864 francs at most without one. The 20% rate is unchanged.
- FSIO — Your third-pillar contribution — Maximum with a 2nd pillar, or 20% of income inside the limit without one. The credit counts on 31 December for the tax year.
- FTA — Circular 18a (taxation of pillar 3a) — Tax on capital at withdrawal, staggering, transfer to the 2nd pillar.
- FTA — Pillar 3b life policies that can be surrendered — Flexible provision is not one single tax story. A policy follows the contract and the canton.
- FSIO — OPP 3 change (beneficiaries) — The FSIO announced a wider choice of pillar 3a beneficiaries from 1 June 2027. The applicable detail is on that page, not in a ceiling figure.
- OASI/disability information centre — Pensions, the 13th old-age pension, reference age and the transitional generation.
Editorial review on 6 octobre 2026. Pillar 3a ceilings cited for 2026, from the FSIO table. From 1 January 2027 the Federal Council sets 7,373 francs with a 2nd pillar and 36,864 francs at most without one. The 20% rate is unchanged. Press release of 2 October 2026: https://www.admin.ch/fr/newnsb/BqB41FVYi5FB. Cantonal pillar 3b amounts can change from one tax notice to the next. This is not personal advice.