Employer of Record (EOR) in Switzerland

Hire in Switzerland in days, with no entity and without navigating 26 cantons of tax and social insurance yourself. We place you with the right vetted EOR partner, at pricing you will not get going direct, and stay on your side for the life of the relationship.

  • Independent advice
  • Vetted partners
  • Operational in days

What an Employer of Record does for you in Switzerland

An Employer of Record is a company that legally employs your Swiss staff on your behalf. You choose the person and direct their work day to day. The EOR is the legal employer on paper, which is what lets you build a team in Switzerland without forming your own company.

In practice the EOR partner takes on everything that needs a Swiss legal entity and local expertise: a compliant employment contract under the Code of Obligations, monthly payroll with income tax (withheld at source for foreign employees) and social insurance, employer AHV/IV/EO, unemployment and BVG pension contributions and all filings via the Swissdec/ELM system, statutory benefits, and compliant onboarding and lawful exits. You get a working team in days. The EOR carries the legal and compliance weight; you carry the commercial relationship. The only question worth spending time on is which partner is genuinely strong in your target cantons, and that is the question we answer for you.

01

Legal Employer, On Paper

A compliant Swiss employment contract under the Code of Obligations, with all statutory terms correct from day one.

02

Compliant From Day One

Monthly payroll, income tax (withheld at source for foreign employees) and social insurance, employer AHV/IV/EO, unemployment and BVG contributions, and all filings via the Swissdec/ELM system.

03

No Entity Required

Statutory benefits, four weeks’ minimum leave, notice and lawful exits under the Code of Obligations, and compliant onboarding. You get a working team in days; the EOR carries the legal weight.

From scoping call to Swiss payslip

From first call to a compliant Swiss hire at work, usually in days.

01 — Scope & quote

We map the role, salary, and start date, and come back with a clear all-in monthly cost. No guesswork, no hidden extras.

02 — Compliant contract

Your employment contract is drafted to Swiss standards by the partner, and we sanity-check the terms and pricing before you sign. Compliant from day one.

03 — Onboard in days

A correct Swiss contract is issued under the Code of Obligations, with all statutory terms from day one. Your hire can start in days.

04 — Payroll & compliance run

Income tax and social insurance calculated and withheld, payslips issued, filings made via Swissdec/ELM. You direct the work; the compliance just runs.

What EOR in Switzerland costs

Two parts: the statutory cost of employing someone, and the EOR partner fee. In Switzerland the social cost is moderate but the BVG pension and cantonal variation make it intricate, which is exactly where the right partner saves you money. We make both transparent before you commit.

Employer social security

Roughly 6.4% to 12% of salary (AHV/IV/EO, unemployment, family allowance and accident insurance, the exact mix depending on canton and industry), plus your share of the mandatory BVG occupational pension, which is age-banded from 7% to 18%.

Minimum wage (2026)

No statutory federal minimum wage. Some cantons set their own (Geneva CHF 24.59/hour, others ranging CHF 20.00 to 22.20), and many sectors set floors through collective agreements.

Income tax (employee)

Levied at federal, cantonal and communal level, so the effective rate varies by canton (broadly 22% to 43%). Withheld at source for foreign employees without a C permit. Borne by the employee, not added to your cost.

EOR partner fee

A transparent per-employee monthly fee. We benchmark across our vetted network, typically 15 to 25% below going direct, and renegotiate for you at renewal.

Why run it through Bradford Jacobs

We know which EOR partners are genuinely strong in Switzerland, by canton, sector and complexity. We place you with the right one, at pricing you will not get going direct, and stay on your side for the life of the relationship.

Independent, not a single provider

We are independent: we assess what you actually need, place you with the right vetted partner, secure pricing you will not get going direct, and stay on your side to escalate or renegotiate. You get advice, not a product pitch.

  • Independent advice
  • Vetted partners only
  • On your side at renewal

Pricing you can’t get direct

Switzerland has no single employer social security rate: it moves by canton, by industry risk class, and by BVG pension age band. That variation is exactly why benchmarking the partner’s fee against real comparables matters here. We do it across our vetted network, typically 15 to 25% below going direct, and renegotiate it for you at renewal.

  • 15-25% below direct
  • Network benchmarking
  • Renegotiated for you

Straight to the top when it matters

When something needs resolving, and in global employment it sometimes does, you come to us. We escalate directly, past the helpdesk, to people who can actually move it.

  • Direct escalation
  • No support queues
  • Named account contact

Two decades across Europe

Two decades placing and managing EOR arrangements across Europe, with the knowledge of the Code of Obligations, the three-pillar social system, and cantonal tax that keeps you compliant.

  • EOR specialists
  • Code of Obligations & AHV
  • Risk removed

Built for conversion to your own entity

Most companies use EOR for 12 to 24 months, then move to their own Swiss entity (a GmbH or AG). We plan that crossover and manage the transition when the economics justify it.

  • EOR to entity path
  • Transition managed
  • Crossover planning

Why Switzerland rewards getting the structure right

Two things define hiring in Switzerland: the speed an EOR gives you, and the cantonal complexity that makes the right partner matter. The EOR gives you the first; we handle the second.

Working time, leave & contracts

Switzerland is a 26-canton system. Income tax is set at federal, cantonal and communal level, social insurance runs across the three-pillar AHV and BVG structure, there is no federal minimum wage but several cantons set their own, and rules shift with each canton you hire in. The variables change with every location, which is why the right EOR partner, and our help choosing it, matters more here than in a single-jurisdiction market.

Operational in days, not weeks

Setting up your own Swiss entity (a GmbH or AG) takes time and capital, and you cannot employ anyone until it completes and you are registered with the social insurers. An EOR removes that wait entirely: a compliant Code of Obligations contract is issued and your hire starts in days. You prove the market first, then form an entity later only if the headcount justifies it. This is the real value of EOR in Switzerland: speed into a high-value but intricate market, with the compliance carried by an expert.

What the Swiss EOR package includes

One transparent monthly fee per employee covers all of this. No hidden extras.

Compliant Swiss contract

A compliant Swiss employment contract under the Code of Obligations, issued and maintained for you.

Payroll & social insurance

Monthly payroll run, with income tax and social insurance calculated, withheld, and filed correctly each month.

Statutory benefits

All statutory benefits administered: AHV/IV/EO, unemployment, BVG pension, accident insurance, leave, and lawful exits.

Compliance & support

Ongoing HR compliance and a single point of contact, for the life of the engagement.

Your questions answered

Straight answers on how Employer of Record works in Switzerland.

Is my hire employed by Bradford Jacobs or by me?

Legally, your hire is employed by the Swiss EOR partner we place you with, which is what keeps you compliant without an entity. Day to day they work for you: you set the work, the goals, the relationship. You get the team; the partner carries the legal employer obligations.

Usually within days once the role and salary are agreed, with a compliant Code of Obligations contract from day one. Compare that to the time setting up your own Swiss entity and registering with the social insurers takes, during which you cannot legally employ anyone.

It depends on the canton and the employee’s age. Employer social insurance is roughly 6.4% to 12%, plus the age-banded BVG pension (7% to 18%, split with the employee). Add the transparent EOR partner fee and you have your all-in cost.

Yes, when done properly. The EOR is a real Swiss legal employer meeting all Code of Obligations, social insurance, and tax obligations. The risk is using an under-resourced partner, which is exactly why we place you with vetted partners and stay on your side.

The compliant contract, monthly payroll (income tax and social insurance withholding), employer contributions, statutory benefits and leave administration, and ongoing HR compliance. We give you one all-in monthly figure up front, with no hidden extras.

Yes, and most companies do once the headcount and permanence justify it. We manage the transition from EOR to your own Swiss entity (a GmbH or AG), and can support the entity formation itself. Most use EOR for 12 to 24 months first.

Ready to hire in Switzerland?

Tell us the role and we will come back with a compliant, all-in monthly cost and the right partner, usually within a day. No entity, no lock-in, no pitch, just the fastest compliant way to get your person working in Switzerland.

Tax and labour data verified June 2026 (ESTV, SECO, OECD). Figures change; we confirm the current position when we scope your hire.