PEO Services in Switzerland

A co-employment model for companies that want to share the employer relationship in Switzerland rather than hand it over entirely. We help you work out whether PEO or EOR genuinely fits, and place you with the right vetted partner.

  • Independent advice
  • Vetted partners
  • Honest positioning

What a PEO does in Switzerland

A Professional Employer Organisation works on a co-employment model. You and the PEO partner share the legal employer responsibilities for your Swiss staff: you keep direction and day-to-day control, while the partner administers payroll, income tax, social insurance, and HR compliance under a shared arrangement.

01

Shared employer role

You and the PEO partner share the legal employer responsibilities. You keep direction and control; they handle payroll, income tax, social insurance, and HR administration.

02

More direct control

PEO suits companies that want to retain more direct control of the employment relationship than a full EOR arrangement allows. In Switzerland, EOR is the more common route.

03

Honest recommendation

For most companies hiring in Switzerland, EOR is simpler. We will tell you honestly whether PEO genuinely fits your structure, or whether EOR serves you better.

How PEO works in Switzerland, step by step

From assessing the fit to a compliant co-employment arrangement.

01 — Assess the fit

We map your structure, headcount, and how much control you want to keep, and tell you honestly whether PEO or EOR serves you better. No product push.

02 — Set up co-employment

If PEO fits, we place you with a vetted Swiss partner and structure the shared employer arrangement correctly.

03 — Onboard your people

Compliant Swiss employment terms under the Code of Obligations, with the administrative employer functions handled by the partner.

04 — Payroll & compliance

Income tax, social insurance, and filings handled monthly, while you keep day-to-day direction.

What PEO in Switzerland costs

As with EOR, two parts: the statutory cost of employment (moderate social cost, with intricate BVG and cantonal layers in Switzerland) and the partner service fee.

Employer social security

Roughly 6.4% to 12% of salary (AHV/IV/EO, unemployment, family allowance and accident insurance), plus your share of the age-banded BVG pension (7% to 18%), administered under the shared employer arrangement.

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%). Borne by the employee.

PEO partner fee

A service fee for the co-employment administration. We benchmark across our vetted network, typically 15 to 25% below going direct.

Why arrange it through Bradford Jacobs

Why companies arrange Swiss PEO through us rather than going direct to a single provider.

We tell you if PEO fits your needs

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

There is no single Swiss employer-cost figure: canton, industry, and pension age band all move it. What we can benchmark cleanly is the partner’s own service fee, and we do, across our vetted network, typically 15 to 25% below going direct.

  • 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 of placements

Two decades placing and managing employment arrangements across Europe. Switzerland withholds income tax at source for foreign employees without a C permit, a detail that changes take-home pay calculations from day one of a co-employment arrangement. We build it in from the start, not after the first payslip surprises someone.

  • Co-employment expertise
  • Honest fit advice
  • Right structure

We flex as your structure changes

PEO, EOR, and your own entity sit on a spectrum, and the right point shifts as you grow. We advise on the path and manage the moves, EOR to PEO, or either to your own Swiss entity, as your Swiss presence develops.

  • EOR, PEO or entity
  • Transitions managed
  • Right fit as you grow

Swiss employer obligations under co-employment

Whichever model you use, the underlying Swiss rules are the same. Under a PEO arrangement, the administrative employer functions are handled for you.

Working time, leave & contracts

Compliant Code of Obligations contracts and working-time rules (legal maximum 45 to 50 hours per week, 4 weeks’ minimum leave). Income tax and social insurance withheld and filed correctly. Statutory benefits and lawful exits applied properly.

Statutory protections & exits

Statutory notice, probation, and the protections Swiss employees carry under the Code of Obligations (no general unfair-dismissal regime, but protected periods for illness, pregnancy and military service), all handled under the shared arrangement. The value is the same as with EOR: the compliance is handled by people who do it daily. The difference is simply how much of the employer role you keep.

What a PEO arrangement covers

The co-employment administration covers all of this, under one transparent fee.

Compliant contract

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

Payroll & filings

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

Statutory benefits

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

Compliance & support

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

Your questions answered

Straight answers on how PEO co-employment works in Switzerland.

What is the difference between PEO and EOR in Switzerland?

With an EOR, the partner is the sole legal employer of your Swiss staff. With a PEO, you and the partner share the employer relationship, you keep more direct control, they handle the administration. In Switzerland, EOR is the more common route; PEO suits specific co-employment structures.

For most companies, EOR is simpler and faster, especially with no Swiss entity. PEO fits when you want to share rather than outsource the employer role, or have a structure that calls for it. We assess your situation and recommend honestly.

It depends on the structure. Some co-employment arrangements assume or work alongside a Swiss entity. If you have no entity and want none, EOR is usually the cleaner route. We will confirm which applies to you.

The administrative employer functions, payroll, income tax, social insurance, statutory benefits, and filings, are handled by the partner. We make sure the arrangement is structured so responsibilities are clear and Swiss law is met.

The statutory employer cost (employer social insurance roughly 6.4% to 12% plus the age-banded BVG pension) plus a partner service fee for the co-employment administration. We benchmark across our network for pricing typically 15 to 25% below going direct.

Yes. These models sit on a spectrum and the right one changes as you grow. We advise on the path and manage transitions, EOR to PEO, or either to your own Swiss entity, as your Swiss presence develops.

Not sure whether PEO or EOR is right for Switzerland?

Tell us your structure and headcount and we will give you an honest recommendation, usually within a day, plus pricing you will not get direct. No product push, just the right fit.

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