Accident insurance in Switzerland – what you need to know
In Switzerland, employed persons generally have compulsory insurance against accidents through their employer. People who don't work, or who only work part-time, must arrange accident cover themselves through their health insurance. Here you can find out how accident insurance in Switzerland works, who pays in the event of an accident and what you should be aware of.
Table of Contents
- Who has accident insurance in Switzerland through their employer?
- Who must include accident insurance in basic insurance?
- Occupational and non-occupational accidents – what is the difference?
- Health insurer or accident insurance in Switzerland: Who pays in the event of an accident?
- Accident insurance in Switzerland: What exactly should you do?
- Frequently asked questions about accident insurance in Switzerland
Money-saving tip
If you have comprehensive accident insurance through your employer, you can exclude accident cover from your basic insurance. This will reduce your premium by up to 7%. More cost-saving tips ›
Who has accident insurance in Switzerland through their employer?
If you work in Switzerland, you usually have compulsory accident insurance in accordance with the Federal Law on Accident Insurance (AIA).
Basic rule:
- If you work for an employer for at least eight hours per week, you are covered by compulsory insurance against occupational accidents (OA) and non-occupational accidents (NOA) through this employer.
- If you work less than eight hours per week, you are only insured against occupational accidents.
The employer’s accident insurance covers the costs of medical treatment in the event of an accident and, depending on the policy, also income replacement (daily allowance) and disability benefits. This means that you are financially protected in the event of an accident while at work or on the way to work.
Who must include accident insurance in basic insurance?
Not everyone is insured through an employer. In these cases, accident insurance cover must be provided through health insurance:
- Persons who are not employed (e.g. homemakers, students, unemployed people)
- Children and adolescents
- Pensioners
- Part-time employees who do not work at least eight hours per week for any employer
- People in a gap year without employment
In mySympany, you can include accident cover in your basic insurance. This is the only way to be comprehensively insured in the event of an accident in Switzerland and abroad.
Occupational and non-occupational accidents – what is the difference?
Accident insurance in Switzerland distinguishes between two types of accident:
- An accident that occurs at work or while travelling directly to or from work
- Example: Fall on the factory floor, accident that occurs during working hours at the company
- An accident that occurs during free time or during private journeys
- Examples: Fall while skiing, cycling accident during leisure time, DIY accident
The difference between occupational and non-occupational accidents is important because different insurers are responsible depending on the level of employment and the insurance situation. In both cases, good accident insurance cover is essential.
Health insurer or accident insurance in Switzerland: Who pays in the event of an accident?
There is a simple rule of thumb to help you understand who will cover which costs in the event of a claim:
- Covered through the employer (AIA): The employer’s statutory accident insurance covers the cost of treatment, hospital stays and medication. It also provides partial income replacement (daily allowance) if you become unable to work due to an accident.
If your employer has taken out supplementary accident insurance, this covers benefits that go beyond the statutory accident insurance, e.g. (depending on your cover) a higher-grade hospital ward, additional daily allowances, pensions, etc. - Accident cover through health insurance: If you are not insured through your employer, your basic insurance with accident cover included will pay for the treatment costs of the accident. However, the deductible and retention fee generally apply here.
Important: Check your health insurance policy carefully whether accident cover is included – especially if you do not work or only work very few hours. This is the only way to ensure that in the event of an accident the responsible insurance provider intervenes in good time.
Accident insurance in Switzerland: What exactly should you do?
1. Check your workload
Do you work for an employer at least eight hours per week?
2. Check your health insurance policy
Check whether accident cover is included in your health insurance.
- You work less than eight hours per week for an employer: perfect, everything is correct. This means that you are also insured against non-occupational accidents.
- If you work more than eight hours per week for an employer, you can exclude accident cover from your basic insurance and save up to 7% on your premium. You are already insured against occupational and non-occupational accidents through your employer.
- If you work less than eight hours per week for an employer, you must include accident cover in your basic insurance. Only then will you also be covered in the event of a non-occupational accident.
- You work more than eight hours per week for an employer: excluding accident cover is correct. You are insured against occupational and non-occupational accidents through your employer.
3. Keeping an eye on your life situation
If your situation changes (e.g. change of job, reduction of workload, retirement, study, a longer break), review your accident cover and adjust it if necessary – so that accident insurance continues to suit your life situation.
Frequently asked questions about accident insurance in Switzerland
This depends on your workload per employer. If you work for an employer less than eight hours a week, you are only insured against occupational accidents. In this case, for non-occupational accidents, you will need accident cover in your basic insurance so that you are also covered in the event of an accident during your free time.
Children are generally not insured against accidents through an employer. Accidents involving children are therefore usually covered by basic insurance with accident cover. Check your children’s policy to ensure that there is no gap in cover in the event of an accident.
As soon as you are no longer insured under the AIA through an employer, accident cover must be provided through your health insurance. Notify your health insurer of any such changes in good time so that you are still covered under the rules of accident insurance in Switzerland in the event of an accident.
- If you have included accident cover in your basic insurance, you must contribute to the treatment costs. More information on co-payment ›
- If you work at least 8 hours a week for the same employer, you are insured against accidents through them. In this case, you do not have to make any co-payment.
You can always include or exclude accident cover in basic insurance with effect from the 1st of the following month.
- No. You must include accident cover retroactively.
- The accident insurance will then cover the treatment costs.
- However, you must pay the premiums retroactively – up to the point at which you should have included accident cover (e.g. from the date you reduced your working hours or stopped working).
- As accident insurance is compulsory in Switzerland, continuous cover must be ensured.
No, unfortunately this is not possible. In accordance with the Terms and Conditions of Insurance for Basic Insurance (section 7), exclusion takes effect “from the first day of the month following the request.”
In the event of an accident, basic insurance provides the same benefits as for illness. As with illness, you will also have to contribute towards the costs of medical treatment.
If you are insured against occupational and non-occupational accidents through your employer in accordance with the AIL, 80% of your salary will be covered from the third day following an accident, along with treatment and care costs (with no co-payment) and pensions in the event of disability or death (for further benefits, see Accident insurance for corporate customers). If your employer has taken out supplementary accident insurance, you will enjoy even more comprehensive benefits.
- Insurance against occupational accidents begins automatically on your first day of work.
- If you work for the same employer for at least eight hours per week, this also applies to insurance against non-occupational accidents.
- Insurance against occupational accidents automatically applies from your first day to your last day of work.
- Once you have left the company, your insurance cover will remain in place for up to 31 days without you having to do anything.
- In the event of an extended break, such as unpaid leave, we recommend taking out what is known as negotiated insurance. This can be taken out from the first day of the following month and for a maximum of six months, during which time it offers you all the benefits of accident insurance under the AIL (see question “What is the difference between accident insurance under basic insurance and accident insurance provided through an employer?”). Your (former) employer will provide you with the application form for negotiated insurance.
Pensioners are insured against accidents through their employer for a maximum of 31 days from the date on which they leave the company. You will therefore need to include accident cover in your basic insurance from the first day of the following month at the latest. Please remember to do this, especially in the case of early retirement.
Once you have reached retirement age, we will automatically include accident cover in your policy from the following year. If you continue to work after reaching retirement age, please notify us of this once a year. We will then exclude accident cover.
Yes, the accident insurance also applies abroad. If you have included it in your basic insurance, the same conditions apply in the event of an accident as in the event of illness:
- You pay the co-payment applicable in the respective country – there is no Swiss cost co-payment.
- When travelling to countries outside the EU/EFTA/UK, a maximum of twice the costs will be covered as for treatment in Switzerland.
It is therefore advisable to take out supplementary insurance when travelling to countries outside the EU/EFTA/UK.
- hospita supplementary hospital insurance covers the costs of emergency hospital treatment in addition to basic insurance – until repatriation is possible (for up to one year), at the same level and for the same hospital ward as in Switzerland. Of course, this only applies if accident cover is included in your supplementary insurance.
- Sympany’s tourist and tourist subito travel health insurance policies offer global cover and cover emergency treatment in the event of an accident, as well as in the event of illness or premature birth. The insurance also covers transport and rescue costs as well as separate return journeys and trips by your family to visit you. With tourist permanent travel health insurance, you are covered for up to 42 days of holiday each year. With tourist subito, you can take out travel insurance online in just five minutes – with flexible options for anything from 10 to 365 days of travel and with no notice period.
If you undertake military, civilian, Red Cross or civil defence service for more than 60 consecutive days, you will be covered against illness and accidents under military insurance and can suspend your basic insurance. You do not pay any premiums during this time. All information on military service and health insurance >
Accident insurance Switzerland – Sympany will advise you personally
The right combination of health insurance and accident insurance is crucial to ensuring that you are optimally covered in Switzerland – whether in the event of occupational accidents or accidents in your leisure time.
Sympany will help you find the right insurance cover and review your existing cover:
- Personal consultation
- Transparent information on benefits and costs
- Support in the event of a claim following an accident in Switzerland
Contact us – we’ll help you to choose the right accident insurance for yourself and your family in Switzerland and to tailor your cover to your life situation.
