B permit: you may get part of your tax back
The tax deducted from your salary is a flat scale. It doesn't see your pillar 3a, your childcare or your commuting. The good news: this can be corrected, and it is often in your favour.
You have a B permit and every month a line marked "tax at source" leaves your salary. You have nothing to fill in. It is comfortable — but it is a flat scale, based on an average. Not on your life.
What that flat scale does not see
- What you set aside for retirement — pillar 3a, second-pillar buy-ins.
- Day care or a childminder.
- Your kilometres, if you live far from work. It is often the largest amount.
- The maintenance payments you make.
- The training you pay for to get ahead in your job.
The good news
You are entitled to ask to be taxed in the ordinary way, like any other Swiss taxpayer. Your expenses are then taken into account, and whatever you overpaid is refunded to you.
For most working B permit holders, the move is in their favour — often several hundred to several thousand francs a year. A pillar 3a, a child in day care or a daily commute is usually enough to tip the balance.
One date to remember: 31 March
The request must be sent before 31 March following the year concerned. After that deadline, the year is lost.
We tell you beforehand if it isn't in your favour
We always do the calculation first. If the move is not to your advantage, we tell you before filing anything — you then simply stay taxed at source, with nothing changed.
To get that simulation, book the Standard package of our tax return service: we take your figures and tell you what an ordinary assessment would bring you — or not — before any step is taken.
And if you would rather have it explained to you before committing, call us on +41 26 303 36 69 — we will talk you through it.