If you are in paid work you will generally be entitled to maternity benefit, whether you are employed or self-employed. This right is subject to the following conditions:
You were insured under the OASI/AHV scheme for the nine months prior to the birth.
You worked for at least five months during your pregnancy.
When the child is born, you are still employed, self-employed or working for your husband's business for a wage.
You are also entitled to maternity benefit if you receive a daily allowance from the unemployment, invalidity, health or accident insurance schemes based on your previous employment. Find out more from your employer or the insurer that pays your benefits.
Maternity leave lasts for 98 days, or 14 weeks. Maternity benefit amounts to 80% of your earnings, but no more than CHF 220 per day. Cantonal provisions, personnel regulations and collective employment contracts may provide for more generous arrangements.
If an insurer is paying you a daily allowance (see above), your maternity benefit will at least match what you are already receiving – or would be entitled to claim – at the time of the birth.
Maternity leave generally begins on the day your baby is born. You may be able to start it later in some cases. For example, if your newborn has to stay in hospital for longer than 14 days directly after the birth, the period for which you can claim maternity benefit is extended by a maximum of 56 days, providing you return to work when your maternity leave ends.
Please note: If you go back to work sooner than the end of the 14th week after the birth, you lose your entitlement to any further maternity benefit. You are not allowed to return to work in the first eight weeks after the birth.
If you are pregnant or have given birth less than 16 weeks ago, you benefit from special safeguards that are laid down in law. You cannot be dismissed while you are pregnant or on maternity leave, for example.
If you are in paid work you will generally be entitled to maternity benefit, whether you are employed or self-employed. This right is subject to the following conditions:
You were insured under the OASI/AHV scheme for the nine months prior to the birth.
You worked for at least five months during your pregnancy.
When the child is born, you are still employed, self-employed or working for your husband's business for a wage.
You are also entitled to maternity benefit if you receive a daily allowance from the unemployment, invalidity, health or accident insurance schemes based on your previous employment. Find out more from your employer or the insurer that pays your benefits.
Paternity leave lasts for 2 weeks, or 14 daily allowances. Paternity benefit amounts to 80% of your earnings, but no more than CHF 195 per day. Cantonal provisions, personnel regulations and collective employment contracts may provide for more generous arrangements.
If an insurer is paying you a daily allowance (see above), your paternity benefit will at least match what you are already receiving – or would be entitled to claim – at the time of the birth.
Unlike maternity leave, paternity leave is flexible. You can take it all at once, or as individual days as long as it is taken in the six months after the birth of your child.
Mothers are entitled to extend their maternity leave by 2 weeks beyond the standard 14-week period. They do not receive benefits for those two additional weeks, however. At the end of these two weeks, the employer may decide whether or not to grant a mother's request for a longer period of unpaid leave.
Meanwhile fathers have no legal right to extend their paternity leave. They must arrange with their employer if they wish to do so.
Please note: Find out about your insurance cover before requesting unpaid leave.
Brochures: Maternity benefit and paternity benefit