How to switch?
It's simpler than you think. Estimate your savings and let us handle the rest.
30min
temps total
- No appointment necessary
- Everything is done online or by mail
- Result guaranteed within 4-6 weeks
- 011 min
Prepare your salary certificate
Have your annual salary certificate (Lohnausweis) ready. You will find boxes 11 and 12 there.
- 022 min
Calculate your possible savings
Answer a few questions about your personal situation and our calculator will estimate your potential savings.
- 03CHF 20
We prepare your ordinary taxation form (TOU)
If it's advantageous, we generate your official pre-filled TOU form, ready to sign and send.
- 044-8 weeks
Canton response
Your canton confirms your switch to ordinary taxation.
- 05Coming soon
Full tax declaration
We complete and send your full ordinary tax declaration.
- 063-6 months
Receive your refund
Your money arrives directly in your account
To check before you start
Three checks that take five minutes and spare you a pointless procedure — or a regretted one.
That the calculation is favourable
The withholding tariff already contains flat rates. If your actual expenses stay below them, ordinary taxation will cost you more than it brings in, and the switch is irreversible.
That your tariff is correct
An unreported child or an outdated civil status can be corrected by a simple recalculation, without committing the following years. Check the tariff code on your payslip before considering the TOU.
How many years you have left
The regime applies until the end of your liability to withholding tax. If a C permit is due in two years, the stake is short; if you have eight years left, it covers eight tax periods.
These three points are set out in the guides. They fit into one sentence: estimate before you file, never the other way round.
Required documents
Prepare these documents before you start
- 01
Annual salary certificate
Your salary certificate (Lohnausweis) with boxes 11 and 12
Required - 02
Deduction receipts
Transport pass, meal receipts, insurance certificates (optional but recommended)
Optional
Tip : Have your annual salary certificate ready. Boxes 11 (net salary) and 12 (source tax) are the essential information. No need for the TOU form — we handle it.
Avoid these common mistakes
These mistakes can delay or block your application
- 01
Waiting too long
The TOU deadline is March 31. After that, your request is postponed to the next year.
Fix : Run your estimate as soon as possible and order the TOU service before the deadline.
- 02
Sending after the deadline
Late applications may be refused or delayed by an entire year.
Fix : Submit your application before March 31 for the current tax year. The sooner the better.
- 03
Forgetting important deductions
Transport, meals, insurance - every forgotten deduction reduces your potential savings.
Fix : Use our calculator which automatically checks all possible deductions for your situation.
- 04
Not checking your data
Errors in your salary certificate numbers can distort the estimate and TOU request.
Fix : Double-check boxes 11 and 12 on your salary certificate before running the estimate.
Our pre-filled form spares you most of these mistakes.
What changes from one canton to another
The procedure is federal, its execution is not. Three things vary, and they decide what form your request takes.
The accepted channel
Some cantons accept online filing, others require a signed postal submission, several count the date of receipt rather than the postmark. Your canton's page states which one applies.
The form
Each canton publishes its own, with its own fields. Some ask for the grounds of the request — salary above the threshold, real estate — others do not.
Processing times
Confirmation takes four to eight weeks; the assessment decision, from a few months to more than a year. The gap between cantons is real and does not depend on you.
The sixteen canton pages give, for each canton, the accepted channels, the filing address and the deadline calculated for the current year.
Frequently asked questions about the procedure
5 questions
To the tax administration of the canton where you are domiciled at the end of the tax period, never to your employer or your municipality. Several cantons centralise ordinary taxation requests in a specific office, separate from the service handling withholding tax: the address appears on your canton's page.
Not for the year that has elapsed: the deadline is a forfeiture deadline, it is not extended, and no ordinary circumstance reopens it. The following year remains open, and this is the moment to prepare the supporting documents rather than wait for March again.
Generally not. The request itself asks only for your personal details and your signature. The documents — salary certificate, pillar 3a certificate, childcare invoices — are requested later, with the full tax return. Keep them for at least five years.
Nothing. They keep deducting withholding tax throughout the year, as before, and are not informed of your request. The amount withheld will be credited against the tax calculated at assessment.
Jurisdiction lies in principle with the canton where you are domiciled at the end of the tax period; that is where the request should go. The other canton transfers the amounts already withheld to it, and you do not have to claim them yourself.
Ready to get started?
- Free estimate
- 2 minutes
- Your data stays private