Key figures 2026Personal & estate taxation

Transfer duty is a cantonal tax, or communal in exceptional circumstances. It is an indirect tax which is levied on any real estate transfer against payment (transfer of property, but also creation of a distinct and permanent right, for example), calculated on the basis of the purchase price agreed for the transfer. This tax is in principle paid by the buyer, but it is sometimes shared between buyer and seller. In certain cantons, “purchase price” is a very broad concept which can notably include the price of a real estate project developed on the sold property by a service provider other than the seller, even after the transfer. The tax rate is generally fixed (proportional tax) and is between 1% and 3.3% of the purchase price.

Specific features:

• AG, SG, GR: Transfer duty is levied exclusively by the communes.
• FR, VD, VS: Communes can levy this duty in addition to those collected by the canton.
• ZH, UR, SZ, GL, ZG, SH, AG, TI: Strictly speaking, these cantons do not have any transfer duty but they collect administrative fees from the land register or registration fees on real estate transfers.
• AG, TI: These cantons have a mixed system with both transfer duty and administrative fees.
• OW, BL, AR: Half the duty is paid by each party.

Gains made on private real estate assets are generally exempt from tax at federal level. However, these gains are taxed in all cantons.

In half of the cantons, these gains are subject to a separate, exclusive special tax (“real estate gains tax”), which applies to gains made by both individuals and legal entities. It is therefore a so-called “one-tier” system.

A so called “two-tier” system is applied in the other cantons. In the two-tier system, real estate gains from business assets (except for agricultural and forestry property) are subject to income tax (respectively on profits for legal entities) rather than a tax on the separate real estate gain. In other words, only gains from real estate belonging to the private assets of natural persons are taxed separately by a special tax.

The amount of tax depends on the added value actually realised when transferring a property for consideration, taking into account the period of ownership of the asset. Thus, the longer a property has been owned, the lower the tax will be. Conversely, several cantons sanction short lengths of ownership by increasing the tax, on the grounds that these would be speculative investments.

A notable feature: for taxpayers that sell their main home at a profit, and reinvest the proceeds (including the profit) from the sale in a new main residence, taxation is deferred. This means that the tax will only be due if the new main residence is sold.

Specific features:

• OW, FR, BS, SH, GR, JU: The tax is levied by the cantons and the communes.
• ZH, ZG: The tax is levied only by the communes on the basis of cantonal tax law.

Inheritance and gift tax has not been harmonised at federal level and is therefore left to the discretion of the cantons (in November 2025, the Swiss people rejected the idea of creating a federal tax on gifts and inheritances.). Reference should therefore be made to the various cantonal laws.

It is important to note that spouses are exempt from gift and inheritance tax in all cantons. The same applies to direct descendants, except in the cantons of Appenzell Innerrhoden, Lucerne (where specific communal rules apply), Neuchâtel and Vaud.

Apart from these exemptions, the tax rate for gifts and inheritance is progressive in most cantons. In addition to the value of the estate, another determining criterion for variations in the rate is the family relationship between the donor, i.e. the deceased, and the donee, i.e. the heir. Specifically, the tax rate will be the highest where there is no family relationship. As regards life partners, a spouse’s children and foster children, the tax scales vary significantly from one canton to another, and are sometimes relatively favourable.

Moreover, most cantons apply a tax-free allowance (or tax deduction), which means that tax is only levied on the amount of the gift or inheritance above the tax-free amount. In other words, certain inheritances or gifts are not taxed if they are lower than the tax-free amount(s).

As regards the inheritance and gifts of movable assets, the canton in which the donor or deceased was domiciled is authorised to levy the tax (on the gift or the inheritance).

As regards the inheritance and gifts of immovable assets, the tax is due in the canton where the property which is the subject of the inheritance or gift is located. The tax is calculated on the basis of the tax value of the property (an abstract value, almost always much lower than the market value), and any debts encumbering the property can be deducted.

Specific features ¹ :

• SZ: This canton does not levy any inheritance and gift tax.
• LU: Direct descendants are taxed on inheritance.
• AI, NE, VD: Direct descendants are taxed on gifts and inheritance.

In the context of a gift, the donor may retain the usufruct of the donated property (this constitutes a charge). Likewise, in the context of an inheritance, the deceased may grant a servitude of usufruct to one person (e.g. the surviving spouse) and bare ownership to other people (e.g. descendants).

The usufruct must be capitalised to be taken into account for inheritance and gift tax. The usufruct is capitalised by multiplyin$rowg the annual yield of the property encumbered by the usufruct by a factor that is dependent on the (statistical) life expectancy of the beneficiary of the usufruct. In Switzerland, this factor changes every year and may even differ depending on gender.

The capitalised value of the usufruct is imposed on the usufructuary (who may however be exempt, such as a surviving spouse) and deducted from the capital inherited or received as a gift by the bare owner. Conversely, there is no tax on the extinction of the usufruct.

As regards the taxation of the payment of premiums, a distinction must be made between single-premium policies and those with periodic premiums.

a) Single-premium life insurance

Payment of the life insurance premium is subject to stamp duty at federal level. The duty is calculated on the amount of the insurance premium, up to 5% in principle. Single-premium and surrenderable life insurance policies are exceptions and are subject to only 2.5% duty. The tax obligation is, in principle, the Swiss insurer’s responsibility, but the duty is in fact billed to the insured.

b) Periodic premium life insurance

Periodic premium life insurance policies are exempt from stamp duty.
A second distinction must also be made regarding the conclusion of the policy, in what is known in Switzerland as pillar 3a or pillar 3b.

a) Pillar 3a life insurance

If the policy was taken out under pillar 3a (“restricted” pension plan), the insurance premiums are deductible from the income when paid, subject to a ceiling. Conversely, their capital return will trigger the withholding of tax on capital benefits, as opposed to their payment in the form of an annuity, which is fully subject to income tax.

b) Pillar 3b life insurance

If the policy was taken out under pillar 3b (“unrestricted” pension plan), life insurance policies eligible for redemption are subject to wealth tax at cantonal level, unlike life insurance policies that are not eligible for redemption. After the occurrence of the insured event, pillar 3b pensions paid to the insured are only partially taxed as income, up to 40%, at both cantonal and federal levels.

Life insurance policies may contain a clause providing for the reimbursement of unused premiums if the obligation to pay benefits ceases prematurely following the death of the annuitant. This obligation is called return of premiums. The return of premium clause has no tax repercussions as long as the end of the obligation to pay benefits is not certain, because the annuity will continue to be paid. 40% of the premiums returned (in the event of death) are taxed as income and the rest, i.e. 60%, is subject to inheritance tax. As from the following tax year, however, the paid-up capital will once again be subject to wealth tax.

Applicable law: Loi cantonale concernant le droit de mutation sur les transferts immobiliers et l’impôt sur les successions et donations (LMSD) (Cantonal law regarding transfer duty on real estate transfers and inheritance and gift tax); Art. 2 et seq LMSD.

The tax is the responsibility of the purchaser, the holder of an easement or another restricted real right, and the transferee or renouncer of a right of emption.

Transfers by way of inheritance (including division of an estate) or dissolution of a matrimonial regime, as well as transfers between spouses, are not subject to transfer tax.

The cantonal rate is 2.2%.

Note: communes can also levy a transfer duty, so most of the time the overall rate goes up to 3.3%.

Applicable law: Loi du 4 juillet 2000 sur les impôts directs cantonaux (LI) (Law on cantonal direct taxes of 4 July 2000); Art. 61 et seq LI.

The tax is the responsibility of the vendor of a property. In addition to the transfer of ownership, the following are considered as disposals: the transfer of a right of emption, participation as an intermediary in a real estate transaction, the transfer of shares in a real estate company, the creation of easements or their transfer (under certain conditions) and any act that has the effect of transferring to a third party the real and economic power of disposal of all or part of the property.

The cantonal rate is a tapering scale from a maximum of 30% for a period of ownership of one year to a minimum of 7% as from 24 years of ownership (12 years for a main residence).

Applicable law: Loi cantonale concernant le droit de mutation sur les transferts immobiliers et l’impôt sur les successions et donations (LMSD) (Cantonal law regarding transfer duty on real estate transfers and inheritance and gift tax); Art. 11 et seq LMSD

The tax is the responsibility of the donee or heir.

The surviving spouse is exempt from this tax.

Note: inheritances and gifts between direct lineal relatives are in principle not exempt.

Inheritance tax is levied in accordance with progressive scales and according to the degree of kinship and the amount inherited or received as a gift, calculated at market value on the day the inheritance or gift is opened.

The canton of Vaud is one of the last cantons not to grant exemption or preferential rates of inheritance and gift tax to cohabiting partners. The partner’s children are treated less well than their own children, but in the same way as fathers and mothers.

Tax-free allowance for direct lineal descendants:

• Gift tax: tax-free allowance up to CHF 300,000 in the same year.
• Inheritance tax: tax-free allowance up to CHF 1,000,000 of the net amount of the share accruing to each line of descent of the first degree of kinship, where this share does not exceed CHF 1,001,000. If the share reaches CHF 1,001,000, the deduction is reduced by 1/100th per CHF 1,000 bracket starting at CHF 1,001,000.

Tax-free allowance for other beneficiaries:

• Gift tax: tax-free allowance up to CHF 10,000 in the same year.
• Inheritance tax: tax-free allowance up to CHF 10,000.

The amount of the cantonal inheritance and gift tax may be added to potential communal taxes which vary between communes.

• Between direct relatives in the ascending and descending line, communal gift or inheritance taxes (where they are levied, which is not always the case) will rarely exceed 50% of the amount of the cantonal inheritance and gift tax;
• Between collateral relatives, the amount of communal taxes will vary between 50% and 100% of the cantonal inheritance and gift tax;
• Between non-relatives, the communal taxes will largely correspond to the amount of the cantonal inheritance and gift tax.

Example 1 :

• Martine receives CHF 500,000 following the liquidation of her brother’s estate. The inheritance tax will amount to CHF 41,970 (i.e. a relative rate of 8.39%).

  Tax-free allowance CHF 12,000
  CHF 110,600 x 1.00% x 6 = CHF 6,636
  CHF 110,600 x 1.25% x 6 = CHF 8,295
  CHF 110,600 x 1.50% x 6 = CHF 9,954
  CHF 110,600 x 1.75% x 6 = CHF 11,613
  CHF 45,600 x 2.00% x 6 = CHF 5,472
  Total CHF 41,970

Example 2 :

• Jérôme receives a gift of CHF 225,000 from his partner with whom he has lived for 5 years. The gift tax will amount to CHF 38,176 (i.e. a relative rate of 16.97%).

  Tax-free allowance CHF 12,000
  CHF 110,600 x 1.00% x 16 = CHF 17,696
  CHF 102,400 x 1.25% x 16 = CHF 20,480
  Total CHF 38,176

Applicable law: Loi concernant la perception de droits de mutation sur les transferts immobiliers (LDMI) (Law on the collection of transfer duties on real estate transfers)

Tax payable by the purchaser of a legal or economic property.

The normal cantonal rate is 3.3%.

The rate is 2.2% when the property is intended to be the purchaser’s permanent main residence. This condition must be met for at least 2 years from the acquisition, failing which a tax adjustment will be made.

Acquisitions by inheritance (including by division of an estate), by dissolution of the matrimonial regime, transfers between spouses or between direct lineal relatives are not subject to transfer duty.

Applicable law: Loi sur les contributions directes (LCDir) (Law on direct contributions)

The tax is the responsibility of the vendor of a property. The following are considered as disposals: deeds that have the same economic effects as a disposal on the power to dispose of the property (disposal of a right of emption), the creation of private law easements and the transfer of equity securities to the capital of a real estate company.

The tax is deferred (giving rise to a significant latent tax liability) in the event of a transfer of property by gift, inheritance (including division of an estate and bequests) or anticipated inheritance, by transfer of property between spouses in connection with the matrimonial regime, separation and divorce and by an exchange of land.

The tax on the taxable gain is progressive, with a supplement or reduction depending on the period of ownership. It is calculated as follows:

The maximum reduced rate cannot be more than 60%.

For deferred taxation, the previous taxable disposal is decisive for calculating the period of ownership.

Conversely, the base tax is increased for a period of ownership of:

• less than 1 year: 60%
• less than 2 years: 45%
• less than 3 years: 30%
• less than 4 years: 15%

Applicable law: Loi instituant un impôt sur les successions et sur les donations entre vifs (LSucc) (Law establishing a tax on inheritances and inter vivos gifts)

Tax payable by the donee or heir

Spouses and recipients of inter vivos gifts of less than CHF 10,000 per year (tax-free allowance) are exempt from gift tax.

Spouses, children and parents are exempt from inheritance tax up to an amount of CHF 50,000, and other beneficiaries of a disposal due to death up to a maximum of CHF 10,000 (tax-free allowances).

Note: Neuchâtel is one of very few cantons to tax direct lineal relatives on the gifts and inheritances they receive (subject to tax-free allowances of CHF 10,000 and CHF 50,000).

The tax rate is determined as follows:

Applicable law: Loi sur les droits de mutations (LDM) (Law on transfer duties)

The tax is the responsibility of the purchaser or owner of the object of the pledge. The parties to the contract are jointly and severally responsible for paying the tax.

The cantonal proportional tax rate for acts and deeds for the legal or economic transfer of property is CHF 20 for a value between CHF 1,001 and CHF 50,000; 1% for a value between CHF 50,001 and CHF 500,000; 1.3% for a value between CHF 500,001 and CHF 1,000,00; 1.5% for a value of CHF 1,000,001 and above.

The cantonal proportional tax rate for other deeds (in particular annotated leases, constitution of usufruct and habitation rights, dissolution of co-ownership and joint property, deeds constituting real estate pledges and similar deeds) is CHF 20 for a value between CHF 1,001 and CHF 20,000; and 0.2% for a value of CHF 20,001 and above.

Communes can also charge transfer duty. The additional communal tax rate cannot be more than 50% of the cantonal transfer duties.

Deeds of a value of less than CHF 1,000 and deeds relating to transfers of property to direct lineal relatives, between spouses or between civil partners, including in execution of liquidation of the regime, are exempt from tax.

Applicable law: Loi fiscale (LF) (Tax law), Arts. 111 to 119

The tax is payable by the beneficiary of the taxable amount allocated.

The following are exempt from inheritance and gift tax: benefits given to direct blood relatives, spouses who are not legally separated, cohabiting partners and adopted children, portions of an estate whose net amount does not exceed CHF 10,000, gifts whose annual amount is less than CHF 2,000, benefits necessary for the beneficiary’s education or training, benefits and gifts from employers to their employees following a service relationship when said services are taxable as income, insurance payments on which the beneficiary is liable for income tax, allocations in favour of legal entities which are exclusively of public utility, provided that such allocations cannot be changed, allocations made to extra-cantonal legal entities to the extent that their canton grants reciprocity, and allocations made to non-profit cultural and sporting associations.

The assets are estimated at market value for tax calculation purposes. For properties, the cadastral tax is considered as the market value.

The tax rate is:

• 10% for portions allocated to parents’ relatives
• 15% for portions allocated to grandparents’ relatives
• 20% for portions allocated to great-grandparents’ relatives
• 25% for other allocations.

Applicable law: Loi cantonale sur les droits de mutation et les droits sur les gages immobiliers (LDMG) (Cantonal law on transfer duties and rights over pledged real estate)

Transfer duties are the responsibility of the purchaser, the beneficiary of a distinct and permanent right, the purchaser of shares in a real estate company and the transferor and the purchaser of a right of emption.

The cantonal transfer duty rate is 1.5%.

The following are exempt from transfer duties: real estate transfers between direct lineal relatives and between spouses, and between ex-spouses if they result from the allocation of the family home to one of the ex-spouses, acquisition by inheritance and by gift.

For the acquisition of a first home intended to be the purchaser’s main residence, the basis for the calculation is reduced by CHF 500,000 when the consideration is less than CHF 1,000,000 and by CHF 250,000 when the consideration is between CHF 1,000,001 and CHF 1,500,000. The home must be used for the purchaser’s personal use, immediately and for at least two years, without interruption, from the day the purchaser takes up residence there.

The rights over pledged real estate are the responsibility of the owner of the object of the pledge.

The cantonal rate for rights over pledged real estate is 0.75%, due on the amount of the real estate pledge upon its creation and on the amount of the increase.

Based on the amount of transfer duties or rights over pledged real estate, communes can also levy tax surcharges. These amount to a rate of 100% of the cantonal tax, i.e. 1.5%.

Applicable law: Loi cantonale sur les impôts cantonaux directs (LICD) (Cantonal law on direct cantonal taxes); Art. 41 et seq LICD

The tax is the responsibility of the vendor (natural person) of a property, of the person constituting or transferring a real right over a property or who exchanges it or transfers it from their private assets to their business assets.

Taxation is deferred (giving rise to a significant latent tax liability) particularly in the event of a transfer of property by gift, inheritance (including division of an estate and bequests) or anticipated inheritance, or a transfer between spouses in connection with the matrimonial regime or in the case of compensation for extraordinary contributions of a spouse to the maintenance of the family or claims arising from divorce law, provided that both spouses agree.

The simple tax on real estate gains is calculated according to the following unit rates:

Communes levy tax surcharges on the tax on real estate gains at the rate of 60 centimes per franc of the tax levied by the State.
When the gain made on an object with a period of ownership of less than five years exceeds 400,000 CHF, the portion of the tax relating to the gain above this limit is increased by 40%. All gains made during a calendar year are taken into account.

Applicable law: Loi cantonale sur l’impôt sur les successions et les donations (LISD) (Cantonal law on inheritance and gift tax)

The tax is the responsibility of the donee or heir.

Gifts and acquisition of wealth occurring due to the death of a spouse or of a direct lineal relative are exempt. Conversely, cohabitees are not exempt from inheritance and gift tax, though they benefit from a very favourable rate provided they have lived with the donor or the deceased for at least 10 years.

Tax-free allowance of up to CHF 5,000, every 5 years.

The tax rate is determined as follows:

Based on the amount of the tax, communes can also levy tax surcharges which may not exceed 70% of the tax.

Applicable law: Loi cantonale d’impôt (LI) (Cantonal tax law); Art. 87 et seq LI

The tax is the responsibility of the vendor of a property, of the person constituting or transferring a real right over a property or who exchanges it or transfers it from their private assets to their business assets.

Taxation is deferred (giving rise to a significant latent tax liability) particularly in the event of a transfer of property by gift, inheritance (including division of an estate and bequests) or anticipated inheritance, or a transfer between spouses in connection with the matrimonial regime or in the case of compensation for extraordinary contributions of a spouse to the maintenance of the family or claims arising from divorce law, provided that both spouses agree.

Gains of less than CHF 4,000.00 are not taxed. The tax on real estate gains is calculated on the basis of the following rate:

If the taxpayer has owned the transferred property for less than 5 years, the tax on the real estate gain is increased as follows:

If the property is disposed of in the course of the liquidation of an estate, or if the factual circumstances make it possible to rule out any intention to speculate, the amount of tax is not increased.

If the taxpayer has owned the transferred property for at least ten years, the tax on the real estate gain is reduced by 1% per year of ownership over the tenth year and by 2% per year of ownership over the fortieth year. The maximum deduction is 50%.

Applicable law: Legge cantonale sulle tariffe per le operazioni nel Registro fondiario (Cantonal law on fees for transactions in the Land Register) of 16 October 2006 (LTORF) and Legge sull’imposta di bollo e sugli spettacoli cinematografici (Law on stamp duty and film shows) of 20 October 2006

Land register taxes are the responsibility of the applicant, with joint responsibility of all interested parties (i.e. the parties to the deed and the notary).

The rate for transfers of property for consideration is 1.1% if the value is less than CHF 2 million and 1.3% if it is greater. In special cases (by way of example and not exhaustively, transfer to an inheritance of a value of less than CHF 20,000, allocation following divorce) this rate is reduced by 1/8.

The rate for the transfer of ownership to an inheritance of a value over CHF 20,000 is 0.5% of the estimated value.

The rate for transfer of ownership by gift is 1.1% of the value.

The rate for the creation of rights over pledged real estate is 0.7% of the value, or 0.1% in the event of an extension

Stamp duty is due for all contracts having as their subject all public acts except those relating to companies and inheritances. and certain operations in the land register (for example creation of a condominium (PPE), promise of sale, transfer of the right of emption). The rate is 0.3% of the value and 0.1% for transactions involving rights of pledge.

Applicable law: Legge tributaria (Finance law) of 21 June, 1994 (LT); Art. 123 et seq LT

The tax is the responsibility of the vendor of a property.

The following are subject to tax: sales and exchanges of real estate, as well as expropriations; the dissolution of collective property (ordinary co-ownership, co-ownership, co-ownership excluding inheritance), if the division gives rise to the payment of an owelty; constitutions in favour of third parties and disposals of building leases which have the character of a distinct and permanent right, the effects of which are economically comparable to a disposal of real estate; constitutions of land charges which, in the form of private law easements, limit the unconditional exploitation or permanently and significantly reduce the market value of a property and which are carried out against the payment of compensation; successive transfers of rights, particularly rights of emption, but also rights of pre-emption; contributions to a company or disposals of stocks or shares in real estate companies or other companies in whose assets properties and participations in real estate companies have a preponderant value; all other transfers of real estate and all other legal transactions whose effects are economically comparable to those of a transfer of ownership (e.g. the transfer of property indices).

Tax is deferred in the following cases, among others: transfers by inheritance, bequest or gift; transfers between spouses, but only if they are motivated by claims arising from the matrimonial regime or extraordinary contributions by one spouse to the maintenance of the family (Art. 165 CC) or by claims based on divorce law in these cases, for the deferral to be granted, it must be requested by both spouses); dissolution of hereditary communities; dissolution of other collective properties, provided that the division takes place in kind and without monetary compensation (or in the form of other benefits); reorganisation of plots of land; sale of the main residence (flat or house) used by the seller, if the entire proceeds of the sale are used within a maximum of two years for the purchase or construction of a replacement main residence in Switzerland.

The tax on the taxable gain is degressive, and is calculated according to the period of ownership of the property, as follows:

When calculating the tax, the seller can choose to take the purchase price into consideration or, if the property has been owned for more than 20 years, the appraised value from 20 years ago.

Applicable law: Legge tributaria (Finance law) of 21 June 1994 (LT); Art. 142 et seq LT

The tax is the responsibility of the heir/donee and the executor/donor jointly and severally up to a certain amount.

Tax is due when

• a) the tax domicile or residence of the deceased/donor was in the canton at the time of the death/transfer of assets;
• b) the succession was opened in the canton;
• c) the inheritance/gift relates to properties (including commercial) and their accessories located in the canton or to mortgage-backed securities or a lien on properties located in the canton;
• d) a donee with domicile or tax residence in Ticino receives movable property from a donor located abroad;

The tax may be reduced by 50% under the conditions set out in Article 156a LT (transfer of business).

The surviving spouse and direct lineal descendants or ascendants are exempt from this tax.

The tax according to the degree of kinship (see letter b) is levied according to the following coefficients: