Americans in Switzerland: Your US Tax Return Checklist 🇨🇭
What documents do US taxpayers in Switzerland need to file? You’ll need your Lohnausweis, Swiss tax return (Steuererklärung/Déclaration d’impôt/Dichiarazione d’imposta) if filed, proof of taxes paid to cantonal and federal tax authorities, travel records showing time in each country, and foreign account information if balances exceeded $10,000 USD at any time during the tax year.
Key facts for US taxpayers in Switzerland:
- Both countries tax worldwide income; the US-Switzerland tax treaty prevents double taxation but doesn’t eliminate filing requirements
- June 15 automatic filing extension applies if you live outside the US on the regular April deadline
- Swiss tax year aligns with the US calendar year (January 1 – December 31)
- FBAR required if total foreign accounts (including Swiss bank accounts, Pillar 2/3a pension accounts, investment accounts) exceeded $10,000 USD at any point during the tax year
- Swiss retirement accounts (2nd pillar/BVG, 3rd pillar/3a) have special treaty treatment
- Swiss social security contributions (AHV/AVS/AI/DI) do NOT qualify for US tax credits
- Foreign Tax Credit often provides better results due to Swiss tax rates, though this requires analysis of each individual specific situation
- Switzerland has cantonal and communal taxes in addition to federal taxes
📋 Filing Status & Household Information
Your filing status affects tax rates, deductions, credits, and multiple downstream decisions.
What you need:
- Full legal names (must match Social Security cards exactly)
- SSN or ITIN for you, your spouse, and dependents
- Dates of birth
- Filing status (Single, Married Filing Jointly, Married Filing Separately, Head of Household)
- Dependent relationship details
✈️ Travel Calendar & Addresses
Critical for reporting requirements and for determining eligibility for provisions such as the Foreign Earned Income Exclusion.
What you need:
- Dates of entry to and exit from the US and Switzerland
- Workdays vs non-workdays (if tracking physical presence)
- All addresses during the tax year, with move-in and move-out dates
More information on maintaining a Travel Calendar
💼 Employment & Income Information
For Employees:
- Lohnausweis (Wage Statement) (Swiss equivalent of US W-2)
- Payslips (Lohnabrechnungen/bulletins de salaire/cedolini paga) from January to December showing cumulative totals
- Bonus, 13th salary, or supplemental compensation statements (if any)
- Benefits documentation (company car, meal allowances, etc.)
For Self-Employed / Freelancers (Selbständigerwerbende/indépendants/lavoratori indipendenti):
- Steuererklärung/Déclaration d’impôt/Dichiarazione d’imposta (Tax Return) with business income section
- Records of gross income and expenses
- Invoices issued
- Home office details (if applicable)
- VAT (MWST/TVA/IVA) records if registered
- Quarterly advance payment records (if applicable)
Note for Self-Employed Individuals:
If you’re self-employed, you may need a Certificate of Coverage from the Federal Office for Social Security to avoid paying US self-employment tax in addition to Swiss AHV/AVS contributions. This certificate proves you pay social security and Medicare taxes to Switzerland, making your self-employment income exempt from self-employment tax in the US under the US-Switzerland totalization agreement. You can obtain it from:
- Bundesamt für Sozialversicherung (Federal Office for Social Security)
- For more information, visit the Social Security Administration’s international programs page.
Other Income:
- Interest and dividend statements (Swiss and US sources)
- Rental income and expenses
- Pension income (AHV/AVS, BVG/LPP, 3a pillar distributions)
- Capital gains or losses
- Cryptocurrency transactions
Common mistake: Non-US income is still generally reportable on a US return.
🌍 Foreign Taxes Paid
Required to evaluate and calculate the Foreign Tax Credit.
What you need:
- Steuererklärung/Déclaration d’impôt/Dichiarazione d’imposta (Tax Return) (if filed)
- Lohnausweis (Wage Statement)
- Steuerrechnung/Bordereau d’impôt/Conteggio fiscale (Tax Assessment) from cantonal tax authority
- Quellensteuerabrechnung/Décompte d’impôt à la source/Conteggio dell’imposta alla fonte (Withholding Tax Statement) (if subject to source taxation)
- Tax payment receipts or bank statements showing payments to federal, cantonal, and communal tax authorities
- Records of advance payments (if applicable)
Important decision: Foreign Tax Credit, Foreign Earned Income Exclusion, or a combination. For most Switzerland residents, Foreign Tax Credit provides better results due to Swiss tax rates, though this requires analysis of each individual specific situation.
Timing note: You can claim taxes paid or accrued. This choice affects which year’s Swiss taxes offset which year’s US taxes.
Note: Swiss taxes are assessed at three levels – federal (Bund/Confédération/Confederazione), cantonal (Kanton/canton/cantone), and communal (Gemeinde/commune/comune). All three are creditable.
💰 Deductions & Credits
Common deductions:
- Foreign housing costs (rent, utilities, insurance)
- Student loan interest (US loans only)
- Retirement contributions (401k, IRA – Swiss pillar 3a contributions may have treaty benefits)
- Charitable contributions to US-qualified organizations (Swiss charities generally don’t qualify)
Common credits:
- Child Tax Credit / Credit for Other Dependents
- Foreign Tax Credit (Swiss federal, cantonal, and communal taxes)
- Education credits (if applicable for US institutions)
What you need:
- Receipts and supporting documentation
- Rental agreements (Mietvertrag/contrat de bail/contratto di locazione) and housing expense records
- Pillar 2 and 3a contribution statements
- Charitable donation receipts (verify US qualification)
🏦 Foreign Bank & Financial Accounts (FBAR)
An FBAR is required if the aggregate value of all foreign accounts exceeded $10,000 USD at any time during the year.
What you need for each account:
- Account number and IBAN
- Financial institution name and address
- Account type (Sparkonto/compte d’épargne/conto di risparmio, Privatkonto/compte privé/conto privato, Wertschriftenkonto/compte-titres/conto titoli, pillar 2/3a account)
- Maximum value during the year in CHF (converted to USD using Treasury rates)
Notes:
- Joint accounts and signature authority still count
- Pillar 2 (BVG/LPP) occupational pension accounts must be reported
- Pillar 3a (tied pension) accounts must be reported
- Investment accounts must be reported
- Business accounts where you have signing authority must be reported
More information on FBAR requirements
📊 Foreign Financial Assets (Form 8938)
Separate from FBAR, with higher thresholds and overlapping but distinct rules.
What you need:
- Bank and investment account details (similar to FBAR)
- Foreign stock or securities held outside accounts
- Swiss pension account statements (pillar 2/BVG and pillar 3a)
- Foreign partnership interests
- Foreign-issued life insurance or annuities (Lebensversicherung/assurance-vie/assicurazione sulla vita)
More information on Form 8938 requirements
🏠 Foreign Rental Real Estate
What you need:
- Purchase date and price (in CHF and USD)
- Current fair market value
- Rental income and expenses (if applicable)
- Sale details (if sold): proceeds, adjusted cost base, capital gain calculation
- Mortgage and financing information
- Property registration documents (Grundbuchauszug/extrait du registre foncier/estratto del registro fondiario)
- Property tax records (varies by canton)
- Maintenance and service charges
Reminder: US depreciation and capital gains rules differ from Swiss rules.
🇨🇭 Swiss Retirement Accounts & Social Security (Special Treatment)
Swiss retirement accounts have unique US tax treatment:
What you need:
- Annual pillar 2 (BVG/LPP) contribution statements and pension certificates
- Pillar 3a account statements and balances (December 31)
- AHV/AVS (social security) contribution records
- Pension distribution statements (if receiving payments)
- Employer pension scheme details (2nd pillar)
- Freizügigkeitskonto/compte de libre passage/conto di libero passaggio (vested benefits account) statements
Key points:
- Swiss pillar 2 and 3a growth can be tax-deferred in the US if proper treaty elections are made
- Employee contributions may be deductible on US return under treaty provisions
- Employer contributions to pillar 2 are generally not taxable income in the US
- Swiss state pension (AHV/AVS) is taxable on both US and Swiss returns
- AHV/AVS contributions do NOT qualify for US tax credits
- Lump-sum pension withdrawals have special US tax treatment considerations
👶 Dependents & Education
For each dependent:
- SSN or ITIN
- Months lived with you
- Childcare provider details (name, address, tax ID if available)
- Education expense records (Form 1098-T from US institutions)
- International or private school tuition records
- Kinderzulagen/allocations familiales/assegni familiari (family allowances) information (Swiss benefit is not taxable in the US)
Note: Swiss university or international school tuition does NOT qualify for US education credits in most cases.
🏥 Health Insurance
What you need:
- Proof of mandatory health insurance coverage (Krankenkasse/caisse-maladie/cassa malati)
- Private supplementary insurance details (if applicable)
- Premium amounts paid
💳 Other Important Items
- Prior year US tax return
- IRS notices or correspondence
- Estimated tax payments made to IRS
- US state tax information (if you maintained state residency)
- Pillar 2 and 3a pension statements
- AHV/AVS number (Swiss social security number)
- Tax identification number (varies by canton)
- Residence permit (Aufenthaltsbewilligung/permis de séjour/permesso di dimora) documentation
- Record of any tax treaty elections made in prior years
✅ Ready to File?
Organizing these items upfront saves time and reduces the risk of missed reporting or penalties, even in years with little or no tax due. The US-Switzerland tax relationship involves complex treaty provisions and the unique three-pillar pension system that require professional expertise.
🔎 Quick Reference
- Switzerland Tax Year: January 1 – December 31
- Swiss Tax Filing Deadline: March 31 (typically extended to September 30 or later with request, varies by canton)
- US Tax Year: January 1 – December 31
- US Filing Deadline: June 15 (automatic extension for taxpayers abroad)
- Extended US Deadline: October 15 (with extension)
- FBAR Deadline: April 15 (automatic extension to October 15)
- USD/CHF conversion: Use Treasury Department rates or year-end rates consistently
Documents specific to Switzerland:
- Lohnausweis (Wage Statement)
- Steuererklärung/Déclaration d’impôt/Dichiarazione d’imposta (Tax Return)
- Steuerrechnung/Bordereau d’impôt/Conteggio fiscale (Tax Assessment)
- Quellensteuerabrechnung/Décompte d’impôt à la source/Conteggio dell’imposta alla fonte (Withholding Tax Statement)
- Lohnabrechnung/Bulletin de salaire/Cedolino paga (Payslip)
- Pensionskassenausweis/Certificat de prévoyance/Certificato di previdenza (Pension Certificate – Pillar 2)
- Grundbuchauszug/Extrait du registre foncier/Estratto del registro fondiario (Land Registry Extract)
⚠️ Every individual income tax situation is unique and may involve nuances that are not obvious from general guidance. You should review your specific facts with a qualified tax professional before making filing decisions or taking action based on this information.
