Family allowances

Family allowances go some way towards meeting the costs of bringing up children. They include child and education allowances, as well as birth and adoption allowances mandated by the individual cantons. All cantons require as a minimum the following allowances per child per month:

• a child allowance of CHF 200 for children up to the age of 16
• an education allowance of CHF 250 for children between the ages of 16 and 25

In many cantons, the amount is higher. All employees and persons not gainfully employed with a modest income are entitled to these allowances, and in some cantons self-employed people are too. There are special rules for farmers. These benefits are financed almost exclusively by the employer.