Taxes, pensions, health insurance: you shouldn’t miss these financial deadlines in 2024

The tax return and the necessary auxiliary forms and annexes must be submitted by March 31, 2024. If you need more time, you can request an extension. Since taxes in Switzerland belong to the cantons, there are different regulations here.

In principle, the extension can be applied free of charge until March 31. Taxpayers have until September 30, 2024 to fill out the return.

Anyone who needs a further extension or misses a deadline pays a fee. This is usually between 40 and 60 francs.

The health insurance shock really devastated us this year. In 2024, the average compulsory basic insurance premium will increase by 8.7 percent on average. Experts’ optimism for next year is also limited. So it’s time to compare different providers.

The deadline to change health insurance at the beginning of the year is November 30. Until then, you must cancel your old insurance before you can replace your basic insurance.

A different deadline applies for additional insurance. As a rule, additional insurance contracts are valid for one year with a notice period of three months. In this case, the cancellation request must reach the insurance company by September 30 at the latest.

Important: Do not cancel your additional insurance before your contract with the new health insurance company is concluded. Insurance companies have no obligation to contract with you and may deny you.

For many retirees, AHV is not enough to get by with the same standard of living. Therefore, anyone who can afford it should pay column 3a. In this way, the private pension gap can be closed. So what is the maximum amount in 2024 and by when do you have to transfer it?

Employees with a pension fund are allowed to pay a maximum of 7,056 francs. For employees without a pension fund, this is 20 percent of net earned income, but up to a maximum of 35,280 francs.

Contributions must be transferred to the retirement account on December 31, 2024. To be on the safe side, employees need to be paid before the Christmas break. It is even better to transfer the maximum amount at the beginning of the year. This means you can benefit from favorable interest rates on your retirement account for longer.

In some banks, although the expiration date of a fixed-rate housing loan is fixed, it must be canceled months in advance. Many banks only contact their customers shortly before the mortgage expires. So it may be too late to switch to a cheaper bank.

Therefore, it is best to arrange follow-on financing a year before it expires. Of course, this date varies depending on when you took out the mortgage.