Switzerland Wealth Tax Calculator: Vermögenssteuer on Net Assets
Estimate the Swiss wealth tax (Vermögenssteuer / impôt sur la fortune) on your net assets — a tax levied annually by the cantons and communes on your total net wealth, not your income — and the wealth left after it.
Adjust the inputs and select Calculate for a full breakdown.
Compare Common Scenarios
How the numbers shift across typical situations for this calculator:
| Scenario | Wealth tax (estimate) | Net wealth after tax |
|---|---|---|
| 0.3% of CHF 1,000,000 (~CHF 3,000) | 3,000 | 997,000 |
| 0.5% of CHF 2,000,000 | 10,000 | 1,990,000 |
| 0.1% of CHF 500,000 | 500 | 499,500 |
| 0.7% of CHF 5,000,000 | 35,000 | 4,965,000 |
How This Calculator Works
Enter your canton's effective wealth-tax rate and your net taxable wealth (assets minus debts). The calculator returns an estimate of the wealth tax and the net wealth after it. Switzerland is one of the few countries with an annual wealth tax; it's set at cantonal and communal level, so rates, allowances and valuation rules vary considerably by where you live.
The Formula
Percentage of an Amount
Amount is the base value, Percentage is the rate applied to it
Worked Example
At an effective 0.3% on CHF 1,000,000 of net wealth, the wealth tax is about CHF 3,000. The Swiss wealth tax (Vermögenssteuer) is an annual tax on your net assets — bank deposits, securities, real estate, vehicles, business interests and more, minus your debts. Unusually among developed countries, Switzerland levies it every year rather than just income tax. It's a cantonal and communal tax (there's no federal wealth tax), so the rate and the tax-free allowance differ from canton to canton, with effective rates typically a fraction of a percent up to around 1%.
Key Insight
Switzerland's wealth tax is a defining and unusual feature of its tax system, and a few points make an estimate meaningful. It taxes net wealth, not income: you add up worldwide assets — cash, bank and securities accounts, the tax value of real estate, cars, the surrender value of certain insurance, business assets — and subtract debts (mortgages, loans) to get the taxable base. It's purely cantonal and communal — there is no federal wealth tax — so the rate, the tax-free allowance (a threshold below which no wealth tax is due, varying by canton and marital/family status), and even how assets are valued differ by canton; low-tax cantons can be markedly cheaper than high-tax ones, which is part of Switzerland's internal tax competition. Rates are usually progressive within a canton and modest in absolute terms (often a few tenths of a percent, reaching toward 1% at high wealth in some cantons), which is why this calculator asks for an 'effective' rate rather than modelling each scale. Real estate is taxed at its (often below-market) cantonal tax value, and foreign real estate is generally exempt from Swiss wealth tax but counted to set the rate; mortgages reduce the base. The tax interacts with the wider system: Switzerland generally does not tax private capital gains on movable assets, and the wealth tax is sometimes seen as a counterpart to that. There's debate about its effect on very wealthy residents and lump-sum taxation arrangements for some foreigners. This calculator gives a simple flat-rate estimate on the net wealth you enter; for a real figure, use your canton and commune's actual progressive scale, deduct the tax-free allowance first, value real estate at its tax value, and remember debts reduce the base.
Frequently Asked Questions
How is the Swiss wealth tax calculated?
Apply your canton's effective rate to your net taxable wealth (assets minus debts). At 0.3% on CHF 1,000,000, the tax is about CHF 3,000. Rates are progressive and vary by canton, and a tax-free allowance applies first — so this flat-rate figure is an estimate.
What is the Vermögenssteuer?
Switzerland's annual wealth tax — a tax on your net assets (bank balances, securities, real estate, vehicles, business interests, minus debts), not on income. Unusually among developed countries, Switzerland levies it every year. It's a cantonal and communal tax, with no federal wealth tax.
Why do rates differ so much?
Because the wealth tax is set at cantonal and communal level, not federally. Each canton has its own rate scale, tax-free allowance and asset-valuation rules, so the tax on identical wealth can differ significantly between cantons — part of Switzerland's internal tax competition between low- and high-tax cantons.
What assets are included?
Worldwide movable assets — cash, bank and securities accounts, vehicles, certain insurance values, business assets — plus the cantonal tax value of real estate, minus your debts (mortgages, loans). Foreign real estate is generally exempt from the tax itself but counted to determine the applicable rate.
Is there a tax-free allowance?
Yes — each canton sets a threshold below which no wealth tax is due, varying by canton and by family/marital status. This calculator doesn't deduct the allowance, so it overstates the tax for wealth near the threshold. Deduct your canton's allowance from net wealth before applying the rate for a closer figure.
Related Calculators
Methodology & Review
The wealth tax is the effective rate applied to net taxable wealth; the remainder is the wealth after the tax. It models a single flat effective rate on net wealth and does not apply the tax-free allowance (exemption threshold), the progressive cantonal/communal scales, or the canton-specific valuation rules for assets.
Written by Ugo Candido · Last updated May 22, 2026.