OPA reform: what would change?

The reform of the Occupational Pensions Act (OPA/BVG) has no effect on current pensions, whether or not it is approved by voters.

The OPA reform relates to the mandatory portion of the occupational pension. All pension funds are required to provide this, since it is the statutory minimum for occupational pension insurance.

PUBLICA offers pension provision over and above the statutory minimum, which means the benefits you receive from PUBLICA under the regulations are generally higher. In principle, approval of the OPA reform would not have any impact on benefits provided as per the regulations (e.g. pensions, vested benefits on departure) to members insured with PUBLICA. Members in the transition generation – those reaching statutory retirement age in the 15 years after the reform comes into force – would receive a pension supplement provided they meet a number of conditions.

PUBLICA does not give recommendations on how to vote. If you would like to learn more about the proposal, we recommend this link (in German, French and Italian):

Reform of occupational pensions (OPA reform) (admin.ch)

No. Even if the OPA reform is approved, your pension from PUBLICA will not be reduced.

Because you are insured in excess of the statutory minimum with PUBLICA, a reduction in the conversion rate for the mandatory portion will have no effect on your pension.

A vote in favour of the OPA reform will not require PUBLICA to adjust the conversion rate set out in its regulations. The conversion rate under PUBLICA’s regulations is currently 5.09%, lower than the current OPA minimum of 6.80%. This is possible because the level of the pension you will receive one day is dictated by all factors in the regulations. Taken together, these add up to a higher pension than the OPA minimum.

PUBLICA is a collective institution comprising 11 pension plans.

With the exception of the SNM and ETH pension plans, none of these have an entry threshold and consequently, the OPA reform would make no difference.

The SNM pension plan has an entry threshold of CHF 8 000, which is lower than the envisaged new threshold. The OPA reform would make no difference.

The only case in which the OPA reform proposal would affect the entry threshold is the ETH pension plan, because its plan regulations directly reference the law (OPA).

The coordination offset ensures that the pension fund only levies contributions on the portion of the salary that is not already covered by the OASI. This means that when calculating the insured salary, the coordination offset is deducted. The coordination offset is not insured under the occupational pension. This ensures that salary components are not insured twice. Under the OPA, the coordination offset is currently CHF 25 725 (7/8 of a maximum OASI pension).

The OPA reform provides for a coordination offset amounting to 20% of the annual salary, based on a maximum salary of CHF 88 200, giving a maximum offset of CHF 17 640. For many people working part-time, this would mean their insured salary would rise and their net salary would fall.

PUBLICA currently calculates a coordination offset of 30% of the annual insurable salary, with the maximum being the CHF 25 725 stipulated in the OPA (as of 2024). It also takes working hours (in %) into account.

A vote in favour of the OPA reform would not necessarily require PUBLICA to adjust the level of the coordination offset. PUBLICA already takes working hours (in %) into account when calculating the offset, so those working part-time are not disadvantaged.

No. PUBLICA provides insurance over and above the statutory minimum, and the savings contributions are higher. If the OPA reform were approved, this would not result in any change to your savings contributions (except for those paid through fees).

Click on the pension plan you are insured with to see your savings contributions and how they are divided up between you and your employer:

The Affiliated Organisations pension plan

The FINMA pension plan

The Swissmedic pension plan

The Confederation pension plan

The IPI pension plan

The METAS pension plan

The ENSI pension plan

The FAOA pension plan

The ETH Domain pension plan

The SNM pension plan

The current savings contributions for the mandatory portion of the occupational pension and the savings contributions if the OPA reform were accepted can be seen in this table:

The OPA reform provides for a pension supplement for those in the transition generation – members reaching retirement age in the 15 years after the reform comes into force  – whose pension assets according to the regulations are less than CHF 441 000 when they retire. Other conditions apply, which have not yet been finalised. The supplement would also apply to those insured with PUBLICA, provided they meet the conditions.

You can get an indication of where you stand from your pension statement, which you can easily create in myPublica: your projected retirement assets at age 65, along with other criteria, determine whether or not you would be eligible for the supplement. If your projected retirement assets at age 65 are already more than CHF 441,000, you would not be eligible; in other cases, various other conditions would need to be checked.

Entitlement would depend on age and pension assets.

At PUBLICA, approximately 1/3% of members are in the transition generation.

PUBLICA provides benefits over and above the statutory minimum. The savings contributions and conversion rate set out in the regulations apply to all annual salaries.

You can find this information on the second page of your pension certificate (under “BVG retirement assets”):

Understanding your pension certificate better | publica.ch

(exception: those paid through fees)

That is not yet clear. One possible date is 1 January 2026.