Who pays your salary if you are ill for a long time?
In short
If you are ill, your employer continues to pay your salary for a limited time.
In the first year of service at least three weeks, longer after that. Many employers have daily sickness allowance insurance for this, which usually pays 80 percent of salary for up to 720 days. It is not compulsory. Self-employed people must insure themselves.
GuideTo the answer in a few questions
Who pays your salary when you are ill?
Two questions, and you know who pays in long illness and where a gap threatens.
All answers at a glance
How do you work? Self-employed
Nobody, unless you insure yourself. As a self-employed person you have no continued payment of salary. You only get a daily sickness allowance with your own insurance. Check how long you can manage without income and choose the waiting period accordingly.
How do you work? Unemployed
Unemployment insurance, but only briefly. If you are temporarily ill, the unemployment fund keeps paying until the 30th day at most. After that you need your own daily allowance insurance. Ask your fund.
Does your employer have daily sickness allowance insurance? Yes
The daily sickness allowance insurance pays. Usually there is 80 percent of salary for up to 720 days, after a waiting period in which the employer pays the salary. The exact benefits are in the contract. If you leave the company, you can often move to individual insurance.
Does your employer have daily sickness allowance insurance? No or I do not know
Your employer pays, but only for a limited time. By law, from three months of employment the employer keeps paying your salary for at least three weeks in the first year of service, and for a reasonably longer time after that. With long illness that is not enough. Ask your employer how it is regulated.
According to OR Art. 324a and AVIG, as of 2026. What exactly applies is in your employment contract and the policy. Not advice.
Want to know more?
Who pays when you are ill?
| You are | Who pays your salary |
|---|---|
| Employed, with daily allowance insurance | First the employer during the waiting period, then the insurance |
| Employed, without daily allowance insurance | The employer, but only for a limited time |
| Self-employed | Nobody, unless you have your own insurance |
| Unemployed | The unemployment fund for a short time, then your own insurance |
With an accident, something else applies. Then accident insurance pays 80 percent of salary from the third day.
What does that mean in francs?
You earn CHF 6,000 a month and are ill for four months in your third year of service. Without insurance your employer pays perhaps two months, depending on the region. After that you are missing CHF 12,000. With daily allowance insurance you get 80 percent after the waiting period, so CHF 4,800 a month.
What do you look out for?
- Ask when you start a job. Is there daily sickness allowance insurance, how long is the waiting period and what percentage does it pay?
- Read the deduction on your payslip. If you contribute, there is a deduction for daily sickness allowance.
- Plan your exit. If you change jobs or become unemployed, sort out the move to individual insurance straight away.
What many people get wrong
- “The employer always pays when you are ill.” Without insurance only for a limited time.
- “Health insurance pays my salary.” Basic insurance only pays doctor and hospital.
- “As a self-employed person I am somehow covered.” Only with your own insurance.
Frequently asked questions
Is daily sickness allowance insurance compulsory?
No. The law only requires continued payment of salary. Insurance replaces it if it is at least equivalent for you and the employer pays at least half of the premium. Some collective labour agreements make it mandatory.
How long does the employer pay without insurance?
If the employment has lasted more than three months or was concluded for that long, at least three weeks in the first year of service. After that for a reasonably longer time. How long exactly is set by the courts with their own scales depending on the region.
What happens to the allowance if I leave the job?
Protection through the employer ends. You can usually move to individual insurance with the same insurer without new health questions. The deadline for this is short and stated in your contract. Do not miss it, especially if you are already ill.
Am I insured as a self-employed person?
No. You need your own daily sickness allowance insurance. The longer the waiting period, the lower the premium. Choose it so that you can bridge the time with your reserves.
One more question
Does health insurance pay a daily allowance?
Only if you have expressly insured it. Basic insurance pays doctor costs, but no replacement for lost salary. You have to take out an allowance under the KVG or a private insurance separately.
What comes next?
Your path · My job is changing Step 4 of 7
Your next step How are you insured if you become unemployed?Sources and date 2 October 2026
- SECO: Employee prevented from working, in German
- ch.ch: Incapacity to work, in German
- FOPH: Voluntary daily allowance insurance, in German
- Federal Council: Coordination between daily allowance insurers, in German
This page explains in general terms and does not replace personal advice. Law and your policy are what counts.