Trace.
Take stock of the pension funds and accounts you have held throughout your career. Check whether any savings have been left behind.
Pick up the thread ↗THE 2PILIERS.CH COLLECTION · VESTED BENEFITS
Your path changes.
Your pension stays with you.
A change of job. A career break. A fresh start.
Keep track of your second-pillar savings and put each decision in perspective.
Find my situation ↓I’m looking for unclaimed benefits ↗
A NEW CHAPTER. THE SAME HORIZON.Your vested benefits, seen as part of the bigger picture.HERITY ↗PENSIONS & INSURANCEEXCELIS ↗FIDUCIARY & TAX SERVICES
01 — UNDERSTAND BEFORE YOU CHOOSE
Savings that stay with you.
Even between life’s chapters.
Vested benefits arrangements preserve your pension savings when you leave a pension fund and cannot transfer all your capital to a new one. They remain part of the Swiss second pillar.
Organise.
Review where your savings are held, the conditions for keeping them there and any transfer to a new pension fund.
Start with my situation ↗Plan ahead.
Connect your pension choices with your plans, your retirement horizon and your tax position.
Prepare for what comes next ↗02 — YOUR STARTING POINT
Where do you stand
today?
Choose the situation closest to yours. These initial pointers help prepare a conversation; they are not a personalised recommendation.
YOUR NEXT STEP
Maintain continuity.
If you are not joining a new pension fund, you need to arrange for your savings to be held in a vested benefits solution. Your time horizon and needs are the starting point.
WHAT TO GATHER
Your leaving statement, vested benefits statements and the contact details of your former pension fund.
Let’s discuss my situation ↗03 — LEAVE NOTHING BEHIND
Have your pension savings kept up
with every change?
A former job, temporary work or a career break may have left savings in different places. The 2nd Pillar Central Office offers a free search for institutions holding pension assets in your name.
You can make this request directly. We can then help you understand the results and consider the next steps.
Open the official form (French) ↗An official service of the LOB Guarantee Fund, separate from Herity and Excelis.
04 — A DECISION THAT FITS YOU
Before choosing a solution,
let’s ask the right questions.
When will you need to decide?
A new job, a professional project or retirement: timing gives purpose to your choice of solution.
Which terms should you compare?
Fees, returns, risks, benefits and transfer conditions: consider the whole picture, beyond a single rate.
How do your decisions fit together?
Coordinate pensions, liquidity and taxation. Withdrawal options need to be checked for each individual situation.
05 — SPLIT AT THE RIGHT TIME
Two sets of savings.
A timeline to plan.
When leaving a pension fund, a leaving benefit may be divided between a maximum of two vested benefits institutions. This “splitting” can offer flexibility for investments and future withdrawals.
The decision comes first.
Savings already transferred to a single vested benefits account generally cannot be split later. Two accounts with the same foundation are not a substitute for two separate institutions.
A year can make a difference.
Withdrawing over two tax years may reduce tax, depending on your circumstances. Other pension capital and your spouse’s withdrawals must be considered. Savings are not automatic.
The right choice, at the right time.
Herity examines solutions and their terms. Excelis assesses the tax consequences of the timing. Both perspectives help identify a split suited to your plans.
ADOPTED RULE · TRANSITION UNTIL THE END OF 2029
The window for
staggering withdrawals is narrowing.
Until 31 December 2029: if you are no longer working, withdrawals may still be deferred for up to five years after reference age, but never beyond the end of 2029. Your personal deadline may be earlier.
From 2030: deferral beyond reference age requires continued gainful employment and remains limited to five years. Accounts opened previously are also affected.
Withdrawing both balances in the same year does not provide the benefit of spreading withdrawals over two tax years.
Current rules, proposals and sources
Information checked on 23 October 2026. Splitting is governed by Art. 12 of the Vested Benefits Ordinance (OLP/FZV); withdrawal deadlines by Art. 16 and its transitional provision. See the Vested Benefits Ordinance (French) and the FSIO guidance, bulletin 162, pages 27–28 (French). Transfer into a new pension fund must be considered first.
AHV/AVS 2030 remains a proposal: it includes a gradual increase in the minimum early-retirement age in the second pillar, with exceptions and transitional arrangements. The details and commencement date have not been settled. This proposal should not be confused with the already adopted rule on vested benefits withdrawals. Check the official status of the proposal (French).
06 — HERITY × EXCELIS
Two complementary areas of expertise.
One informed decision.
Your vested benefits involve both pensions and taxation. Herity and Excelis bring their respective expertise to connect the choice of a solution with its practical consequences.
HERITYPENSIONS & INSURANCE
Choose and put in place.
Pension advice starts with your career, your needs and your time horizon.
- Review your savings and transfer options.
- Compare foundations, strategies, risks and fees.
- Explore splitting and support implementation of the chosen solution.
EXCELISFIDUCIARY & TAX SERVICES
Calculate and coordinate.
The fiduciary perspective connects your pension decision with your tax position and wider assets.
- Compare the tax consequences of withdrawal scenarios.
- Coordinate timing with other pension capital and your household’s circumstances.
- Support the tax and fiduciary procedures included in the agreed mandate.
EXAMPLE · PLANNING YOUR RETIREMENT
Choosing a pension solution also means choosing its timing.
Herity examines how your savings can be maintained and invested. Excelis calculates the tax effects of possible withdrawal dates. You receive an explained selection and a coherent timeline before making your decision.
2piliers-plp.ch
Pointers to help identify the questions that matter to you.
Herity & Excelis
An assessment tailored to your circumstances, drawing on the expertise needed.
Your plans
Options explained, their costs and an implementation timeline.
Herity and Excelis retain their own roles and mandates. The parties involved, scope of services and fees are specified before any commitment. Information is coordinated with your agreement. A tax assessment is not a ruling by the tax authorities.
Request an assessment tailored to my situation ↗ONE COLLECTION. A COHERENT VISION.
The second pillar,
in all its dimensions.
THE STARTING POINT · IN PREPARATION
2piliers.ch
Understand occupational pensions: your career, pension fund and retirement planning.
YOU ARE HERE
EXPLORE FURTHER ↗2piliers-plp.ch
The specialist resource for tracing pension savings and organising vested benefits.
3piliers.ch
Build your assets, draw on them and plan their transfer to the next generation.
YOUR QUESTIONS
The essentials.
Are vested benefits part of the third pillar?
No. They are savings from occupational pensions and therefore belong to the second pillar. They are distinct from pillar 3a or 3b savings.
What if I join a new pension fund?
Request a transfer of your savings to your new pension fund. It will check how they can be integrated in your circumstances. Any surplus should be discussed with the fund.
Is the search for pension savings free?
Searching directly through the 2nd Pillar Central Office is free. Any separate advisory support is subject to terms agreed in advance.
Can I withdraw this capital freely?
No. It remains earmarked for retirement provision. Withdrawal options depend on legal conditions and your circumstances, including retirement or certain career changes.
What sources are these pointers based on?
Sources consulted on 23 October 2026 (French): ch.ch — second pillar, Substitute Occupational Benefit Institution and LOB Guarantee Fund. General information, to be confirmed when advice is provided.
THE FIRST STEP
Let’s pick up the thread.
Together.
An initial conversation with Joël Théodoloz helps clarify your needs. Depending on your situation, the assessment combines Herity’s pension advice with Excelis’s tax and fiduciary expertise.
Joël Théodoloz
Partner and CEO of Herity SA