How to check and fix AHV contribution gaps before they cut your pension
Updated · 2 sources
Direct answer
Every missing AHV contribution year cuts your old-age pension by 1/44 (about 2.3%) for life, but gaps can be back-paid within 5 years and youth years (17–20) can fill older ones. Order the free individual account extract (IK-Auszug) from ahv-iv.ch, compare every year from age 21 to retirement age against your salary certificates, and contest wrong entries within 30 days of receiving the statement.
Key facts
- Full pension needs 44 contribution years; each missing year costs 1/44 of the pension
- The IK extract is free from any compensation fund (Ausgleichskasse) via ahv-iv.ch
- Back-payment is possible only within 5 years; corrections to entries within 30 days of the statement
- Non-employed adults must register themselves with the cantonal fund; students and sabbaticals are the classic gap
Check and fix, step by step
- 1Order a free extract from your individual account (IK-Auszug) at ahv-iv.ch with your AHV number (on your health insurance card). One fund collects the entries from all funds for you.
- 2Lay the extract next to your salary certificates (Lohnausweise): every year from 1 January after your 20th birthday to retirement age needs an entry, employed, self-employed or registered non-employed.
- 3Mark the gaps. Typical causes: a sabbatical or studies without registering as non-employed, work abroad, or an employer who deducted but must be proven via payslips (you are protected if you can prove the deduction).
- 4For gaps under 5 years old: pay the missing contributions back through your cantonal Ausgleichskasse. After 5 years the debt expires and the year is lost, except where youth years (contributions at 17–20, up to 3 years) can be credited.
- 5Wrong or missing entries despite paid contributions: request correction from the fund holding the account within 30 days of the statement, with payslips or salary certificates as proof.
- 6Repeat every 4 to 5 years, and once more about 5 years before retirement, while back-payment is still possible.
What one gap year actually costs
At the 2026 maximum pension of CHF 2,520 a month, one missing year removes 1/44, roughly CHF 57 a month or CHF 687 a year, for the entire retirement. Three gap years from an unregistered sabbatical cost more than CHF 2,000 a year for life, against a back-payment that, at minimum-contribution level (CHF 530 in 2026 for the non-employed), is often a few hundred francs per year if caught inside the 5-year window.
FAQ
- How much AHV pension do I lose per missing year?
- 1/44 of your pension per missing contribution year (about 2.3%), because a full pension is built on 44 years. At the maximum pension that is roughly CHF 57 per month per gap year.
- Can I back-pay AHV contributions from 10 years ago?
- No. Contributions can only be claimed and back-paid within 5 years. Older gaps can sometimes be filled with up to 3 youth years (contributions paid between ages 17 and 20) or childcare credits, which the fund applies automatically at pension calculation.
- I studied and did not work. Do I have a gap?
- Only if you were not registered. Non-employed persons from age 21 owe at least the minimum contribution (CHF 530 in 2026); students are reported by their schools, but check your IK extract to be sure the years are recorded.
- My employer deducted AHV but never paid it. Am I protected?
- Yes, if you can prove the deduction, for example with payslips or salary certificates. The income is then credited to your individual account even though the employer failed to remit (Art. 30ter AHVG).
Related guides
- How to pay into Pillar 3a: amount, deadline and account strategyPay into Pillar 3a by opening a 3a account in your name and transferring up to CHF 7,258 per year (2026, with a pension fund; without one, 20% of net income up to CHF 36,288) so the value date falls by 31 December; only then is the amount deductible that year. Over a career, spread savings across several 3a accounts so you can withdraw them in different tax years and soften the progressive withdrawal tax.
- Pillar 3a maximum for 2026: CHF 7,258 or 20% of incomeIn 2026 you can pay up to CHF 7,258 into Pillar 3a if you have a pension fund. Without one, the limit is 20% of net earned income, up to CHF 36,288.
- How much AHV pension will I get? The 2026 amounts and the 44-year ruleIn 2026 a full AHV old-age pension is between CHF 1,260 and CHF 2,520 per month depending on your average lifetime income, and a married couple's two pensions are capped together at CHF 3,780 (150% of the maximum). 'Full' requires 44 contribution years; every missing year cuts the pension by 1/44, and from December 2026 pensioners also receive the new 13th AHV pension payment.