Self-employed musicians would pay 0.2 points more for disability insurance

If you live from music as a self-employed musician, you are set to pay more into IV (Swiss disability insurance).¹ The Federal Council proposes raising the contribution rate by 0.2 percentage points to 1.6 per cent.² This applies to employees and the self-employed alike, but the burden is split differently.²

• Employees: pay 0.1 percentage points, the employer pays the other half.¹
• Self-employed: carry the full 0.2 percentage points themselves.²
• Income above CHF 181,440 (2026 figure): a temporary extra 0.6 percentage points on the part above that line.¹

The sum: for every CHF 10,000 of self-employed income, that is CHF 20 more a year.² The report does not work out what this means for very low incomes.² The Federal Council expects around CHF 980 million in extra revenue for 2030.¹ A second, temporary rise of 0.05 percentage points would be offset by lower contributions to EO (income compensation insurance).¹ In the end, this shift costs nobody anything extra.¹

For now, this is only a proposal, and the consultation runs until 4 February 2027.¹

What you can do now: from the planned start in 2030, budget 0.2 per cent more in deductions on your self-employed income.² Questions on social security are answered by the competence centre 'Working in Culture' run by Suisseculture Sociale.³