Editorial: Light and Dark Energy Ltd · Content checked
Compare the municipality, not just the canton
A canton-wide headline is a starting point, not your bill. Federal, cantonal and communal tax interact, and the municipality can change the result within the same canton. Keep the household inputs fixed when you switch locations.
Start with your current municipality and two realistic alternatives. Record the annual CHF difference as well as the effective rate. A percentage alone can obscure whether a move would make a meaningful difference to your household budget.
Gross salary and taxable income are different inputs
Your employment contract, salary certificate and tax return describe different amounts. Do not enter gross salary into a field labelled taxable income without accounting for the applicable deductions. If you use the salary mode, review the social contribution assumptions before comparing the result.
Prepare a simple worksheet with income, deductions and wealth. Use it consistently across locations. The same salary can produce different taxable amounts under cantonal rules, so a final comparison needs the relevant official calculation.
Use the result as a shortlist
This tool uses simplified cantonal personal-tax curves and representative municipalities. It is useful for exploring a scenario, but it is not an exact assessment for every Swiss address. The household adjustments and social contribution model are also simplified.
Before making a decision, rerun the shortlisted locations in the FTA calculator with the correct year. Compare rent, commuting and childcare separately. A lower modelled tax bill does not establish that a location is cheaper overall.
Common questions
Does this replace the official Swiss tax calculator?
No. It is an illustrative comparison tool. Use the FTA or cantonal calculator to verify current tariffs, deductions and municipality-specific results.
Can I file a tax return here?
No. The calculator and printable working papers do not submit a return to a tax authority.
Why can two calculators disagree?
Check the tax year, municipality, gross versus taxable income, wealth, household details and deductions. Different assumptions and simplified models can produce different totals.
Official sources & further checks
These sources support the general explanations. They do not certify the accuracy of our modelled results.