As at October 2026. All interest rates and fees have been verified at the provider’s source.
Is your pension fund money sitting in a vested benefits account earning 0.01 % interest? If so, with CHF 100,000, you’re missing out on CHF 400 every year. This is because vesting account interest rates vary widely: the best accounts – with no minimum investment and no need for a banking relationship – currently pay between 0.15 % and 0.41 %.
Our comparison shows you, for each amount, which account offers the highest net return.
| Highest interest rate, open an account online | ✅ PensionClub: 0.41 % Applies to the entire balance, with no limit on the amount. Free club membership is required. |
| Highest interest rate without joining the club | ✅ Pilla: 0.30 % A fully digital opening. |
| Directly through the foundation | ✅ Tellco: 0.25 % Opening an account, account management and closing the account are free of charge. |
| 0.50 % Interest rate | Only from CHF 100,000 and for existing bank customers |
| Major banks | 0.00 % to 0.05 % |
As at 6 October 2026. No guarantee that this information is up to date or accurate. Net return: interest minus account management fees per year in CHF.
| Provider | Foundation | Interest rate | Annual account management fee | Net income per year on CHF 100,000 | Net income per year at CHF 20,000 | Access |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hypo Vorarlberg | Privor | 0.50 % | CHF 36 | CHF 464 | from CHF 100,000 | from CHF 100,000, with a banking relationship |
| PensionClub | Liberty | 0.41 % | free of charge | CHF 410 | CHF 82 | online View the offer |
| Pilla | Liberty | 0.30 % | free of charge | CHF 300 | CHF 60 | online View the offer |
| Tellco | Tellco | 0.25 % | free of charge | CHF 250 | CHF 50 | online View the offer |
| GLKB freeME | Liberty | 0.20 % | free of charge | CHF 200 | CHF 40 | online View the offer |
| Piguet Galland | Opsion | 0.20 % | CHF 100; not applicable for amounts of CHF 100,000 or more | CHF 200 | minus CHF 60 | About the bank |
| Bank WIR | WIR | 0.15 % | free of charge | CHF 150 | CHF 30 | using the form View the offer |
| Raiffeisen | Raiffeisen | 0.05 % | free of charge | CHF 50 | CHF 10 | About the bank View the offer |
| Migros Bank | Migros Bank | 0.05 % | free of charge | CHF 50 | CHF 10 | About the bank View the offer |
| Bank Cler | Bank Cler | 0.05 % | free of charge | CHF 50 | CHF 10 | About the bank |
| VIAC | WIR | 0.05 % | free of charge | CHF 50 | CHF 10 | via the app Go to the vested benefits account comparison |
| Liberty direkt | Liberty | 0.02 % | free of charge | CHF 20 | CHF 4 | online View the offer |
| ZKB | ZKB | 0.01 % | free of charge | CHF 10 | CHF 2 | About the bank View the offer |
| frankly | ZKB | 0.01 % | free of charge | CHF 10 | CHF 2 | via the app Go to the vested benefits account comparison |
| UBS | UBS | 0.01 % | CHF 36 | minus CHF 26 | minus CHF 34 | About the bank |
| PostFinance | Rendita | 0.00 % | CHF 36 | minus CHF 36 | minus CHF 36 | About the bank View the offer |
| relevate | PensFree / Independent | 0.25 % | 0.45 % from credit balance | minus CHF 200 | minus CHF 40 | online View the offer |
| finpension | finpension | 0.00 % | 0.49 % from credit balance | minus CHF 490 | minus CHF 98 | online Go to the vested benefits account comparison |
Average interest rates: 0.14 %. Median: 0.05 %. Calculated from all 18 offers in the table, excluding fees.
Three things stand out.
For a sum of CHF 100,000, the difference between the highest interest rate with no minimum deposit and an account with an account maintenance fee is over CHF 430 per year.
The major banks are at the bottom of the list. Anyone who leaves their vested benefits with their own bank will, almost everywhere, receive between 0.00 % and 0.05 %.
And with four providers, the Net income negative, regardless of the amount. The charges there are higher than the interest earned.
A word about finpension and relevate: Both charge a fee on cash as well, because the services are structured as investment accounts rather than interest-bearing accounts. That is why they appear at the bottom of this list. They are not the right choice for holding money that you will need soon.
Whilst checking the figures, we noticed something that tends to get overlooked in most comparison tables.
Four options from our list lead to the same foundation: the Liberty Vested Benefits Foundation in Schwyz. In all four cases, your money is held in the same place, and the same fee structure applies. Only the interest rate differs.
| Access | Interest | Annual interest on CHF 100,000 |
| PensionClub | 0.41 % | CHF 410 |
| Pilla | 0.30 % | CHF 300 |
| GLKB freeME | 0.20 % | CHF 200 |
| Liberty Direct | 0.02 % | CHF 20 |
CHF 410 or CHF 20. Same foundation, same fee structure. The difference depends on how you open your account.
The same pattern applies to the Bank WIR Vested Benefits Foundation. If you open the account directly with the bank, you will receive 0.15 %. If you open it via VIAC, the amount credited to the account is 0.05 %.
This is most evident in the case of Privor. Behind this foundation are around 47 regional banks, and each one sets its own interest rate. The foundation does not specify any interest rates; you will need to enquire with the individual bank.
So check two things before you open an account: which trust holds your money, and which access method you use to access it. The second point determines the interest rate.
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The interest rate alone doesn’t tell the whole story. A fixed account fee hits small balances much harder than large ones.
For example: an annual account maintenance fee of CHF 36 amounts to just 0.04 % on a balance of CHF 100,000. For CHF 20,000, it is 0.18 %. If the interest rate is 0.01 %, you’ll end up paying more in both cases.
Our calculation is therefore always the same:
Balance multiplied by the interest rate, minus the fixed account maintenance fee, minus the percentage-based fee.
We calculate this for four amounts: CHF 20,000, CHF 50,000, CHF 100,000 and CHF 250,000. Use the tool above to select the amount that suits you. The order of the providers hardly changes, but <strongthe difference in Swiss francs does.
This does not include charges that only apply in certain situations. These are set out in the next section, and they can amount to more than several years’ interest.
A vested benefits account is a stopover. At some point, the money will move on: to a new pension fund, into your own business, towards buying a home, or abroad. The cost depends on the route taken.
| Provider | Entitlement for the self-employed | Early withdrawal for home ownership | Moving abroad |
| PensionClub, Pilla, GLKB freeME (all Liberty) | CHF 250 | CHF 400 | CHF 600 to 1,200 |
| Tellco | CHF 200 | CHF 400 | CHF 600; under 6 months: CHF 1,200 |
| Hypo Vorarlberg (Privor) | no fee specified in the regulations | CHF 400 | CHF 480 per year for those resident abroad |
| ZKB and frankly | not shown | CHF 200 | not shown |
| UBS | not shown | CHF 300 | not shown |
| PostFinance | not shown | CHF 400 | not shown |
What does that mean for you?
You’ll be starting a new job soon. The money must then be transferred to the new pension fund. This transfer is free of charge with all providers listed in the table. Only Privor charges CHF 25 in the first year. The only deciding factor here is the interest rate.
You’re setting up your own business. With the leading providers, the set-up fee is between CHF 200 and CHF 250. For CHF 50,000 and a rate of 0.41 %, that’s more than a full year’s interest. If the money is only held for a few months, the fee is more important than the interest.
You’re emigrating. Now the rankings are shifting. Payouts of between CHF 600 and CHF 1,200 mean, at CHF 100,000, one and a half to three years’ interest. You can find out how to go about moving house in our article Let the pension fund pay out.
One point in the application that many people overlook: Liberty’s fee regulations allow a brokerage commission of up to 3 % on deposits, provided you agree. For account solutions, this is limited to twelve months. If you open an account via an adviser or intermediary, read this clause carefully. For CHF 100’000, 3 % would amount to CHF 3’000. No interest rate in the world can make up for that.
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We have compiled our top selection for you from all our tests and experience reports:
On comparison websites, 0.50 % appears at the top. The figure is correct. It’s hard to get hold of you.
Minimum investment and banking relationship. Hypo Vorarlberg in St. Gallen pays 0.50 %. According to Moneyland, the account is available from CHF 100,000 and is for customers who already have an account with the bank. The account is opened during a face-to-face meeting. There is also an annual account maintenance fee of CHF 36.
Place of residence. Some regional banks in French-speaking Switzerland also offer high interest rates. However, they only accept customers who are resident in their own canton.
Departure. Anyone who moves abroad at a later date pays CHF 480 a year to Hypo Vorarlberg. That is more than 0.50 % would yield on CHF 90,000.
With no minimum investment, no requirement for a banking relationship or residence, 0.41 % currently offers the highest interest rate on our list. For a deposit of CHF 100,000, the difference between the two rates amounts to CHF 54 net per year. Anyone who isn’t already a customer isn’t going to switch banks just for that.
So far, we’ve been talking about the best interest rate. For some of your money, that’s the wrong question to ask.
A savings account with an interest rate of 0.41 % will not keep pace with inflation over the long term. If your vested benefits remain untouched for ten or twenty years, they lose purchasing power whilst sitting in the account. In a vested benefits portfolio, they are invested in securities. This leads to fluctuations, but over long periods offers the chance of significantly higher returns.
You don’t have to choose just one. When you leave the pension fund, you can split your balance between two vested benefits institutions. For example:
The timing is important. You can only split the funds when you leave. Once the money is with an institution, it cannot be split later on. You should therefore provide your pension fund with both addresses and the amounts before it makes the transfer.
Take CHF 150,000 as an example: CHF 50,000 goes into the current account and, at 0.41 %, yields CHF 205 per year, with no price risk. CHF 100,000 goes into the investment portfolio – either in a defensive or aggressive strategy, depending on how secure your investment horizon is. If you need the money for business, you simply withdraw from the current account. The investment portfolio remains invested.
There is one catch with this investment account, and it is often underestimated: You do not always get to decide when to sell. If you join a new pension fund, this money must also be transferred there. This is required by the Vested Benefits Act (Art. 4). The assets will then be sold, regardless of the state of the stock market.
You usually don’t know today whether you’ll be back in employment in two or three years’ time. So make sure you plan for the unexpected:
Is your money already in a vested benefits account with a low interest rate? Switching is easier than most people think.
The transfer will always be the entire balance. You will no longer be able to split it when you switch.
It is also possible to transfer funds from your current account to your investment account. You don’t have to wait until you leave the pension fund to do this. If your circumstances have changed and you won’t need the money for years to come, you can transfer your balance to a foundation offering a securities-based solution. The process is the same as described above.
The reverse is also true: as a trade approaches, you switch back from your investment account to a savings account. This way, you decide when to sell – not the stock market.
Protected differently from a savings account.
Vested benefits are not covered by the deposit guarantee scheme. However, in the event of the bank’s bankruptcy, they are treated as a priority claim up to CHF 100,000 per person. This means you will be paid before most other creditors. This priority applies in addition to your normal bank deposits. If you hold both 3a and vested benefits with the same bank, these two amounts are added together for the purposes of this priority.
For amounts over CHF 100,000, this means:
If CHF 250,000 were held with a single bank, CHF 150,000 would not be privileged in the event of a crisis. An extra one-tenth of a per cent in interest is not worth this risk.
Currently between 0.00 % and 0.50 %. Most major banks pay between 0.01 % and 0.05 %. Online and with no minimum investment, rates of up to 0.41 % are available.
In our list, the average is 0.14 %. The median is a more meaningful indicator: half of the providers pay 0.05 % or less.
That depends on what you plan to do with the money. The highest interest rate with no minimum investment is currently offered by PensionClub at 0.41 %. If you’re going to withdraw the money soon, the early withdrawal fees will cost you more than the interest earned. And if you’re leaving it there for many years, the better question is which investment account to choose rather than which bank account is best.
If your vested benefits are held in an account, don’t leave them with your usual bank. Switching to an account offering a better interest rate will earn you around CHF 400 a year on CHF 100,000, and it only takes a few minutes.
This applies to anyone who will need their pension savings in the coming years or who wants to avoid market fluctuations. In other words, it applies to most people who are between jobs, setting up their own business or taking a break.
The main reason: The interest rate depends less on the charity than on the entry point. The same amount of money with the same charity yields 0.02 % or 0.41 %, depending on the entry point. If you don’t compare, you’re paying for nothing.
There are two exceptions. If you’re going to withdraw the money in a few months’ time, the early withdrawal fee will cost you more than the interest. And if you won’t need it for many years to come, an interest-bearing account is only the right choice for part of the sum.
Your next step: Select the amount that suits you from the list above and check the exit fees charged by the two or three best providers. If you are yet to leave your pension fund, decide in advance whether you want to split your balance between two institutions.
Yes. You can check your balance at any time transferred to another vested benefits foundation. With most providers on our list, this is free of charge. However, you cannot split the funds when you switch.
When you leave the pension fund, you can transfer your balance to no more than two pension schemes distribute.
No. As long as the money is in the account, you pay neither income tax on the interest nor capital gains tax on the balance. Tax is only payable when the money is withdrawn. To find out how much this is in your canton, see our article on Taxation on capital withdrawals.
Then you’ll need to use the credit transfer to the new pension scheme. This applies to both current accounts and investment accounts.
An account where your pension fund savings are held whilst you are not a member of a pension fund. You can find the basic information here: What is a vested benefits account?
| Sources | All interest and fees are charged by the Website or from the provider’s terms and conditions. We only use comparison websites to find new providers. |
| Rhythm | We are checking the list monthly. The date of the last inspection is shown next to the list. |
| Net income | Balance multiplied by the interest rate, minus the fixed account maintenance fee, minus the percentage-based fee. Excluding compound interest, for one year. |
| Recording | The list only includes providers for whom we have information on interest rates and account management verify at the source were able to. |
| Independence | ✅ We do not receive any remuneration from any provider for vested benefits accounts. In our brokerage comparison, we work with individual providers and state this clearly. |
| Clientis Banks (Oberuzwil, Toggenburg, Thur) | Interest rates available on request from the bank; accounts are open to non-customers |
| Freiburg Cantonal Bank | Account maintenance fee |
| Aubonne Savings Bank, Nyon Savings Bank | Current interest rate; access restricted to residents of the canton |
| Lealta | Access and Opening |
