Statutory Framework and Daily Allowance Calculation#
All employees in Switzerland are compulsorily insured against occupational accidents (BU). Those working 8 hours or more per week with the same employer are additionally covered for non-occupational accidents (NBU). Daily allowances pay 80% of insured earnings up to CHF 148,200 per year.
The 2-Day Waiting Period (Karenztage)#
UVG daily compensation commences on the third day following the accident date. The accident day and the subsequent two days are waiting days, during which employers must provide at least 80% salary continuation under Art. 324a CO.
Absolute Statutory Dismissal Blackout Periods (Art. 336c CO)#
Workers incapacitated by accidental injury without personal fault enjoy legal protection against termination: 30 days during the 1st year of service, 90 days from the 2nd to 5th year, and 180 days from the 6th year onward. Notices issued during blackouts are legally null and void.
Annual Vacation Curtailment Safeguards#
Employers cannot immediately dock vacation days: Swiss law grants a one-month grace period before allowing annual leave reductions of 1/12th per additional full month of absence (Art. 329b para. 2 CO).
Full Medical Care with Zero Deductibles#
Unlike standard Swiss health insurance (KVG), accident treatment incurs neither annual deductibles (Franchise) nor 10% co-payments; medical consultations, medications, and general ward hospital stays are settled at 100%.
80 per cent is the rule – 100 per cent is negotiable#
After an accident, the accident insurance pays a daily allowance of 80 % of the insured earnings, as a rule from the third day. The first two days are borne by the employer, and many companies top the daily allowance up to 100 %. Whether such an entitlement exists is not set out in the law but in the staff regulations, the collective employment agreement (GAV) or the individual employment contract.
- Check the regulations, not your memory. «We always pay in full» is no proof in a dispute.
- A top-up is a matter of negotiation. For roles with an increased accident risk, a 100 % clause is a legitimate part of the overall package.
- Do not confuse daily sickness benefit insurance. Illness and accident run through different insurers; KTG (daily sickness benefit insurance) cover does not replace a UVG (accident insurance) benefit.
Coordination with the employer is also your task: report the accident within a few days so that the insurer can pay. Deadlines here are stricter than for illness.
After the return: reintegration and what applies afterwards#
The return to the workplace is the part most often left unprepared. Four points are worth clarifying in advance:
- Staggered return. A workload of 50 % for four weeks is more effective than two weeks of complete absence and then 100 %. Record the plan in writing with the doctor and the employer.
- Workplace adjustments. Where the accident restricts the activity, the employer owes a reasonable adjustment – adapted equipment, changed tasks, different shift models.
- Protection against dismissal ends. The protected periods under Art. 336c OR apply only during the incapacity for work and for a certain time beyond it; afterwards ordinary termination is possible again.
- Work reference. Absences caused by an accident do not belong in the reference as an assessment. Insist on a factual wording if the absence is mentioned.
If late effects remain, clarify registration with the disability insurance (IV) early. Early detection significantly improves the chances of reintegration measures.