Emigration (but still pay tax) and pension funds

[agedintheozarks]

I will go travelling 1y+ end of this year, I cancel my apartment and therefore lose my residency (I am Swiss, no other nationality or US tax problems), I will also not work from then on. From what I gathered, I will not only want to but also have to un-register my adress:

• once I leave I am not obliged to have a mandatory health plan (Basisversicherung) and can get a cheaper one (should be at least ~100 CHF less / month)
• I cannot receive mail for voting, taxes and other fees

Because I dont have a new address for my travel and abroad, I will continue to have pay taxes here.

Questions:

1. I want to continue pay to the AHV/IV (1st pillar), do I just ask SVA every year to send me a form? How much it costs when I don't earn money (when traveling)
2. My job's pension fund (2nd pillar) will end then and they put it on a "vested benefits account" (Freizügigkeitskonto) at 0-1.5%. Since I leave, I could pull it out there and move it to an ETF[sup]1[/sup]
3. How do I deal with the taxes here when I don't have a residency?
4. My Swiss bank account seems only available to residents, will I need to close it!?
5. Same with my IBKR account, it is registered with my current address + AHV number (never had to deal with taxes since it is new). Could they decide to freeze/steal my money under some money laundering laws? Again, do I need to close and re-open an alternative?
6. How do I vote? Which elections can I vote on since I don't have residency?
7. Is PK really just 1.25%? Its a joke?

1: With x in there, I will pay ~5-7% tax on payout (estimated via tax calculator and "lump-sum payment from occupational retirement savings" or Kapitalauszahlung aus Vorsorge). So for ETF at 5% (x*0.94*1.05^t) is much better than 2nd pillar at 1.25% ((x*1.0125^t)*0.94) (I don't know how much I get on PK from here so I used this) - by quite some factors (after 10 years already 1.5x). This is rough calculation not involving the low rate on Freizügikeitskonto.

 

[jamesdoeith]

@agedintheozarks As you planned to return back to Switzerland, I think the best way is to move your adress to a relative. Unless you have a lot of wealth or income, it don’t make sense to unregistered for such a short time.

 

[agedintheozarks]

@jamesdoeith 12*100CHF is already 1.2k for health plan which I might be able to get even lower, and i could get to take out my PK.

 

[strobertofsalzburg]

@agedintheozarks Why don't you move your fiscal residency to a relative in Switzerland ? (if you can)

 

[agedintheozarks]

@strobertofsalzburg It mean i have to let them read my bank statements, i dont think it is a good mix.

 

[strobertofsalzburg]

@agedintheozarks Why would the bank send the documents by physical mail ? I chose to only receive by ebanking and have not received letters from my bank in years.

 

[christiannewbie]

@agedintheozarks

1. You can only take out your 2a if you leave Switzerland forever, not temporarily.

 

[agedintheozarks]

@christiannewbie how they know I will return though? so my money is just held hostage under shitty conditions under the pretense of being in my favor?

 

[sallyalder]

@agedintheozarks False. Transfer it to Viac or finpension and you can invest it almost 100% into stocks, much better long term return than what your PK generates (due to higher stock %).

 

[christiannewbie]

@agedintheozarks It is basically to avoid people leaving the country with their 2nd Pilar, spending it all and then returning later, asking for financial help from the social services.
It's the law . If you want to change it, go for it !

 

[cloud235]

@agedintheozarks hi there,

You're raising many questions here and it's unlikely you'll get the answer to all your questions asking such a "lump" of questions; but here few quick thoughts, in no particular order:

- if you're truly interested in not staying registered in Switzerland or any other place in order to optimize your spendings, you should look into the "staatenlos" Digital Nomad movement. I personally don't find them very appealing, since I find it a bit antisocial to try to avoid paying taxes. But their blogs might answer many of your questions, such as what to do with bank accounts, health insurance, etc.

- If you're doing it only to save on your health insurance, idk. The amount saved is really small. Those international health insurances have terrible reputations. I used one when I moved abroad but wasn't officially resident yet (bureaucracy was messed up in my new country). It honestly looked like a shitty deal.

- Regarding bank accounts. Just let them be. Nobody will bother as long they don't know. It's unlikely they will know, unless you send shitloads of money from your account abroad. To avoid that, use a intermediary bank, one you don't care about, send the money from your main account to the intermediary bank, and send it through there to your travel destination.

 

[agedintheozarks]

basically evey 2 year un-register take out funds such as to keep Kapitalleistungssteuer below 5%, transfer into ETF at better (or just even) rate => profit ?

 

[melinda2022]

@agedintheozarks You can only cash out your 2nd pillar under very specific conditions, which don’t seem to apply here.

But you can move it to a vested benefit account with finpension or VIAC and have it invested and growing tax free.

Most of the answers to your questions you can probably find in ch.ch

 

[phaeton]

@agedintheozarks lol

 

[shawnab]

@agedintheozarks

Because I dont have a new address for my travel and abroad, I will continue to have pay taxes here.

Do you have a source for this?

You should be able to de-register from the gemeinde without a fixed foreign address. If they insist just give the address of the first hotel or airbnb you will be staying at.

If you have no CH address and do not spend time on CH soil, why should you pay taxes in CH?

 

[agedintheozarks]

@shawnab Ya idk, but maybe because i profit from the country (got a pretty good education here etc. which builds the foundation of me being able to travel just like that). i thought they need some kind of contract with the next country to make sure every citizen on planet Earth pays their taxes.

 

[shawnab]

@agedintheozarks

they need some kind of contract with the next country to make sure every citizen on planet Earth pays their taxes

lol that's not how it works. Otherwise the rich would pay taxes too.

 

[anonymouschristiansoldier]

@agedintheozarks They are trying to scam you rn. Do not agree. Move to some country and register a company and get a new address - if u manage to make high amounts of money during ur travel trip - Switzerland will try to take it from u and count it as an income. Do not accept this scam!