Moving from the UK to Switzerland under lump-sum taxation
There is no Swiss rate to compare against the UK's. There are 26 cantonal answers, and for a UK mover with no Swiss gainful activity the relevant one is the negotiated lump sum — which five cantons have already abolished.
The lump sum is a negotiation with a floor
Available to non-Swiss nationals with no Swiss gainful activity, first-time or after ten years abroad. The base is the higher of seven times rent or rental value, or actual worldwide living expenses. The federal minimum base is CHF 434,700 for 2026, CHF 400,000 for EU/EFTA nationals, with negotiated cantonal minimums on top.
It lasts indefinitely while conditions hold, and ends on naturalisation.
Canton choice is the whole decision
Ordinary Swiss taxation depends on canton, municipality and household details. Request the applicable official tariff and a reproducible calculation; the earlier numerical comparison lacked those inputs.
The lump sum has been abolished at cantonal level in Zurich, Basel-Stadt, Basel-Landschaft, Schaffhausen and Appenzell Ausserrhoden. Further abolition votes are a live political risk that belongs in any long-horizon plan.
Capital gains and wealth run in opposite directions
Private capital gains on movable assets are 0% for qualifying private investors — better than the UK's 24%. But reclassification as a professional securities dealer triggers income tax plus roughly 10% social contributions, and cantonal wealth tax applies: Zurich 0.05–0.30% above CHF 81,000, Geneva 0.149–0.383% above CHF 111,059.
Before you move
- Swiss residence can trigger at 30 days if you work there, 90 if you do not — far shorter than most people assume.
- AHV is 5.3% employee and uncapped, which matters at UHNW employment income levels.
- There is no investment-residency route; Article 28 VZAE permits for the financially independent are at cantonal discretion.
Continue your research
Request a private assessment
Tax rates are only the first screen. Residency, ownership, treaty position and succession can change the outcome.
Request a private assessment