Hi this used to be possible but I am not sure if it is anymore as very few people did it.
However, if you are a Swiss citizen yet you live overseas you used to be able to make a lump sum payment into the Swiss pension and then collect later.
For example you're 20 years to retirement and pay in $200,000 all at once from overseas.
Then later you get monthly payments.
I called and found what appeared to be the right department but they were clueless. However, I think the person didn't know what they were doing.
Does anyone know about this if it still exists? Know anyone that did it recently?
You have to be a Swiss citizen and even if you make money and live elsewhere you give them a big lump sum and get a pension later.
I'm trying to figure this out and see if anyone has done it recently.
I have never heard about this. As a Swiss resident abroad you could pay into OASI but you need to opt in at certain times. Never heard it with Pension which is typically linked to employment in CH. What you describe sounds like the buy back of pension years in a second pillar (pension) but again you would need to be affiliated to one. Could be the case for example if you are an expat abroad from a Swiss company and your employment stays in CH.
I don't know the details of this, but the only thing remotely like this I heard is in case of AHV.
If you were previously insured with them and then leave Switzerland, you can pay into it, but only under certain conditions. I don't remember the details, as it doesn't concern me, but look at their regulations; you will be able to find them in German or French.
I don't know why one would want to do this, as the return is very low.
I have never heard anything similar about pillar 2; maybe it was something specific to your previous employer?
Yes, I understood Swiss citizens who are not directly covered through pillar 1 by a job in Switzerland have the option to contribute in order to receive a future pension. The terms of this participation may be the issue though. I understood there needed to be periodic payments, not a lump sum, but may be wrong. Not sure if monthly, but someone I knew made annual payments I believe.
Edited to add link, yes possible under certain conditions :
But from your link: "You can find out the precise amount from your employee benefits institution." So this is for people employed and signed up in a pension fund in CH.
Because the conversion to a pension at a guaranteed 6.8% is massively profitable, especially for women. And the CHF will probably remain strong, which gives some amount of protection against inflation (reflected in the changing exchange rate long term). JackieH keeps mentioning how the latter negatively affected the value of her pension, paid out in £, over the last 20 years, and with good reason.