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Side jobs in Switzerland: what is allowed.

A second job is legal, needs no permit and has no upper number. What the law does limit: competing with your employer, working more than 45 or 50 hours a week, and working through your holidays or sick leave. Here is the whole rule set, plus a five-question check.

Published Last updated 6 min read
Painting of a young man carrying a cardboard box to a small white van in a sunlit modern residential courtyard, a young woman holding the van door
Saturday morning, a moving job for a neighbour — the most common side job in the country, and a perfectly legal one.
Before we start · In plain words

A side job is allowed. Three things can make it not allowed.

Switzerland has no permit for side jobs, no maximum number of jobs and no form to fill in. You may work for your employer in the week and for a family on Saturday, or send invoices for your own small business in the evening. The law only draws three lines around it.

  1. Do not work against your employer.A side job may not compete with the company that pays your main salary. Everything else is your business.
  2. Do not work too much.All your jobs together: at most 45 or 50 hours a week, and 11 hours of sleep between working days.
  3. Do not work when you are supposed to rest.Not during your holidays, not while on sick leave.
  4. Declare the money.Every franc goes in your tax return. AHV is deducted by the employer, except on very small wages. Two separate guides explain both.

And the contract?

Many employment contracts say side jobs need written permission. That clause is valid, so read your contract first. If there is no clause, you do not have to ask — but telling your employer is the normal thing to do, and it keeps you on the safe side of the hour limit.

01 · The rules in three numbers

One yes and two limits.

Yes
a side job is allowed in Switzerland. No law forbids a second, third or fourth job — only three limits apply
OR Art. 321a [1]
45 / 50 h
the most you may work in a week, all jobs added together: 45 for office and shop staff in bigger firms, 50 for everyone else
ArG Art. 9 [2]
11 h
of rest between the end of one working day and the start of the next — across all your jobs
ArG Art. 15a [3]

The 45-hour limit applies to employees in industrial companies, office and technical staff, and sales staff in large retail shops. Everyone else — restaurants, small shops, construction, cleaning, care — has 50. Senior managers, farm workers and private household staff are outside the Labour Act altogether. [2]

02 · The three kinds of side job

Who pays you decides the paperwork.

The rules on hours and loyalty are the same for all three. What changes is who deducts AHV, who gives you a payslip and what you write in your tax return.

Employed by a companyYou get a payslip. The company takes AHV and taxes care of itself. Under CHF 2 500 a year from one employer, no AHV is deducted unless you ask. [8]
Employed by a familyCleaning, babysitting, gardening for a private household. The family is your employer and pays AHV from the first franc — there is no CHF 2 500 exception at home. [9]
Working for yourselfYou send invoices to your clients. Up to CHF 2 500 a year beside a main job, nothing to register; above it you register as self-employed with the Ausgleichskasse. [8]

Details on AHV in The CHF 2 500 AHV rule, explained and on taxes in Side income and taxes.

03 · The six lines you must not cross

Everything that can make a side job a problem.

  • Do not compete with your employerThis is the one real ban. A cook may not cook for the rival restaurant, a hairdresser may not cut hair for the salon next door. Anything that is not the same business is fine — the cook may walk dogs, the hairdresser may tutor maths. [1]
  • Stay under 45 or 50 hours a weekThe Labour Act counts all your jobs together. A 42-hour main job leaves 3 to 8 hours a week for side work. The limit protects your health, so both employers must respect it — tell them. [2] [11]
  • Sleep 11 hours between shiftsFinish at 23:00 in the bar, start at 08:00 in the office: that is only 9 hours. Not allowed. The rest period is counted across jobs, like the weekly maximum. [3]
  • Do not work through your holidaysHolidays are for resting. If you spend them working for someone else, your employer may refuse or take back the holiday pay. [4]
  • Not while on sick leaveA doctor’s certificate says you cannot work. Working somewhere else at the same time is a breach of trust and a reason for dismissal. [12]
  • Check your contractMany contracts say “side jobs only with written permission”. That clause is valid. Without such a clause you do not need to ask — but telling is wise, because the hour limits only work if both employers know. [11]
04 · Can I take this side job?

Answer five questions.

Describe your main job and the side job you have in mind. The page tells you whether the law has a problem with it, and what to do before the first shift.

0 h60 h
05 · Special cases

Four situations with their own rule.

  • Unemployed and registered with the RAVYou may and should work: every franc you earn is an interim earning (Zwischenverdienst). You declare it, and the insurance tops you up to 70 or 80 % of your old salary. Hiding it is fraud. [5] [6]
  • Public servantsFederal employees must report side jobs and need approval when the job could affect their work. Cantons and schools have similar rules — ask your HR before you start. [7]
  • StudentsNo limit for Swiss and EU/EFTA students. Students from other countries with a study permit: at most 15 hours a week during the semester, and only from the seventh month — see the permit guide.
  • Platform work (Uber & co.)The Federal Supreme Court decided in 2023 that Uber drivers are employees, not freelancers. The platform must pay AHV and insure them. Who is your employer depends on who gives the orders, not on what the app calls you. [10]
06 · Questions people ask

Short answers.

Is a side job allowed in Switzerland?

Yes. No law forbids a second job. The limits are: no competition with your main employer (OR Art. 321a), at most 45 or 50 working hours a week across all jobs (ArG Art. 9), 11 hours of rest between working days, and no paid work during your holidays or sick leave. Your contract may add a duty to ask for permission.

Do I have to tell my employer about a side job?

Only if your contract says so, or if the side job competes with your employer or pushes your hours over the legal maximum. Without a clause you may stay silent — but most people tell, because the 45/50-hour limit can only be respected when both employers know.

How many hours may I work in a side job?

As many as fit under the weekly maximum of 45 hours (office, technical and sales staff in larger companies) or 50 hours (everyone else), counting your main job. With a 42-hour main job that leaves 3 to 8 hours a week.

Can I work a side job while on unemployment benefits?

Yes — you must declare it as Zwischenverdienst to the RAV. Your benefit is reduced, but the insurance tops you up to 70 or 80 % of your previous salary, so you always end up with more than without the job.

Do I pay AHV and taxes on a side job?

Taxes: always, from the first franc. AHV: an employer deducts it unless the job pays under CHF 2 500 a year — except in private households, where AHV is due from the first franc. Both topics have their own guide.

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References

Where the rules come from.

  1. [1]
    Swiss Confederation — Code of Obligations (OR), Art. 321a — duty of loyalty; para. 3: no paid work for third parties that competes with the employer. www.fedlex.admin.ch
  2. [2]
    Swiss Confederation — Labour Act (ArG), Art. 9 — maximum weekly working time of 45 or 50 hours, counted across all employers. www.fedlex.admin.ch
  3. [3]
    Swiss Confederation — Labour Act (ArG), Art. 15a — daily rest period of at least 11 consecutive hours. www.fedlex.admin.ch
  4. [4]
    Swiss Confederation — Code of Obligations (OR), Art. 329d para. 3 — paid work during holidays may cost the holiday pay. www.fedlex.admin.ch
  5. [5]
    SECO — State Secretariat for Economic Affairs — Rights and duties under unemployment insurance — interim earnings (Zwischenverdienst) must be declared to the RAV. www.arbeit.swiss
  6. [6]
    Beobachter — Arbeitslos und doch arbeiten — how interim earnings work (70/80 % top-up). www.beobachter.ch
  7. [7]
    Federal Personnel Office (EPA) — Guidelines on secondary occupations of federal employees (BPG Art. 23) — reporting and approval. www.epa.admin.ch
  8. [8]
    AHV/IV information centre — Merkblatt 2.01 — small wages: CHF 2 500 per employer and year (2026). www.ahv-iv.ch
  9. [9]
    AHV/IV information centre — Merkblatt 2.06 — household employees: contributions from the first franc (2026). www.ahv-iv.ch
  10. [10]
    Federal Supreme Court — Judgments 9C_70/2022 and 9C_76/2022 of 22 March 2023 — Uber drivers are employees for social-insurance purposes. www.bger.ch
  11. [11]
    WEKA — Mehrfachbeschäftigungen — duties of employers and employees with several jobs (hours are added up). www.weka.ch
  12. [12]
    Lohncheck — Ist ein Nebenjob erlaubt? — overview of contract clauses, holidays and sick leave. lohncheck.ch

Checked against the sources above on 4 October 2026; figures are for 2026 and change each January. The “last updated” date at the top changes whenever a figure is refreshed. This page is general information, not legal advice — your employment contract and, in doubt, a cantonal labour inspectorate (Arbeitsinspektorat) give binding answers.