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Student side jobs.

Students in Swiss cities earn CHF 25–35 an hour. No hour limit for Swiss and EU/EFTA students, 15 hours a week for students from other countries, AHV from the year after you turn 17, accident cover in your own health insurance. Six jobs that fit a timetable, and a quick check.

Published Last updated 5 min read
Painting of a student with a backpack unlocking a bicycle at a rack in front of a modern glass university building, another student walking past with a tote bag
Between the lecture and the job — the bike is the student’s company car.
Before we start · In plain words

Students may work. The only hard limit is for students from outside Europe: 15 hours a week.

Swiss students earn CHF 25–35 an hour in the big cities, and the rules are short: no limit for Swiss and EU/EFTA students, 15 hours a week for the others, AHV from the year after you turn 17, accident cover in your own health insurance, and yes — taxes too. The rest is finding a job that fits a timetable.

  1. Check your permit line.Swiss or EU/EFTA passport: no limit. Study permit from another country: 15 h a week, after six months.
  2. Pick a job that fits lectures.Tutoring, assistant posts, evenings in hospitality, tasks for households at the weekend.
  3. Keep it under ten hours.Eight to ten hours a week is what grades survive. Exam weeks off.
  4. Let AHV and tax happen.The employer deducts AHV; you declare the income in spring. Both are small at student level.
01 · Three numbers

The rate, the limit, the minimum.

CHF 25–35
an hour is what students earn in Zürich, Basel and Geneva — tutoring, assistant jobs, hospitality, tasks for households
Lohncheck [4]
15 h
a week is the limit during the semester for students from outside the EU/EFTA — and only from the seventh month. Swiss and EU/EFTA students have no limit
VZAE Art. 38 [2]
CHF 530
a year is what a student who does not work must pay to the AHV from the year after turning 20. A side job above that covers it
AHV 2.03 [7]
02 · Six jobs that fit a timetable

Where students actually earn.

TutoringThe classic. Maths, languages, sciences for school pupils: CHF 25–40 a lesson, more for Matura level. Parents trust students who recently passed the exam themselves. [5]
Assistant at your universityTeaching or research assistant posts pay by scale — around CHF 30 an hour at the big universities — and look good on a CV. Ask your institute, not the job board. [11]
Hospitality and eventsBars, festivals, catering: CHF 22–28 an hour plus tips, evenings and weekends, no experience needed. Hard on exam weeks.
Tasks for householdsMoving help, garden, cleaning, dog walking, computer help: CHF 25–45 an hour, flexible, close to home. The student’s version of the ten weekend jobs.
BabysittingEvenings fit a student timetable. CHF 15–25 an hour; parents like the Red Cross course on the CV. Under 25 and under CHF 750 a year from one family: no AHV at all. [8]
Online: surveys, data, supportPays less (CHF 15–25) but fits the hour between lectures. Worth it only when nothing nearby fits your timetable.
03 · Can I take this job?

Passport, age, hours, rate.

04 · The rules in detail

Six things every working student should know.

  • Permit: the 15-hour ruleSwiss and EU/EFTA students: work as much as your studies allow. Students from other countries with a study permit: at most 15 hours a week during the semester, full-time in the holidays with the school’s consent, and only from the seventh month after the studies start. The employer applies for the permit. [1] [3]
  • AHV: from the year after 17A working student pays AHV from 1 January after the 17th birthday — the employer deducts 5.3 % (unless the job pays under CHF 2 500 a year). From the year after the 20th birthday every student owes at least CHF 530 a year; a side job that pays AHV covers it. [6] [7]
  • Accidents: tick the box in your health insuranceA student job under 8 hours a week insures you only at work. For the bike, the ski slope and the party, accident cover must be switched on in your health insurance — it is cheap, and it is your responsibility. [9]
  • Taxes: yes, students pay tooThere is no student allowance. Income goes in your tax return (or your parents’, while you are a dependant in some cantons) — but at student income levels the tax is small, and the flat 20 % deduction applies. [10]
  • Hours: your timetable is the real limitEight to ten hours a week is what most students manage without grades suffering. Put the job in the evenings and one weekend day, keep exam weeks free, and tell the client in advance.
  • Scholarships: check the income lineCantonal grants (Stipendien) have income limits — a side job above them reduces the grant. Ask your Stipendienstelle for the figure before you take a bigger job.

Permits in detail: Permits B, C, L, G: who may work on the side. Money after AHV and tax: How much you can really earn.

05 · Questions people ask

Short answers.

How many hours may a student work in Switzerland?

Swiss and EU/EFTA students: no legal limit — your studies set it. Students from other countries with a study permit: at most 15 hours a week during the semester, full-time in the holidays with the school’s consent, and only after the first six months.

What do students earn per hour?

CHF 22–35 depending on region: around CHF 25–35 in Zürich, Basel and Geneva, CHF 22–30 elsewhere in German-speaking Switzerland, CHF 18–22 in Ticino. Tutoring pays CHF 25–40 a lesson; university assistant posts about CHF 30 an hour.

Do students pay AHV?

Yes, on wages from 1 January after their 17th birthday, deducted by the employer (unless the job pays under CHF 2 500 a year). From the year after turning 20 a student must pay at least CHF 530 a year even without a job — a job that pays AHV covers it.

Do students pay tax on a side job?

Yes — there is no student exemption. At typical student incomes the tax is small, and the flat 20 % side-job deduction applies.

Which student job is best?

Tutoring and university assistant posts pay well and fit the timetable; tasks for households (moving, garden, computer help) pay CHF 25–45 an hour with flexible hours; hospitality fills evenings. Keep it to 8–10 hours a week during the semester.

Painting of a tutor helping a student at a table by a lake-view window

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References

Where the rules come from.

  1. [1]
    Canton of Lucerne, migration office — Merkblatt Studierende aus Drittstaaten — side jobs after 6 months, at most 15 hours a week during the semester, full-time in the holidays with the school’s written consent. migration.lu.ch
  2. [2]
    Swiss Confederation — Ordinance VZAE, Art. 38 — gainful employment of foreign students. www.fedlex.admin.ch
  3. [3]
    Canton of Zürich — Studierende und Praktikanten — work permits for foreign students, no quota. www.zh.ch
  4. [4]
    Lohncheck — Student hourly rates — CHF 22–35; Zürich, Basel and Geneva CHF 25–35. lohncheck.ch
  5. [5]
    Nachhilfe-Vergleich Schweiz — Kosten Nachhilfe — student tutors CHF 25–40 a lesson. nachhilfe-vergleich-schweiz.ch
  6. [6]
    AHV/IV information centre — Merkblatt 2.01 — AHV contributions on wages from 1 January after the 17th birthday; CHF 2 500 small-wage line (2026). www.ahv-iv.ch
  7. [7]
    AHV/IV information centre — Merkblatt 2.03 — contributions of non-working people: students from 1 January after the 20th birthday pay at least CHF 530 a year unless they work. www.ahv-iv.ch
  8. [8]
    AHV/IV information centre — Merkblatt 2.06 — household jobs: under-25s earning up to CHF 750 a year per household are exempt. www.ahv-iv.ch
  9. [9]
    Suva — BU/NBU — under 8 hours a week with one employer, accident cover must be in your health insurance. www.suva.ch
  10. [10]
    Federal Tax Administration (ESTV) — Berufskosten bei Nebenerwerb — flat 20 % deduction. www.estv2.admin.ch
  11. [11]
    University of Zürich — Lohnreglement 2026 — pay scale for student assistants. www.staff.uzh.ch

Checked against the sources above on 5 October 2026; figures are for 2026 and change each January. The “last updated” date at the top changes whenever a figure is refreshed. Permit rules differ in detail between cantons and the migration office gives binding answers; rates are market observations. This page is general information, not legal advice.