Blog, HR & Payroll: 27.01.26AVS account statement: why should you check it regularly?

In Switzerland, the AVS account statement is one of those administrative documents that people often discover too late.

Yet it plays a central role in the calculation of your AVS retirement pension. This statement, which is free and accessible to everyone, summarises your insured income, contribution periods and any applicable credits.

Whether you are an employee, self-employed, a company director or an HR manager, checking it regularly helps prevent errors that could affect your future entitlements.

This article aims to explain, simply and concretely, why your AVS account statement deserves your attention, how to read it, and what to do if you spot an error.

The AVS account statement, also known as the individual account statement (CI), is an official document maintained by the compensation fund. It records all the information used to calculate your AVS pension:

• Your income subject to contributions
• Contributions paid, either by you or by your employers
• Recognised insurance periods
• Care credits, for example for caring for relatives

The official AVS guidance states that “the individual account is the basis on which the pension is calculated” and that any gap in contributions generally results in a reduction in benefits.

In other words, your account statement is the memory of your social security career.

To verify your contributions

Each employer declares employee salaries to the compensation fund.
However, errors can occur, for example following a company merger, a change of company name, an employer default or an administrative oversight.

Regularly checking your statement allows you to identify these anomalies in good time and ensure that all your working years are correctly taken into account.

To avoid contribution gaps

A missing year reduces the amount of your future pension by around 2.3 percent.
Such gaps may result from time spent abroad, unpaid leave or missed payments, particularly for self-employed individuals.

Missing contributions can only be regularised if you can prove that the salary was paid and that AVS deductions were made. Acceptable evidence includes payslips, bank statements, employment certificates or tax declarations.

To plan your retirement

The statement provides a clear overview of your contribution history. It is a useful tool to:

• anticipate your future AVS pension
• plan complementary contributions under the second and third pillars
• adjust your overall retirement strategy

To simplify administrative procedures

An up-to-date statement makes many procedures easier, such as changing jobs, applying for a pension, calculating income for social benefits or handling administrative matters when moving abroad.

It is recommended to request an account statement every three to five years, or whenever there is a major professional change:

• change of employer
• transition to self-employment
• career interruption
• extended stay abroad
• or when approaching retirement

This regularity is essential because after five years, missing contributions can no longer be corrected.

Online via the official website

From Switzerland, the easiest and fastest way to obtain your AVS account statement is via the official form provided by the AVS/AI Information Centre.

This service is free and available to anyone affiliated with the AVS.
You will find a clear form to complete online or print out, requiring only:

• your AVS number in the format 756.xxxx.xxxx.xx
• your full contact details
• and your signature if submitting by post

Once the form has been submitted, the statement is sent to your home address by post for data protection reasons. Processing usually takes a few working days.

Good to know: income for the current year will only appear on the statement from the following year onwards. This is entirely normal and confirmed by the AVS/AI authorities.

By post or via a compensation fund

You can also:

• send a written request to your cantonal or professional compensation fund
• or mandate any compensation fund to consolidate all your statements, even if you have contributed to several institutions during your career

In this case, it is advisable to include a copy of your identity document to speed up processing.

If you live abroad

People living abroad can make the same request using the specific form available on the official website, under the section for residents abroad of the AVS/AI Information Centre.

The process is identical, but handled by the Central Compensation Office in Geneva.

Strict data protection

The AVS account statement is a strictly personal document. It is issued only to:

• the insured person
• their legal representative
• or their lawyer

If a third party makes the request, including an employer or a relative, the document is sent directly to the insured person, in accordance with data protection law.

The statement is presented as a chronological table. It includes in particular:

• income subject to contributions for each year
• personal and employer contributions
• the compensation fund number
• the names of employers, shown at least for the last four years
• and the total recorded income

Points to check carefully:

• that every year worked is listed
• that salaries match your salary certificates
• that your employers are correctly identified
• and that periods abroad, training or service are properly recognised

Request a correction

If you notice an error, you can request a correction within 30 days of receiving the statement. The request must be sent to the relevant compensation fund, together with supporting documents such as payslips or employer attestations.
You will then receive an official decision.

Late correction

If no request is made and the error is only discovered at retirement, correction is possible only if the inaccuracy is obvious or can be proven.

This is why regular checks throughout your professional life are so important.

A contribution gap leads to a proportional reduction in the pension.
This can represent several hundred Swiss francs per month lost at retirement.

Higher-risk situations often involve:

• self-employed individuals
• part-time workers
• people who have worked abroad
• or those who change employers frequently

Checking your statement means protecting your financial future.

AVS procedures are becoming increasingly accessible. Some compensation funds already offer online requests for account statements with secure authentication.

In the future, it will likely be possible to consult your individual account in real time, similar to a bank statement. This modernisation supports more transparent, faster and more proactive management of social security.

Regularly reviewing your AVS account statement is a simple but essential preventive step.
It ensures that your retirement entitlements are accurate and encourages personal responsibility for your professional journey.

It is useful for:

• employees, to ensure their contributions are correct
• self-employed individuals, to quickly correct omissions
• companies, to strengthen trust within their teams
• and young professionals, to familiarise themselves with the pension system

At Synergix, we support Swiss companies in all aspects of social insurance management and HR administration. Our approach covers:

• full management of AVS contributions and social charges (AVS, LPP, LAA, LAAC, IJM)
• support for HR teams in monitoring, communication, onboarding, offboarding, role changes and legal obligations

Informing, preventing and simplifying. This is how we enable companies to focus on their core business while building clearer, more human and more sustainable social security management.

The AVS account statement is not just an administrative record. It is a transparency tool, a reference point for your professional journey and a safeguard for your future.

Checking it regularly ensures that every year of work is recognised and that your future pension accurately reflects your contributions.

Whether you are an employer or an employee, this simple and free action is an act of responsibility towards yourself, your company and your future.