Family Benefits (Family and Education Allowances)

Please note the following important change regarding the application for and administration of family allowances for UZH professors.
 
From 1 January 2025, the administration of family allowances will once again be handled directly by the Social Insurance Institution of the Canton of Zurich (SVA) instead of UZH, as was previously the case.
This means that only the administrative processing (checking the entitlement and issuing the allowance decision) will once again be carried out directly by the SVA.
This will not change anything for recipients in terms of the payment of family allowances. As before, these will be paid out via the UZH monthly salary.
 
However, in order to ensure a seamless transition and to guarantee the quality of the data, all recipients must complete the family allowance application form again and attach the current enclosures (such as birth certificate, certification of vital records, certificate of study, etc., see instructions under the link below).

The SVA has set up a user-friendly and secure online link www.svazurich.ch/vav (in German), which allows recipients of family allowances to conveniently fill out the form (only available in German) and upload the required documents. The data and enclosures are stored securely and protected. The enclosures must be uploaded individually and should be kept ready when completing the form (although it is possible to save them temporarily).It is also necessary to enter the University of Zurich billing number (F55.192) in the online form. The form must be completed by 30 November 2024 at the latest in order to ensure timely processing and seamless payment of family allowances. 
 
If you have any questions or difficulties in completing the form, please do not hesitate to contact the Professorships Department:
Daniel Jud, Phone 044 634 20 23 or familienzulagen@prof.uzh.ch
Nicole Mosimann, Phone 044 634 20 38 or familienzulagen@prof.uzh.ch
Maria Marciello, Phone 044 634 20 25 or familienzulagen@prof.uzh.ch
 
Thank you for your timely consideration and co-operation.
 
Your responsible team of the Professorships Department
 

In the meantime, the same applies to applications for family allowances: 

Professors at UZH may apply to the Professorships Department for family benefits for their children.

What To Do

To enable us to review your entitlement to family benefits, please complete the SVA's employee application form (in German), sign it, and send it with the necessary enclosures to the Professorships Department (familienzulagen@prof.uzh.ch).

Changes to your entitlement to the allowance (e.g. should your child begin an vocational training course) must also be reported to the Professorships Department
(familienzulagen@prof.uzh.ch), using the SVA's employee change reporting form (in German).

Family benefits are paid out by UZH with your monthly salary.

Duty to report

It is your responsibility to always report any changes in your personal circumstances or changes affecting the child in connection with family allowances immediately in writing to the Professorships Department 
(familienzulagen@prof.uzh.ch).
This includes in particular events such as:

• Birth/death or departure of a child from Switzerland;
• Beginning/termination or discontinuation of a child's education;
• Separation/divorce or changes in parental care;
• Higher/lower annual gross income due to the other parent taking up/giving up gainful employment and change of canton in which the other parent is gainfully employed or in which the child resides;
• Other similar changes in you/the child.

Unjustified receipt of benefits and violation of reporting obligations are punishable by law.
 
We would also like to refer you to the further information (incl. information sheet) on family allowances, which you can access via the links below.
We thank you in advance for your due consideration and timely cooperation in this matter.

Family benefits are paid as follows (as at January 2024):

In the Canton of Zurich, family allowances consist of age-dependent child allowances and education allowances.
As a rule, your child enters the Kindergarten or the Introductory Level when he or she reaches the age of four (the cut-off date is 31 July).

a) Child allowance

• The child allowance in the Canton of Zurich amounts to CHF 200 per month per child until the end of the month in which the child reaches the age of 12 (12th birthday);
• Thereafter (between age 12 to age 15/16) it amounts to CHF 250 per child;
• If the child is incapable of working (Art. 7 ATSG), the allowance is paid until the child reaches the age of 20.

b) Education allowance:

• For young people in education the following applies: from the age of 16 – or from the age of 15 if the child is 15 years old at the start of the education (cut-off date 31 July) and has completed compulsory schooling – until completion of education, but no longer than until the end of the month in which the child reaches the age of 25 (25th birthday), there is an education allowance of CHF 250 per child.