Swiss pensioners will receive a 13th monthly state pension payment for the first time in December 2026. A new foundation wants those who can afford to donate the money to charity.
Fondation Chance 13 is asking better-off recipients to pass on the extra payment. It aims to tackle poverty among older people and support younger generations without asking pensioners who depend on the money to give it up.
Swiss voters approved the additional payment under the old-age and survivors’ insurance scheme, known as AHV, in March 2024. It will cost 4.2bn Swiss francs on introduction, rising to about 5bn francs in subsequent years.
The foundation points out that voters did not settle how to finance the payment when they approved it. The foundation warns that younger workers will bear much of the cost for decades, while facing uncertainty over their own state pensions.
It estimates that a quarter of recipients could donate the extra payment without reducing their standard of living. If all did so, it says, donations could exceed 1bn francs a year. Its initial fundraising expectations are more modest: CHF 1m–2m a year in the first few years.
The foundation will distribute donations to charities. Its first partners are Pro Senectute and Pro Juventute. Part of the money will go to Pro Senectute’s individual assistance fund, which helps older people in financial distress with minimal bureaucracy. Donations will also support Pro Juventute’s education and life-skills projects for children and young people. The foundation’s broader aims include encouraging young people to save for retirement.
The foundation was set up by Jörg Odermatt, an entrepreneur and pension expert based in Lucerne, and Karl Reichmuth, a banker. Each contributed CHF 150,000 of his own money.
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Fondation Chance 13 website (in French) – Take a 5 minute French test now
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