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Starting out with your own company? But of course Insurance for start-ups

Protected in all phases of start-up
Discounts for start-up founders
Individual protection that grows flexibly with you
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Setting up a new business brings a lot of opportunities, but also risks. At the beginning in particular, financial, legal or health challenges can quickly become a burden. Consequently, individual, early and reliable protection is crucial. AXA accompanies you during the foundation phase and offers long-term, individual insurance solutions for your business. Whether you're starting out on your own or are already building a team, our Insurance Check will help you find out which insurance is really relevant for your start-up. 

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What types of insurance do start-ups need in Switzerland?

From the very beginning, start-ups move in a dynamic environment, with many opportunities but also challenges and risks. An accident or delayed payment can already put financial pressure on young companies. It's therefore important to have the right insurance protection from the outset. 

Depending on their legal form, start-ups in Switzerland are not required or are only minimally required to have insurance. Other types are voluntary, but strongly recommended for start-ups. What counts is the knowledge of your individual risk and having targeted insurance cover to mitigate it.

The most common types of insurance for start-ups

  • Professional liability insurance: Professional liability insurance protects you if a third-party incurs a financial loss as a result of your professional activities, such as erroneous advice, omission or an incorrect calculation.
  • Commercial third-party liability insurance: A customer trips over a cable in the office, a defective product causes damage - in these cases, commercial third-party liability for start-ups is crucial. It protects you against substantial claims and covers all costs of justified claims. Unfounded claims are vigorously defended.
  • Commercial legal protection insurance: Disputes with suppliers, customers or tenants can quickly become expensive. Our commercial legal protection insurance provides you with legal support and covers procedural costs.
  • Accident insurance (UVG): There is a statutory requirement to provide accident insurance for any employee who works more than eight hours a week. UVG covers both occupational and non-occupational accidents as well as occupational illnesses.
  • Property insurance: Whether theft, fire or water damage, property insurance reliably protects your fixtures and fittings, devices or warehouse so that a loss does not become a cost trap.
  • Occupational benefits insurance: As an employer, you're obliged to provide occupational benefits insurance for your employees who have an annual salary of CHF 22,050 and above. With our tailored pension solutions for companies, we support you with this, basing the customization on your start-up's needs. As entrepreneurs without employees, we recommend early protection with a personal pension solution.

Additional recommended types of insurance for start-ups

  • Daily sickness benefits insurance: Employers are obliged to continue paying the salaries for a specific period of employees who are sick or pregnant. Daily sickness benefits insurance covers these payments and protects your company against the financial pressures of long-term absences.
  • Cyber insurance: Cyber attacks are some of the most severe risks for modern companies, regardless of their size. Cyber insurance protects you against hacking attacks, data loss and system failures.
  • Engineering insurance: If your work depends heavily on machinery, IT systems or technical infrastructure, engineering insurance offers protection against failures or damage to prevent your daily operations from coming to a halt.

AXA's offer for start-ups

  • Young woman is sitting on a sofa with a laptop
    The greatest risks for start-ups

    Payment defaults, legal difficulties or staff absences due to sickness or accident can jeopardize your start-up. Find out in our blog how you can protect yourself.

    Read the blog

How do pensions work for start-ups?

The legal form of your company is crucial when choosing the right pension solution. Owners of sole proprietorships, general or limited partnerships are classified as self-employed. They can take out occupational benefits insurance, but are not obliged to do so. By contrast, owners of a company limited by shares (AG) or a limited liability company (GmbH) are classified as employees of their own company. They are subject to the OPA and are legally obliged to insure themselves and their employees through Pillar 2.

Find out more about pensions and self-employment in our blog entitled "Pensions for the self-employed: what do you really need?"

For sole proprietorships, general or limited partnerships

  • Compulsory: you are obliged to register with the cantonal compensation office (OASI) if you earn a profit of more than CHF 2,300 p.a.
  • Voluntary: you can choose to take out occupational benefits insurance and join a pension scheme (Pillar 2). Many self-employed people in Switzerland also take out a private Pillar 3 pension with a view to maintaining the standard of living they’re accustomed to after they retire.

For AGs or GmbHs

  • Compulsory: OPA applies to you and your employees. From a salary level of CHF 22,680 (as at 2025), you and your team must be part of an OPA solution (Pillar 2) or run your own pension scheme.
  • Voluntary: you are free to take out a personal pension with Pillar 3.
  • Two people are looking at documents
    Occupational benefits insurance with Pillar 2

    It's often too costly for a new company to manage its own pension fund, so AXA offers you various semi-autonomous pension solutions.

    More about occupational benefits
  • A couple with a child are standing outdoors
    Private pension provision with Pillar 3

    Personal pension provision in Pillar 3 is a good way for the self-employed to protect their income for the future and to save tax at the same time.

    To personal pension provision

Support and FAQs

Which types of insurance are compulsory for start-ups?

For start-ups in Switzerland, there are also clear requirements regarding social insurance. These types of insurance serve as financial protection, either in retirement, disability, illness, pregnancy or death. The contributions you have to make depend specifically on the chosen legal form of your company.

Please note: the responsible compensation office - in many cases Suva - determines whether you as a founder are classified as self-employed for social security purposes.

The following types of social security insurance are relevant and normally compulsory for start-ups:

  • Federal old-age and survivors’ insurance (OASI): OASI and disability insurance (DI) together form Pillar 1 of social security in Switzerland. It is compulsory for all those gainfully employed, which also means the self-employed. It secures the recipient's basic livelihood in retirement and provides cover in the event of death. Unbroken contribution payments are crucial, as OASI is often the sole source of income in retirement.
  • Disability insurance (DI): This is also part of Pillar 1 and compulsory for everyone who lives or works in Switzerland. DI provides support with reintegration measures and financial benefits in the event of disability following illness or accident.
  • Loss of earnings compensation (LEC): LEC covers absence following military service, civilian service, civil defense or pregnancy. All those gainfully employed, including start-up founders, are required to make contributions.
  • Family allowances (FA): start-ups with self-employed founders have also been required to make contributions since January 1, 2013 under the Swiss Federal Family Allowance Act (FAA). They must therefore register with a family allowance fund in the canton where their business is based.
I’d like to use money from my pension fund and Pillar 3a account as start-up capital. Is that an option?

If you structure your start-up as a sole proprietorship, general or limited partnership and are registered as self-employed with the compensation office, you can withdraw your assets from the pension fund (Pillar 2) and Pillar 3a early, e.g. to fund your business. It's important that you apply to do so within one year of becoming self-employed.

However, if you set up your business as an AG or GmbH, you are classified as an employee of your own start-up, in which case it is not possible for you to make early withdrawals from Pillars 2 or 3.

How high is the cost of start-up insurance?

The cost of insurance depends heavily on the type of start-up, the chosen legal form, sector, number of employees and required coverage. It's therefore practically impossible to give a blanket figure.

Basic insurance such as liability insurance for start-ups can already offer a great deal of protection for low premiums, depending on the individual risk.

The rule of thumb is that the more individual your insurance cover is tailored to your business model, the better insured you are in the worst case scenario, without unnecessary additional costs. Use the AXA Insurance Check to find out quickly which type of insurance is really relevant for your start-up and which costs you have to cover.

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How much does third-party liability cost for the self-employed?

AXA’s SME premium calculator helps you work out the cost of your third-party liability insurance yourself.

To the calculator

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