We’ll show you how to handle your inheritance and perhaps also use some of it to make a long-term investment.
Who actually inherits in Switzerland and how much? There is little official information available about this. But a The link will open in a new window study does indicate that around CHF 63 billion was inherited in Switzerland in 2015. That is roughly equivalent to the amount that all private individuals in Switzerland combined save in a year. That’s a huge amount. Yet, inheritances are rarely distributed equally – 35% of all inheritances amount to between CHF 0 and CHF 50,000 and are then allocated to several heirs. This means lots of people are inheriting small amounts and few are actually inheriting a lot. Inheritances are usually subject to tax (inheritance tax). This depends on the amount of assets inherited and is governed at cantonal level. Spouses, registered partners and direct descendants are exempt from this tax in most cantons. Greater assets can be generated, even from small inheritances of just a few thousand Swiss francs. There are many ways of using an inheritance.
