Pillar 3a certificate, box by box

Select a box on the form, or a line beside it.

• 21Form 21 EDPRead onlyEvery provider issues the same federal form, so a certificate that looks different from a friend's is still this one. It is the only proof of a 3a payment the tax office accepts.
• aWho holds the accountRead onlyOne certificate per provider, and no provider knows about the others. Two 3a accounts means two of these, and it is on you to put both in the return.
• bAHV numberRead onlyHow the tax office matches the certificate to you. The 756 is already printed; check the rest against your insurance card before you file.
• 1Section 1 is the 2nd pillar, not 3aRead onlyEmpty on most certificates, and it is a different deduction: a buy-in to your occupational pension fund. Do not carry a figure from here into the 3a field.
• 2What you paid inType thisThis is the figure the return asks for, and the only one in this section it wants. Type it as it is printed.
• pThe year the payment counts forCheck the deductionThis year decides which return the payment belongs to — not the date of your transfer, and not the contract year under Abschluss two columns to the left.
• lAccount or policy numberRead onlyIdentifies which account paid in. Worth copying only if you hold more than one 3a and need to tell two certificates apart later.
• qThe total of THIS certificateCheck the deductionNot of your 3a. Two accounts add together against a single yearly maximum that is printed nowhere on this form, and anything above it is simply not deductible.
• 3Section 3 is paying back an earlier yearRead onlyNew from 2025, and empty on most certificates: topping up a year you paid less than the maximum. It is a separate deduction with its own ceiling — never add it to the total above.

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This article is general information, not tax, legal, or financial advice. This is the federal form as issued from 2025; providers lay it out differently, and a year you paid into two accounts needs both certificates. PaperTax helps you complete your own official cantonal tax return. It does not file on your behalf. For advice on your own situation, consult a qualified Swiss tax professional or your cantonal tax office.