UVG Daily Allowance (Taggeld)
The UVG daily allowance is the income replacement benefit of Swiss accident insurance for accident-related incapacity for work; under Art. 17 UVG it amounts to 80 percent of the insured earnings for full incapacity and is paid from the third day after the day of the accident until working capacity is regained or a pension begins.
Function and amount
If the insured person is fully or partially unable to work as a result of an accident or occupational disease, they are entitled to a daily allowance (Art. 16 para. 1 UVG). The entitlement arises on the third day after the day of the accident (Art. 16 para. 2 UVG); for the day of the accident and the two following days the employer owes at least four fifths of the salary under Art. 324b OR. The daily allowance amounts to 80 percent of the insured earnings for full incapacity for work and is reduced proportionally for partial incapacity (Art. 17 para. 1 UVG). The basis of calculation is the last salary received before the accident, converted to a daily earnings figure (annual earnings divided by 365, Art. 25 UVV); at the maximum insured earnings of CHF 148,200 (as of 2026) this yields a maximum daily allowance of around CHF 325 per calendar day. The daily allowance is paid for all calendar days, including weekends, and is subject to AHV contributions.
Duration and coordination
The entitlement ends when full working capacity is regained, when a disability pension begins or on death (Art. 16 para. 2 UVG); there is no statutory maximum duration. In the case of gross negligence in a non-occupational accident the daily allowance may be reduced under Art. 37 para. 2 UVG. The daily allowance is generally paid to the employer, who continues to pay the salary. The 20 percent gap and salary components above the maximum can be closed with a supplementary UVG insurance.
Country comparison
In Germany the injury benefit (Verletztengeld) of statutory accident insurance only starts after the six-week period of continued salary payment and amounts to 80 percent of the regular pay, capped at net pay and limited to 78 weeks. In Austria statutory accident insurance pays no daily allowance to employees; income replacement is provided through continued salary payment and sickness benefit from health insurance. In the three-country comparison the UVG daily allowance is thus the earliest and longest-running income replacement instrument.
Legal basis
- CH: Art. 16 and 17 UVG
- CH: Art. 22 and 25 UVV (calculation of the daily allowance)
- CH: Art. 324b OR (continued salary payment where compulsory insurance exists)