Accident cover

What is accident cover?

Basic health insurance under the Federal Health Insurance Act (KVG) covers three risks: illness, maternity and accident. For accidents, however, only to the extent that no accident insurer pays. This part is called accident cover. After an accident, it pays the same benefits as for illness, i.e. doctor, hospital, medicines and therapies, with the deductible and retention fee.

In parallel, there is compulsory accident insurance under the Accident Insurance Act (UVG). It applies to employees in Switzerland and to people receiving unemployment benefit. It covers work-related accidents and occupational diseases and, if you work at least 8 hours a week for one employer, also accidents in your free time, known as non-work-related accident insurance. UVG insurance has no deductible and no retention fee like basic health insurance, and it additionally pays a daily allowance if you are unable to work (Art. 16 UVG).

If you are fully insured against accidents under the UVG, you would be insured twice without an adjustment. That is why you can have the accident cover in basic health insurance put on hold, also known as suspending it. The premium then falls by the accident share. In the FOPH premium tables, every premium therefore appears twice: “with accident cover” and “without accident cover”.

Who has to keep accident cover:

• Children, pupils and students who are not employed
• Self-employed people (unless they have voluntarily taken out insurance under the UVG)
• Pensioners and people not in gainful employment, for example homemakers
• Employees who do not work at least 8 hours a week for any one employer

How it works

Suspension: You submit a written request to your health insurer and prove that you are fully insured under the UVG, usually with confirmation from your employer or your employment contract. The suspension starts at the earliest on the first day of the month after the request. It cannot be backdated. The health insurer must inform you of this right when you join.

Premium: The health insurer reduces the premium by the share for accident cover, by no more than 7 %. The reduction is mandatory if you are compulsorily insured under the UVG.

Reinstatement: If your UVG cover ends in full or in part, you are automatically insured against accidents again through basic health insurance. UVG cover ends on the 31st day after the day on which your entitlement to at least half your salary ends. Your employer must inform you in writing beforehand that you have to notify your health insurer. You then have one month to inform the health insurer. If you do not, the health insurer may charge the premium share for accident cover plus default interest retrospectively.

Extended accident insurance: After your employment ends, you can extend non-work-related accident cover with your former employer’s UVG insurer by up to six months through extended accident insurance. This can make sense for a break between two jobs, a longer trip or unpaid leave.

Earlier accidents: Accidents that were insured with the health insurer before the suspension continue to be paid for by basic health insurance after the suspension.

Legal basis

• Art. 1a para. 2 let. b KVG: Basic health insurance provides benefits in the event of an accident to the extent that no accident insurer pays for it.
• Art. 28 KVG: For accidents, basic health insurance covers the costs of the same benefits as for illness.
• Art. 8 KVG: Accident cover can be suspended if you are fully covered on a compulsory basis under the UVG; the premium is reduced. As soon as UVG cover ends in full or in part, accidents are again covered under the KVG (para. 2). Accidents before the suspension remain insured with the health insurer (para. 3).
• Art. 9 KVG: The health insurer must inform you in writing of your right to suspension when you join.
• Art. 10 KVG: Employers and unemployment insurance inform you when you leave; if you fail to report this, the health insurer can claim the premium share plus default interest retrospectively.
• Art. 11 KVV: Suspension on written request, at the earliest from the first day of the following month; notification to the health insurer within one month of being informed by the employer.
• Art. 91a para. 2 and 4 KVV: Obligation to reduce the premium where there is compulsory UVG cover, by no more than 7 %.
• Art. 3 para. 2 and 3 UVG: UVG cover ends on the 31st day after the end of the entitlement to salary; extension by agreement for up to six months.
• Art. 13 UVV: Part-time employees working at least 8 hours a week for one employer are also insured against non-work-related accidents; below that, accidents on the way to work count as work-related accidents.

Example: premium with and without accident cover in Zurich

Lea is 34 years old, lives in the city of Zurich and works 60 % as an employee, i.e. well over 8 hours a week. She is insured through her employer under the UVG against work-related and non-work-related accidents. The table shows the median monthly premiums (median of all 128 offers) for basic health insurance in 2026 for the municipality of Zurich (region 1), adults, born 1992. Source: FOPH, health insurance premiums 2026.

If Lea later leaves her job, UVG cover ends on the 31st day after her last day of salary. From then on, she is again insured against accidents through basic health insurance and must report this to her health insurer within one month of being informed by her employer.

What this means for you

1. Clarify your status. Do you work at least 8 hours a week for one employer? Then you are also insured in your free time under the UVG. If you have several part-time jobs, each job counts separately.
2. Check your policy. Your policy shows whether accident cover is included. If it is included even though you are fully insured under the UVG, you are paying twice.
3. Submit a request. A short written request with proof is enough. The suspension applies from the following month. Our tool Check accident cover guides you through the questions.
4. Act when your job ends. Notify your health insurer within one month, otherwise you face back payments. Also consider extended accident insurance with the UVG insurer if you are taking a break.
5. Compare premiums. The premium calculator shows you all premiums with and without accident cover for your municipality. Information on the health insurers is available under Health insurers.

If you switch health insurer on 1 January, tell the new health insurer straight away that you are insured under the UVG. The dates for switching are under Deadlines.

Common mistakes

• Never suspending accident cover. If you are fully insured under the UVG, you otherwise pay up to 7 % too much premium.
• Not reporting anything after your job ends. The health insurer may claim the accident share plus default interest retrospectively.
• Suspending with a small workload. Below 8 hours a week for one employer, there is no non-work-related accident cover; you then need the health insurer’s accident cover.
• Wanting to suspend retrospectively. The suspension applies at the earliest from the month after the request.
• Insuring children without accident cover. Children who are not employed or in an apprenticeship are not insured under the UVG and need the accident cover of basic health insurance.

We explain how we set up premium examples under How we calculate.