Bonus system in supplementary insurance

What is a bonus system in supplementary insurance?

A bonus system is a rule in a supplementary insurance contract that rewards you for certain behaviour. The most common form is a premium discount that grows with each year in which you claim no benefits. Other forms are refunds at the end of the year, contributions towards gym memberships or sports courses, and programmes in which you collect points for health-conscious behaviour.

Supplementary insurance is subject to the Insurance Contract Act (ICA). The ICA neither requires a bonus system nor limits it. Each insurer decides for itself whether to offer a bonus, how high it is and under what conditions it applies. That is why the systems differ widely.

The bonus system in supplementary insurance must be clearly distinguished from bonus insurance in basic health insurance. Bonus insurance is a type of insurance regulated by the Federal Health Insurance Act (KVG), with fixed levels that are the same at every insurer that offers it. In everyday life, the two are often confused because both are called “bonus” and both reward you for not claiming benefits.

How it works

In supplementary insurance, the insurer sets the rules in its general and special insurance terms. Typical questions these terms answer:

• What triggers the bonus? A year without benefits from this contract, a certain contract duration or proven activities.
• How high is it? A percentage of the premium, a fixed amount or a scale that rises every year.
• When is it lost? For example, when you first claim benefits or when you cancel.

Some supplementary insurance policies include a fitness contribution regardless of whether you have claimed benefits, with a cap set in the contract. Strictly speaking, it is a benefit under the contract and not a bonus, but it is advertised in a similar way.

In basic health insurance, everything is regulated by law. Bonus insurance starts with a premium that is 10% above the ordinary premium (level 4). After each calendar year without benefits, you move down one level: 15%, 25%, 35% and finally 45% discount on the initial premium. If you claim benefits, you move up one level. Benefits for maternity and medical prevention do not count. Bonus insurance cannot be combined with an optional deductible, and you can only join at the start of a calendar year.

Legal basis

There is no specific statutory rule for bonus systems in supplementary insurance. Art. 2 para. 2 of the Health Insurance Supervision Act (KVAG) allows insurers to offer supplementary insurance subject to the ICA alongside basic health insurance. The content and amount of a bonus follow from the contract and the insurance terms. Art. 35a ICA governs the ordinary cancellation of supplementary insurance; in supplementary health insurance, only you have this right (para. 4).

For basic health insurance, Art. 62 para. 2 let. b KVG allows types of insurance in which the premium depends on whether you have claimed benefits. Under Art. 62 para. 2bis KVG, the loss of the premium reduction may not be insured either with a health insurer or with a private insurance institution. The details are set out in Art. 96–98 of the Health Insurance Ordinance (KVV): Art. 96 KVV defines bonus insurance and excludes combining it with optional deductibles (para. 4). Art. 97 KVV governs joining and leaving, and Art. 98 KVV the initial premium of 110% (para. 2) and the premium levels (para. 3).

Example: bonus levels in basic health insurance

Tim is 36 years old and lives in the city of Zurich. To see how a statutory bonus works, he takes as the ordinary premium the median for the standard model with a CHF 300 deductible: CHF 639.80 a month (premiums 2026, municipality of Zurich, region 1, born 1990, with accident cover; source FOPH). The levels and percentages are the statutory values from Art. 98 KVV. Whether an insurer offers bonus insurance at all is its own decision; the calculation only shows the mechanism.

Premium level	Bonus on initial premium	Monthly premium	Compared with the ordinary premium
4 (start)	0%	CHF 703.78	+ CHF 63.98
3	15%	CHF 598.21	− CHF 41.59
2	25%	CHF 527.84	− CHF 111.96
1	35%	CHF 457.46	− CHF 182.34
0	45%	CHF 387.08	− CHF 252.72

The comparison shows that a bonus is only worthwhile if you expect several years without claims. You can see the actual 2026 premiums of all insurers in the premium calculator.

What this means for you

Always assess a bonus system in relation to the premium without a bonus:

1. Read the terms. In supplementary insurance, everything is in the contract: trigger, amount, loss. Ask if anything is unclear.
2. Compare the total, not the bonus. A policy with a bonus can still be more expensive than one without. Compare premiums and benefits under Compare supplementary insurance.
3. Submit invoices deliberately. If you hold back a small invoice to protect your bonus, you should know the insurer’s deadlines for submitting invoices.
4. Think about basic health insurance separately. A bonus in supplementary insurance has no effect on your basic health insurance. You can switch basic health insurance every year; dates under Deadlines.

You will find an overview of the insurers under Health insurers. The return of excess premium income in basic health insurance, the premium refund, is not a bonus but a statutory adjustment.

Common mistakes

• Confusing the bonus in supplementary insurance with bonus insurance. One is a contractual matter under the ICA, the other a statutory model under the KVG.
• Overlooking the starting surcharge. Bonus insurance in basic health insurance starts 10% more expensive than ordinary insurance.
• Trying to insure the loss of the bonus. The law prohibits insuring the loss of the premium reduction in basic health insurance.
• Thinking the fitness contribution is a bonus. It is a contractual benefit with its own caps.