Accident insurance for the self-employed: voluntary UVG cover or health insurance?

Two routes, the same risk

Employers must insure employees under the Accident Insurance Act (UVG); from 8 hours a week, this also applies to accidents in their free time, known as non-work-related accidents. The self-employed do not fall under this requirement. The OASI information leaflet 2.02 states: anyone who is self-employed is not compulsorily insured against accidents.

That does not mean you are unprotected. Basic health insurance pays after an accident to the extent that no accident insurance pays (Art. 1a para. 2 let. b of the Federal Health Insurance Act, KVG). However, it only covers treatment. Only accident insurance pays for loss of earnings, a pension in the event of permanent disability or benefits for surviving dependants. That is why the self-employed can take out voluntary insurance under the UVG (Art. 4 para. 1 UVG).

The rules of compulsory insurance apply accordingly to voluntary insurance (Art. 5 para. 1 UVG). The list of injuries similar to accidents also applies, such as fractures and torn menisci and tendons, unless they are mainly due to wear and tear or illness (Art. 6 para. 2 UVG).

How to decide and get insured, step by step

1. Work out when your existing UVG cover ends. If you are coming from employment, your employer’s cover ends on the 31st day after the day on which your entitlement to at least half your salary ends (Art. 3 para. 2 UVG). With extended cover by agreement (Abredeversicherung), you can extend it by up to six months (Art. 3 para. 3 UVG).
2. Estimate your loss of income. Work out how long you can manage without income. The daily allowance is the main difference between the two routes.
3. Find the responsible insurer. If you work without employees in a sector whose employees are insured with Suva, such as construction, installation, forestry or mechanical wood and metal working (Art. 66 para. 1 UVG), Suva provides the voluntary insurance (Art. 135 para. 2 of the Accident Insurance Ordinance, UVV). For everyone else, the registered insurers are responsible, including insurance companies and health insurers (Art. 135 para. 3 UVV).
4. Set your insured earnings. They determine the premium, the daily allowance and the pension. For the self-employed, there is a minimum of CHF 66,690 (Art. 138 UVV); the maximum is CHF 148,200 (Art. 22 para. 1 UVV).
5. Check the contract. The insurance begins with a written contract that sets out the start, minimum term and end (Art. 136 UVV). Look at the minimum term and the notice period of at most three months to the end of an insurance year (Art. 137 para. 3 UVV).
6. Inform your health insurer. Without voluntary UVG insurance, accident cover must be included in your basic health insurance. With voluntary UVG insurance, ask your health insurer whether it will reduce the premium (Art. 91a para. 3 of the Health Insurance Ordinance, KVV).

The rules of voluntary UVG insurance

The Accident Insurance Ordinance governs voluntary insurance in a separate title (Art. 134–140 UVV). The main points:

• Admission: Unlike basic health insurance, voluntary UVG insurance has no unconditional obligation to accept you. In the case of significant and permanent damage to health or a particular risk, the insurer may refuse to conclude a contract (Art. 134 para. 3 UVV).
• Premium: The insurer may set a single net premium for work-related and non-work-related accidents. It must be calculated so that voluntary insurance is self-financing (Art. 139 para. 1 UVV). There are no surcharges for inflation or accident prevention (Art. 139 para. 2 UVV).
• End: The insurance ends when you give up self-employment or become compulsorily insured, for example by taking up employment. The contract may provide for it to continue for up to three months after you give up your activity (Art. 137 paras 1 and 2 UVV).
• Cancellation: After the minimum term, both sides can cancel with at most three months’ notice to the end of an insurance year; the insurer must give written reasons for its cancellation (Art. 137 para. 3 UVV).
• Exclusion: If you do not pay the premium despite a written reminder, or give false information when taking out the policy or about an accident, the insurer may exclude you (Art. 137 para. 4 UVV).

What accident cover costs in basic health insurance

If you stay with your health insurer for accidents, you pay the accident share in the premium. Monthly premiums 2026, municipality of Zurich (region 1), adults born in 1991, all models; source FOPH:

The medians come from different offers; the difference with your own insurer may turn out differently. For people with compulsory UVG insurance, the reduction may be at most 7 % (Art. 91a para. 4 KVV). The premium calculator shows your insurer’s premium with and without accident cover. The FOPH publishes the following year’s premiums at the end of September. Each insurer calculates the premium for voluntary UVG insurance based on the insured earnings and the risk of your activity; there is no public comparison data for this.

Sample calculation: six weeks off work after a fall

Example with fictitious people. Marco is 45, a plasterer with a sole proprietorship and no employees, and lives in Zurich. His income is CHF 80,000 a year (assumed). On 02.03.2026, he falls in his free time and is fully unable to work up to and including 12.04.2026. The treatment costs CHF 8,000 (assumed), without a hospital stay.

The difference lies mainly in income: with health insurance alone, Marco bears six weeks of lost earnings and CHF 3,050 in treatment costs himself. Whether the premium for voluntary UVG insurance outweighs this depends on the quote and on how much loss of earnings he can cover from reserves. The calculation is an example, not a recommendation.

Special cases

Family members working in the business

If your partner works in the business and is not compulsorily insured, they can also take out voluntary insurance under the UVG (Art. 4 para. 1 UVG). The insured earnings are then at least 30 % of the maximum amount (Art. 138 UVV). If the person is employed by you and receives a salary, the compulsory insurance applies instead.

Limited liability company, public limited company and first employees

If you work in your own limited liability company (GmbH) or public limited company (AG), you are employed there and compulsorily insured under the UVG; SECO’s SME portal points this out explicitly. If you hire staff, you must insure them, and you can then take out voluntary insurance for yourself with the same insurer (Art. 135 para. 1 UVV). What to expect with your first employees is explained in the article First employees.

Employed part-time and self-employed on the side

If you are employed for at least 8 hours a week, you are also insured in your free time through this employer, but the daily allowance is only calculated on the salary from this job. You can also take out voluntary insurance for your self-employed activity (Art. 134 para. 1 UVV).

After the reference age

After reaching the OASI reference age, you can only take out new voluntary UVG insurance if you were compulsorily insured for one year immediately before (Art. 134 para. 2 UVV).

Private accident insurance under the ICA

Insurance companies and health insurers also offer accident insurance under the Insurance Contract Act (ICA), for example an accident daily allowance, a lump sum for disability or supplementary hospital cover. These do not automatically replace the benefits of the UVG. What they cover is set out in the general terms and conditions; the general terms and conditions and the information from the insurer are decisive.

Common mistakes

• Believing that the self-employed are automatically insured with Suva. Even in Suva sectors, insurance is voluntary for the self-employed and only begins with a contract.
• Leaving accident cover excluded from your health insurance. After employment ends, the health insurer covers accidents by law (Art. 8 para. 2 KVG), but can claim the accident share of the premium retroactively. Report the change.
• Setting the insured earnings too low. They determine the daily allowance and the pension. If your income is significantly higher, the daily allowance only covers part of the loss.
• Confusing accident and illness. Accident insurance only pays for accidents, occupational diseases and injuries similar to accidents. For illness, you need daily sickness allowance insurance.

You can find all articles for the self-employed and business owners in the topic Self-employed and SMEs. Starting out as a self-employed person with all the insurance you need is covered in Becoming self-employed. Contact details and key figures of the health insurers are in the profiles. If you would like to discuss quotes, you can request advice.