Hi all!

Does/did your employer cover any home office setup costs and ongoing expenses? I am starting a new job (banking) and currently don't have a home office in place - just my personal laptop and a wonky kitchen table. Ideally, I need a desk, chair, a headset, printer + all the usual basics (paper, pens, et al.)

How was/is this handled by your employers?

some do, some don't. I would ask your employer.

mine contributed to part of a computing device, screen and chair. I needed receipts and it's on my salary statement as a benefit.

I would forget about a printer at home if you are working in banking.

On top of what SC has said, I would expect them to let you order a headset through their procurement website (or however they handle it) and get it delivered to home or picked up from an IT point.

Claiming for pens and paper - please don‘t be one of those employees

I took a chair and a couple A4 paper packages from the office last time I was there in Janury

There are discussions about some extra CHF per month in the salary to cover these things. Nothing concrete yet.

What is ready to pickup are mobile phones with a Europe all-inclusive plan, since the office phones were decommissioned in January. But I have not done that, I won't use the company mobile phone until forced to.

Yes, in banking at least you would be entitled to be provided remote access with a company provided laptop (might or might-not be the latest model, and could require anything between less than a minute to 8 minutes reboot time). The access method (and login encryption time) may be limited according to your geographical location and access rights. Otherwise, a good remote access application and remote entry that you can use to access via your own PC/laptop. Head-sets and so should also be provided. As mentioned, if in banking then you won‘t need, or be able to use, a printer at home.

If you had stuff like multiple screens, docking station etc. at your desk, then clarify this with your line management I guess you can take it home.

Laptop and headset is anyway part of the standard equipment.

Then we all got a one-off Fr.400 payment to purchase whatever else we need (but we can really do whatever we wanted with the money).

My wife's employers allowed staff to take monitors, keyboard, mouse, even the deskchair home. But no cash payment or other contribution.

We gota small one time payment of a couple of hundred chuffs, but other than that, nothing and we are expecred to fund home office equipment ourselves.

I've recently spent a fair bit on an electric sit/stand desk and good desk chair and I wish I had done it far sooner, but better late than ever I guess. The end result is that I will aim to do 2-3 home office days per week in future.

I got laptop with headset, mouse, laptop bag and two power supplies plus two monitors to take them home to setup the home office. After contract termination, all is returned back to the employer.

Cost of home office - finding the quite place from which you can peacefully work.
Huge saving on car fuel or transportation costs. Win win situation! Viva HO, HO, HO

0.-, nothing for electricity, communication bills (have to use my own phone several hours per day, own laptop, own internet and transfer confidential files by emails because they can't sort out access to the server... it's a bank lol).
But home office is almost forbidden, i had to fight for almost a year to have it (I have 2 hours commute 1 way) while some lucky colleagues and boss were out for a full year (they were the only ones to catch covid or report sick regularly haha...)

we had a 50 CHF per month lumpsum payment for the months which employer required us to work from home.

This was not paid for months when it was optional or 50% work from home like last summer

So, which bank

Currently I got a laptop, an iphone, a docking station, monitor, camera, headset. Could have taken a chair but don’t need an extra chair. I have been working from home for many years, and the set of items was changing over the years — we used to have a printer before, and even the internet was payed by the employer.

Got to bring home chair and monitor/keyboard, plus offered 100 CHF for a desk and some money for extra internet connection.

We were offered 1-2 desktop monitors, a docking station for the laptop, keyboard, mouse, and an office chair. All are on loan from the company and are expected to be returned once WFH finishes.

My employer lent me a monitor and a mouse. Well, he's just a shell company that takes half of my daily rate. (Worked well enough before I had a C permit, need to see about changing now!)

I'm curious about tax deductions for what I bought to allow home office work. Anyone with real world experience?

Nah I wasn't gonna claim for pens + paper, just want to fit out a proper working space at home. If I got a desk + chair + headset I'd be more than happy! Working at the kitchen table & in my kitchen chair gives me back pain after a couple hours...

Just out of curiosity - why not printer? In the office I'd print a bunch of stuff (mostly research)

Depends on your canton. Most cantons just allow you to claim the normal deductions (meals, travel, etc) as if you were going to the office all year. It simplifies things.

Generally speaking, if the company *requires* you to work from home they should contribute to the costs. If they *allow* you to work from home they won't. Quite which way it is with the government requiring you to work from home I don't know but they are offering some tax breaks depending on the canton.

Exactly this.

I have seen people complaining (I am not kidding!) that their employer does not pay for pens while working from home but they fail to mention that the employer gave them the choice between going to the office or work from home.

My employer provided screen, keyboard, laptop and cell phone but that's about it. Which makes sense as I could still go to the office whenever I want if I need to print or pick up supplies.