Hello,

sorry bothering you again with this.

I opened a 3rd pillar account last year, put my 6k in it and now I need to fill in a form to get the refund (taxed at source).

Can anybody tell me which one I should take from here?

http://www.steueramt.zh.ch/html/formulare/index.htm

Many thanks.
Chiara

On the Tax-Website you had posted scroll down to the Section (Headline) Quellensteuer (a bit further than half way down), choose the 3rd pdf (Antrag auf Korrekturberechnung der Quellensteuer".
There is a tick-box named "Säule 3a" ...

I think this is the one you need.

Gina

Many thanks :-)

You also need to attach your Lohnausweis (swiss Salary certificate) as well as the Pillar 3a certification from the financial institution that you put money into (Original) with the form.

I sent mine via registred mail, and got my refund in approx 8 months from the date of posting (speaking from my experience last year)

Thank you for the additional information!

What do you mean by "I sent mine via registred mail"? Is there a way to do it online?

Registered mail = sent via the post. just to make sure the forms arrive at the steueramt.

I am not sure if it can done online. If there is something that works online I would like to know it too!

Got it!

I used to do my tax declaration online in France, so I hoped there would be a way here as well...

Thanks!

I paid the maximum amount into Pillar 3a in 2008 (about 6300CHF).

Then I submitted the form for a refund. They wrote back saying I had to submit a full tax return, which I did.

Today I got a letter from the Gemeinde with the final settlement amount, but there is no mention of the 3a refund. I also had various other statements from other state tax offices, which are impossible to understand.

Does anyone know from whom I should expect this refund?

For the amount of hassle involved, Paying into a 3a does not seem like a wise move.

If you submitted a full tax return, then you would (should?) have deducted the 3a-contribution to calculate the taxable income. The tax-at-source is then set off against the assessed tax. There may be a refund, depending on where you live.

It is a bit confusing indeed. You do not see it directly, only as described above. It is deducted from the taxable income. You should see it if you compare it to the original taxable income in your income statement. But if they ask you to do the full tax thing, then you would have had to do it anyway I assume, otherwise the simple refund form would have been sufficient. They will probably remind you to do the tax declaration next year too (with or without the Säule 3a).

so, for example: if gross salary in one year is 50000 chf, netto 40000, then taxes = 20%
if i put 10000 chf on 3a account, will I get 2000 chf of refund? thanks

Not quite....

You can put in CHF 10'000 into your 3a account, but for tax purposes, only CHF 6566 (for 2010) will be allowed as a deduction from taxable income.

At wages of CHF 50'000, unlikely to attract a 20% tax rate in any canton.

But assuming for illustration purposes, yes, that is how the calculation would be done.

I've been here (Basel Stadt) a year and haven't received any tax forms. I'm not going to ask for one so my plan is not to do anything about this "third pillar" unless I get one.

If I do subsequently get a tax form can I quickly put 6000Fr, or whatever the maxinum is, aside for 2010 even though it's 2011 now?

has to be done before the end of 2010, so if you do receive tax forms for 2010 in March 2011 (usually) you would have missed the boat on that one my friend...

sorry! my mistake, didn't remember the 6500 chf thing
20% was just to have easy numbers
i just want to be sure about one point: "20%" in my mind comprehends: avg, lpp, quellensteuer.... everything, will the refund be exactly 20% of the deposited amount or will it consider only tax at source?

This is my first full year in Switzerland, so I hope someone can confirm this for me, but I believe the only refund you will get is on the tax at source.

I am pretty sure that the pillar 3a is only for the allowed by the goverment money 6000 something. And on this money you get the tax back by completing a tax adjustment tarrif form. You get this one online, or if you dont speak german go to the steuerverwaltung of the town you live. In Basel they were very helpfull with me and they spoke english.

If you want to put any more money on pillar 3, they go on 3b which is a totaly seperate thing.

You cannot backdate the payment. So now you put money for 2011.

I've been to both my local Gemeinde and the Kanton Zurich online tax pages, but still cannot identify the correct form to request a refund for 3rd Pillar / childcare (the form seems to change name every now and then).

Is is this form: http://www.stadt-zuerich.ch/content/...lagung_qst.pdf

("Application for reassessment of withholding tax")? The form seems very different to previous years.

I've e-mailed my Gemeinde tax office in the meantime.

***UPDATE***
Got an answer from my local tax office telling me to go to
http://www.steueramt.zh.ch/internet/finanzdirektion/ksta/de/quellensteuer/auslaendische_arbeitnehmer.html
and look for the form "Antrag auf Neuveranlagung der Quellensteuer", so I did mangage to identify the correct form. The office also confirmed the old name ("vormals Korrekturberechnung"). Finally they said to call them if I had any questions.

What is the worlg coming to when tax officals are nice and try to help? Was like that in France before I left too.

Just to note, I went to the Davos Gemeinde and they told me that for a 2012 3rd pillar payment, in January of 2013 I should receive from my bank a mailed statement of my 3rd pillar contribution.

Then I bring the third pillar statement from the bank, and my entire 2012 year salary slips (or a summary page from work) to the Gemeinde and they will arrange the taxes.

I have to bring the paperwork to the Gemeinde in January or February (and I couldn't tell if I had to do it by the beginning or the end of March).