The short answer on accident insurance for the self-employed in Switzerland: If you are self-employed in Switzerland, you are not automatically insured against accidents — unlike employees, who are compulsorily insured through their employer. The good news: You can cover yourself with the voluntary non-occupational accident insurance (NUV) through your compensation fund (Ausgleichskasse). As a rough benchmark, pure accident coverage costs CHF 200.00–500.00 per year — depending on the insured income and the compensation fund. It covers medical costs, daily allowances, disability and survivors' pensions. Alternatives include private accident insurance or adding accident coverage to your loss-of-income insurance.

Why this matters: A single serious accident can threaten your existence as a self-employed person. No employer keeps paying your salary, no UVG insurer steps in — and the loss-of-income coverage from health insurance (except EO during maternity) does not simply exist for accidents. This guide shows you how the voluntary accident insurance works, what it costs, what it covers, and what to watch out for when enrolling.

The key points at a glance

• The self-employed are not automatically insured under UVG (the Swiss accident insurance law) — the protection from employment ends when you become self-employed
• The voluntary NUV via the compensation fund typically costs CHF 200.00–500.00/year (pure accident coverage, rough benchmark depending on income and fund)
• Benefits: medical costs, daily allowance (~80% of lost income), disability pension, survivors' pension, helpless-care allowance
• Accident consequences often appear late: relapses and long-term effects are covered for life under statutory accident insurance — a clear advantage over many private solutions
• Premiums for income protection are tax-deductible as a business expense; insurance benefits are exempt from MWST (Swiss VAT)

Why the self-employed are not automatically insured under UVG

The Federal Act on Accident Insurance (UVG) knows two large groups: those compulsorily insured and those voluntarily insured. If you work as an employee, your employer automatically registers you with a UVG insurer (often Suva). That applies to occupational accidents, occupational illnesses and — if the employer includes it — also to non-occupational accidents. The employer pays the premiums for occupational accidents, the employees for leisure-time accidents.

With the step into self-employment, this protection ends. At the latest when the employment relationship is dissolved, the employer deregisters you from Suva or the private insurer. The non-occupational accident insurance (NUV), through which some employees cover their leisure-time accidents, is also tied to certain conditions — the inclusion via the employer expires. If you do not act, you are uncovered from the first day of self-employment.

Many self-employed people do not notice this for years — until the accident happens. And the statistics show: occupational and leisure-time accidents are not rare. Those who sit at a desk all day also underestimate that most accidents happen during leisure time: sports, household, traffic. An e-bike fall, a ski accident, a staircase in your own home — statutory health insurance (KVG) does pay the medical costs, but it pays no daily allowance for loss of income due to accident. Without accident insurance, you bear the income risk alone.

If you are just becoming self-employed, you should therefore plan for accident insurance from the start. The guide Einzelfirma gründen in der Schweiz gives you the complete overview of all costs and insurances that come with founding your business.

You can find the text of the UVG and its ordinance (UVGV) in the current version on admin.ch under SR 832.20. The voluntary insurance is also regulated there — including the conditions under which the compensation funds run NUV contracts.

The voluntary NUV via the compensation fund

The cheapest solution for most solo self-employed people is the voluntary non-occupational accident insurance — NUV for short. The name is somewhat misleading: The NUV was originally created for people who are not gainfully employed (e.g. retirees, students). But self-employed people without employees whose activity does not trigger compulsory accident insurance can also take it out. The responsible body is the compensation fund (Ausgleichskasse) where you also pay your AHV contributions — the rules are set in the AHVG context and in the UVG legislation.

What the NUV costs

The premium is based on the insured income. Compensation funds calculate differently, but as a rough benchmark: for an insured annual income of CHF 30,000.00–70,000.00, the annual premium for pure accident coverage is typically between CHF 200.00 and CHF 500.00. Some cantonal compensation funds also charge a one-time enrollment fee of around CHF 20.00. The daily allowance and pension benefits are measured against the insured income — those who insure more pay more, but are also better protected.

Important: These are guideline values. Every compensation fund has its own premium calculation. It is worth requesting the current premium table from your compensation fund (or the cantonal compensation fund of your place of residence) — the amounts change regularly.

What the NUV covers

The voluntary NUV offers the same benefits as compulsory accident insurance — and that is its biggest advantage over cheap private policies:

• Medical costs: Doctor, hospital, medication, therapies — the NUV pays the costs not covered by health insurance, at UVG rates. This is usually cheaper than the deductible and co-payment of your KVG policy.
• Daily allowance: If you are unable to work due to an accident, the NUV pays a daily allowance, typically around 80% of lost income, starting from the third day after the accident (depending on the contract). At an annual income of CHF 70,000.00, that is around CHF 170.00 per day.
• Disability pension: If you remain permanently unable to work, you receive a pension — with full disability up to 100% of the insured annual income, graded by degree of disability (UVG pension scale).
• Survivors' pension: If you die as a result of the accident, your relatives receive a widow's, widower's or orphan's pension.
• Helpless-care allowance: In case of permanent need for care, there is an additional allowance.
• Long-term effects: Accident consequences can appear years later. Statutory accident insurance is liable for the consequences of an accident for life — as long as the causal link is proven.

That is exactly the core difference to purely private accident daily-allowance solutions: The NUV is social insurance with legally defined benefits, without a health check and without the insurer being able to unilaterally cancel the policy or crank up the premium because of an accident.

You can read how to register directly at your fund — the compensation funds explain the process on ahv.ch and on their own websites.

Occupational versus non-occupational accidents

Accident insurance distinguishes between occupational accidents (including occupational illnesses) and non-occupational accidents (leisure-time accidents). For employees, occupational accidents are always covered, leisure-time accidents only if the employer includes them. The NUV, by contrast, covers all accidents — occupational and non-occupational. For the self-employed, this distinction still matters if they later hire employees: from the first employee onwards, accident insurance for staff becomes compulsory.

The difference is easiest to understand with two concrete examples.

Lena's example: the e-bike fall

Lena is a graphic designer from Zurich and has been working as a solo self-employed person for three years. Her annual income is around CHF 78,000.00. In summer 2025, she falls off her e-bike on the way to a client meeting — broken collarbone and wrist fracture, six weeks unable to work. Health insurance pays the hospital costs, but her remaining out-of-pocket risk (deductible and co-payment) of around CHF 2,500.00 is hers to bear. And the real problem: Her income drops out completely for six weeks — at around CHF 1,500.00 per week, that is CHF 9,000.00 of lost income that nobody replaces.

A year later, Lena has taken out the voluntary NUV with her compensation fund. The annual premium: around CHF 380.00 with an insured income of CHF 70,000.00. If the fall happened again today, the NUV would pay the medical costs (no out-of-pocket risk), a daily allowance of around CHF 145.00 per day from the third day, and a disability pension in case of lasting effects. Over a six-week absence, that would be around CHF 4,200.00 in daily allowances — for a CHF 380.00 annual premium.

Beat's example: the circular saw accident

Beat is a carpenter who runs a sole proprietorship in the Emmental, without employees. While breaking through a wall, a power saw catches his left hand — cuts to two fingers, surgery, nine months of physiotherapy, permanently reduced fine motor skills. Beat was not NUV-insured. The consequence: Health insurance pays the treatment, but the disability of around 25% that the doctors certify remains unpaid. At his income of CHF 95,000.00, he permanently loses around CHF 24,000.00 per year — at least as long as he cannot adapt his carpentry routine.

If Beat had had an NUV with an insured income of CHF 90,000.00, he would have received a disability pension of around CHF 18,000.00 per year for the 25% disability — at an annual premium of roughly CHF 450.00. On top of that would come the medical costs without out-of-pocket risk and a daily allowance during the period of incapacity. The math is brutally simple: CHF 450.00 premium versus CHF 18,000.00 pension per year.

Beat drew his conclusions: He has since taken out the NUV and additionally signed up for professional liability insurance — because the next accident could also hit a customer or third party, and then come claims for damages that no accident insurance covers.

Alternatives to the NUV: private policies, KTG and combinations

For most solo self-employed people, the NUV is the foundation. But it is not the only option — and not always the complete one.

Private accident insurance (UVG insurers)

Insurers such as Suva, AXA, Die Mobiliar, Helvetia or Zurich offer voluntary accident insurance under UVG for the self-employed — some directly, some through associations and professional groups. The benefits largely match the NUV; premiums can be somewhat higher or lower than at the compensation fund. Advantage: more flexible design of the insured income and sometimes better advice. Disadvantage: Not every policy keeps the level of statutory benefits, and private solutions sometimes involve health checks. Suva and other insurers explain the differences on their websites — it is worth taking a look at suva.ch to look up the benefits of statutory accident insurance.

Adding accident coverage to loss-of-income insurance

Many loss-of-income insurance policies (KTG, the Swiss daily sickness benefits insurance) offer an accident module: instead of two contracts, you maintain one. But beware — this is where the overlap trap lies: If your KTG also covers accidents and you additionally take out an NUV, you pay twice for the same coverage, and in the event of a claim the insurers offset against each other — you still only get 80% once. The clean solution: KTG for illness, NUV for accidents. Why this is the standard combination is explained in detail in the guide on loss-of-income insurance — including the question of whether an accident module can still be worth it for you (e.g. for the waiting period during which the NUV does not yet pay).

Combination with professional liability insurance

Accident insurance covers you and your earning capacity. It does not cover damage you cause to third parties. Those who work with customers, on construction sites or with dangerous equipment therefore also need professional liability insurance — the two insurances complement each other, they do not replace each other.

What happens in case of illness — and why that is a different story

One important point to close this section: The NUV only pays for accidents. If you fall ill — flu with complications, burnout, surgery — you need loss-of-income insurance for that. If you only have accident insurance and spend six weeks sick in bed, you still get nothing. The two insurances cover two different risks, and most self-employed people end up needing both. Details in the article Krankentaggeldversicherung für Selbständige.

Deducting premiums and the MWST question

The good news for your tax bill: Premiums for insurances that serve your income protection can generally be deducted as a business expense when you are self-employed. This applies to the NUV premium insofar as it covers daily allowances and disability benefits (i.e. income replacement), as well as to the KTG. The premiums reduce your taxable net profit — at a premium of CHF 380.00 and a marginal tax burden of 30%, the insurance effectively costs you around CHF 265.00. Pure death coverage (term life insurance), by contrast, must be deducted privately, not as a business expense. In case of doubt, clarify the delimitation with your tax advisor — but the basic rule holds: income protection = business expense.

And on value added tax: insurance benefits and premiums are in Switzerland exempt from MWST (VAT) — you receive no input tax credit and must pay premiums in full. If you are MWST-registered anyway, this has no effect on this item. How the MWST regime for freelancers works is explained in the guide on MWST for the self-employed.

For the deduction to go smoothly at year-end, you need clean expense tracking — from the NUV premium to the KTG to professional liability. With Magic Heidi, you can record expenses and premiums in seconds and see at any time what you can claim as business expenses.

How to enroll: deadlines, form, process

The enrollment process for the voluntary NUV is straightforward — but there are a few points you should know:

1. Your compensation fund is responsible — usually the cantonal compensation fund of your place of residence or the fund where you already pay AHV contributions. With association solutions (e.g. through a professional association), a UVG insurer can also take on the role.
2. Form: You fill out the enrollment form for voluntary accident insurance — by mail or, depending on the fund, online. Details about your person and your insured income are usually enough; there is no health check.
3. Insured income: You state which income you want to protect. Choose a realistic value — your average income of recent years is a good basis. You can adjust the insured income later if your income rises or falls.
4. Deadlines: The insurance usually starts on the first day of the month after application — some funds allow retroactive coverage for procedures already underway, but do not rely on it. Enroll before the accident, not after. And: after an accident, you can no longer be retroactively insured for that event.
5. Proof of self-employment: The compensation fund checks your self-employed status based on your AHV registration. Those who have just founded their business enclose the AHV registration.

Important for career starters and career changers: Those who move from permanent employment to self-employment sometimes have the option of continuing accident coverage seamlessly — ask your previous NUV provider or Suva about the cancellation and transfer deadlines before the employment contract ends. A gap of a few weeks can otherwise have consequences for years.

By the way, if you later hire employees, the system changes: from the first employee onwards, accident insurance for staff becomes compulsory, and you register your people with a UVG insurer. The pension fund for your sole proprietorship then also becomes a topic — the retirement provision gap grows with every new status change.