Swiss inheritance and gift tax for international families

Switzerland has no federal inheritance or gift tax. Each canton decides whether and how to tax inheritances and gifts, and the rules are generous for close family: a surviving spouse or registered partner is exempt in every canton, and children are exempt in most. The differences between cantons matter mainly for gifts and inheritances to children in a handful of cantons, and for anyone else you want to benefit.

Key facts (as of September 2026)

• No federal inheritance or gift tax; cantonal only.
• Surviving spouse / registered partner: exempt in all cantons.
• Direct descendants: exempt in most cantons; exceptions are AI, VD and NE, and in LU communes may tax them.
• Schwyz and Obwalden levy neither inheritance nor gift tax.
• Geneva: the spouse and descendant exemption is lost if the deceased or donor was lump-sum taxed in one of the last three final assessments.
• Movables are taxed in the canton of last domicile; real estate where it is located.
• The federal JUSO initiative (50% above CHF 50 million) was rejected on 30 November 2025 (78.3% no).

How inheritance tax works in Switzerland

Inheritance and gift taxes are purely cantonal. The Confederation does not levy them, and the cantons set their own exemptions, rates and rules. For the closest family the picture is reassuring: spouses are exempt everywhere and, in most cantons, so are children.

Two rules decide which canton taxes:

• Movable assets (bank accounts, securities, art, shares in companies) are taxed in the canton where the deceased last lived.
• Real estate is taxed in the canton where it is located.

So a family living in Geneva with a chalet in Valais would have the chalet taxed under Valais rules and the rest under Geneva rules. Choosing your canton of residence therefore shapes what your heirs will face for most of your estate.

Spouses and children: the cantonal differences

The ESTV's overview of Swiss taxes (legal status 1 January 2026) sets out where the main exemptions differ.

Rates for other heirs, such as siblings, nieces and nephews, unmarried partners or unrelated people, vary from canton to canton and are not covered here. If you plan to benefit people outside your immediate family, such as a partner you are not married to, godchildren or a foundation, it is worth checking the rules of your canton, and of any canton where you hold property, early. The answer can influence which canton you choose in the first place.

The Geneva lump-sum exception

Geneva has a rule that matters for international families in particular. The usual exemption for spouses and direct descendants does not apply if the deceased or donor was taxed on a lump sum (forfait fiscal / imposition d'après la dépense) in one of the last three final assessments before the death or gift.

In practice, this means a family taxed on a lump sum in Geneva should look carefully at estate planning. It is one of several points to weigh when comparing Geneva and Vaud or choosing a canton more generally. How the lump sum itself works is covered in Swiss lump-sum taxation.

Lifetime gifts

Gifts follow the same cantonal logic as inheritances, with a few points to note:

• Schwyz and Obwalden levy no gift tax at all.
• Lucerne levies no gift tax, but gifts made within five years before death are added back to the estate.
• Geneva's lump-sum exception applies to gifts as well: it looks at the donor's last three final assessments before the gift.

Wealth tax for lump-sum taxpayers

Inheritance tax is not the only cantonal tax on wealth. Under lump-sum taxation, cantons decide how wealth tax is covered. Geneva adds a 10% surcharge to the base in place of wealth tax; Vaud includes a 15% surcharge in its CHF 415,000 minimum; many German-speaking cantons, such as Zug, Schwyz and Lucerne, set taxable wealth at at least 20 times the base. See lump-sum taxation by canton.

The 2025 vote on a federal inheritance tax

In 2025, Swiss voters were asked about the JUSO initiative, which proposed a federal 50% inheritance and gift tax on amounts above CHF 50 million. It was rejected on 30 November 2025, with 78.3% voting no, according to the Federal Department of Finance.

For families considering a move, the practical point is simple: the system remains cantonal, and the 50% federal tax proposed by the initiative will not become law.

Your home country may still tax you

Moving to Switzerland does not always end the reach of your current country's inheritance tax.

• United Kingdom. UK inheritance tax is now residence-based. A "long-term UK resident" is someone who was UK resident in at least 10 of the last 20 tax years. After leaving, the IHT "tail" lasts between 3 and 10 years depending on how long you were resident: 10 to 13 years of residence gives a 3-year tail, rising by one year for each extra year, up to 10. See moving from the UK after the non-dom changes.
• United States. US citizens remain taxed by the US wherever they live. Any US estate or gift tax exposure should be reviewed with a US adviser and coordinated with the Swiss cantonal rules.
• Other countries. Rules on residence, domicile and nationality differ. It is worth confirming, before you move, how long your home country continues to treat you as within its scope.

Other taxes to keep in view

• Wealth tax is cantonal only, on net wealth, and mostly progressive. Lucerne, Uri, Schwyz, Obwalden, Nidwalden, Glarus, Appenzell Innerrhoden, St. Gallen and Thurgau apply flat rates.
• Capital gains on private movable assets, such as securities or art, are tax-free at federal and cantonal level. Gains on real estate are taxed by a separate cantonal tax.

How we help

We help families understand how their chosen canton will treat inheritances and gifts, flag cross-border issues with their home country, and keep the picture up to date as family and assets change. See our ongoing tax and wealth service or contact us.

This guide is general information as of 30 September 2026; a ruling or specific advice is needed for your own situation.