Pillar 3a & vested benefits
The Swiss deferral doesn't carry over, and the funds inside (Swisscanto, UBS, finpension lines) are almost always PFICs. We classify each holding and let you elect QEF/MtM/§1291 where applicable.
Convention 1996 · IRS × ESTV
Your Pillar 3a isn't tax-deferred to the IRS.
We classify every Swiss fund and reconcile your 1040 against the Steuererklärung.
Switzerland-US Convention 1996 covers dividends, interest, pensions, and capital gains. Pillar 3a wrappers and Swiss-domiciled funds get explicit attention because Swiss tax deferral doesn't carry over — and the 35% anticipatory tax is only partly creditable.
No payment until you finalise · Free PFIC scan · Draft package mapped to Forms 8621 / 8938 / FBAR / 1116 / 8833
What we handle for Switzerland residents
The three things that bite Switzerland-based US citizens.
35% Verrechnungssteuer
Only the 15% treaty rate on dividends is creditable on Form 1116 — the other 20% is a refund you reclaim from the ESTV. We compute the credit at the treaty rate and flag the reclaim.
Federal + cantonal + communal credit
The full Swiss income-tax stack rolls into Form 1116 per category; Article 23 relief and Article 18 pension positions are flagged for Form 8833 only when you override the default.
Other treaty desks
Same workflow, different bilateral convention.
Switzerland treaty · FAQ
What US citizens in Switzerland ask us most.
- I already pay Swiss federal, cantonal, and communal tax — do I still owe the IRS?
- Usually not. The Switzerland-US Convention (1996) lets you credit the full Swiss income-tax stack on Form 1116, which zeroes out the US liability in most cases. But you still have to file the return and the credit forms — and the paperwork penalties attach even when $0 is owed.
- Is my Pillar 3a tax-free to the IRS?
- No. The IRS doesn't recognize Pillar 3a's Swiss tax deferral, and the funds inside — Swisscanto, UBS, finpension or frankly lines — are almost always Swiss- or Irish-domiciled funds the IRS treats as PFICs under §1297(a). We classify each holding and prepare a Form 8621 worksheet per fund.
- Can I credit the 35% Swiss withholding on my dividends?
- Only partly. Under Article 10 the treaty rate for US residents is 15%, so only that slice is creditable on Form 1116 — the remaining 20% of the Verrechnungssteuer is a refund you reclaim from the ESTV, not a credit. We compute the credit at the treaty rate and flag the reclaim so nothing is left on the table.
Atamatax · run your Switzerland return
Free draft. Pay only when you finalise.
Scan your brokerage, see your PFIC count, review the forms with the right Switzerland treaty positions attached. You only pay when (and if) you finalise the return — and you walk away with a draft PDF package mapped to every IRS form.
What you walk out with
- · Form 1040 + schedules B, D, 1, 2, 3
- · One Form 8621 per PFIC (up to 25 per return)
- · Form 8938 (FATCA) when thresholds hit
- · FinCEN 114 (FBAR) threshold check and separate-filing guidance
- · Form 1116 with Switzerland tax credit allocated
- · Form 8833 when you take a treaty position