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neon 3a is the pillar 3a built into the neon banking app, launched in October 2025: five index strategies on Swisscanto funds, up to 99% equities, and a management fee of 0.39% to 0.45% that genuinely includes the fund costs for three of the five strategies. You pay in from CHF 1, transfer an old 3a for free, and the whole thing lives next to your everyday account.
The most convenient pillar 3a in Switzerland if your salary already lands in neon: two taps to pay in, five clean index strategies, and pricing that is honestly all-in where almost everyone else quotes a management fee and stays quiet about the fund costs. It is not the absolute cheapest 3a, finpension keeps that crown, but the gap is a few hundredths of a percent and the everything-in-one-app convenience is real.
neon 3a pros and cons
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What neon 3a actually costs
One management fee, tiered by balance, charged quarterly. It covers administration, account and custody, and every purchase and sale. neon charges no stamp duty and no direct product costs. Every figure below comes from neon’s own 3a pages, read on 21 September 2026.
| 3a balance | Fee per year |
|---|---|
| 0 – 4’999 CHF | 0.45% |
| 5’000 – 9’999 CHF | 0.44% |
| 10’000 – 24’999 CHF | 0.43% |
| 25’000 – 49’999 CHF | 0.41% |
| from 50’000 CHF | 0.39% |
“All-in” decoded. Most 3a providers quote a management fee and let the fund costs hide inside the performance. neon does the opposite and says so on its own fee page: no direct product costs at all, and the only exceptions are two small indirect fund-of-funds costs, 0.04% on Offensive 100 and 0.07% on Ambitious 80, priced into the performance. The other three strategies carry none. When you compare 3a fees anywhere, including on my own 3a comparison, always ask what the quoted number leaves out. Here the answer is: almost nothing, with one exception. Early withdrawals are not covered: neon’s price list refers them to the fee regulations of the simply3a foundation, which charge CHF 400 to withdraw for a home purchase (CHF 600 if you live abroad), CHF 250 to pledge the account or to withdraw on becoming self-employed, and CHF 400 for a payout to someone living abroad. Moving your 3a to another provider and the normal payout at retirement in Switzerland cost nothing.
What that means in francs
On a CHF 10’000 balance the fee is CHF 43 a year. At CHF 50’000 it is CHF 195, and the rate has already fallen to 0.39% on its own: the reduction applies automatically from the quarter after you cross each threshold, with no phone call and no request. For scale, the 2026 maximum contribution for employed people with a pension fund is CHF 7’258, so the fee in your first years is the price of a coffee or two.
The five strategies, from Defensive 25 to Offensive 100
You choose one of five strategies, named for their target equity share: Defensive 25, Balanced 45, Dynamic 65, Ambitious 80 and Offensive 100. The rest of each portfolio sits in bonds, real estate funds, a small gold position and a sliver of cash, all built on Swisscanto index funds with the factsheets linked in the app. Offensive 100 actually holds 99% stocks and 1% cash, which is as high as Swiss 3a portfolios go.
Each strategy also comes in a Swiss-focus version, a sustainable-focus version, or both combined, so you can tilt toward home-market or ESG exposure without leaving the index approach. You can run up to five 3a portfolios side by side, each with its own strategy.
Five portfolios is a tax feature, not a gimmick. Pillar 3a is taxed when you withdraw it, at a reduced rate that rises with the amount paid out in a single year. Splitting your savings across several portfolios lets you close them in different tax years around retirement, which is the standard way to soften that progression. The exact effect depends on your canton, so check your own rates, but starting a second portfolio once the first has grown is rarely a mistake.
Is my 3a money safe at neon?
The structure has three layers, and neon’s FAQ is unusually clear about them. Your 3a assets are held by the simply3a pension foundation and invested through the private bank Lienhardt & Partner in Swisscanto funds. Legally they are segregated assets: they always belong to you, they are separate from neon and its partners, and they stay protected even if a provider in the chain went bankrupt. The technology that stitches the 3a into the neon app comes from Descartes, the Swiss pension fintech.
Deposit insurance is the wrong mental model here. Your everyday neon balance is a bank deposit at Hypothekarbank Lenzburg, protected by esisuisse up to CHF 100’000. Your 3a is not a bank deposit at all: it is invested fund units held as segregated assets, so the CHF 100’000 limit does not apply and does not need to. What you carry instead is market risk: an Offensive 100 portfolio will swing, and that is the deal you signed up for, not a safety defect.
Transferring an existing 3a to neon
Free, and mostly automated: in the 3a dashboard you pick your current provider from a list, choose the neon portfolio the money should land in, and the app generates a pre-filled transfer form. You sign it and send it to your old provider, and they move the money. If your old 3a is a fund product, the old provider sells the funds and transfers cash, which is how 3a transfers work everywhere. Watch for exit fees on the old side, not on neon’s.
The 3a lives inside the neon app, so the way in is a free neon account: opening takes under ten minutes, and the 3a can be set up right after. The welcome bonus applies to the account sign-up with the reader code.
Who shouldn’t use neon 3a
Pure cost optimisers: finpension 3a charges a flat 0.39% at every balance with near-zero fund costs, so if the lowest possible fee is the only criterion, that argument ends quickly. People who want to build their own fund mix: neon offers five fixed strategies, and tinkerers will be happier where custom allocations are allowed. And anyone who has no interest in the neon account itself, because the 3a only exists inside the app. Finally, if you have no Swiss AHV-liable income this year, you cannot contribute to any 3a at all.
neon 3a vs the alternatives
neon 3a vs finpension 3a
On price, finpension wins at every balance below CHF 50’000: a flat 0.39% against neon’s 0.45% starting tier, with institutional fund costs of nearly zero. From CHF 50’000 the two meet at 0.39%. Both allow 99% equities. finpension adds custom strategies and a longer 3a track record; neon answers with the app argument, because a 3a you see every time you check your salary account is a 3a you actually pay into. If you are optimising the last basis point, finpension. If convenience decides whether you contribute at all, neon.
neon 3a vs Yuh 3a
The other neobank 3a, and a clean comparison: Yuh charges a flat 0.5%, neon 0.39% to 0.45%, and both run on the same simply3a foundation with the same Swisscanto funds and the same withdrawal fees. neon is cheaper at every balance, the gap widens as you save, and neon lets you run up to five portfolios where Yuh allows one account. Yuh’s 3a is still a fair product inside a strong all-in-one app, so this decision, like the invest one, usually collapses into which app you want your everyday money in.
neon 3a vs a bank 3a savings account
A classic 3a savings account pays interest, currently modest, and holds no investments. Over one or two years that is fine, and for money you will withdraw soon it is correct. Over decades, history has strongly favoured invested 3a savings over cash interest, which is the whole reason invested 3a products exist. The provider-by-provider picture, including the traditional banks, is on my pillar 3a comparison.
neon 3a comparison
| neon | finpension | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual fee + fund costs | 0.45% | 0.39% |
| Maximum equity share | 100% | 99% |
| Parallel 3a accounts | 5 | 5 |
| Interest on uninvested cash | None: there is no 3a cash account, all money is invested | 0.00% (tied to the SNB rate, never below 0%) |
| Who holds your 3a money | simply3a foundation; invested by Lienhardt & Partner Privatbank in Swisscanto funds | finpension 3a Retirement Savings Foundation; custody at UBS and ZKB (Swisscanto) |
| Notes | Management fee between 0.39% and 0.45%; no custody, entry or trading fees. Two strategies carry small indirect fund costs. Early withdrawals charged under the simply3a fee regulations: CHF 400 home purchase (600 abroad), CHF 250 pledge or self-employment, CHF 400 payout abroad. | One flat fee with the fund costs included; nothing is charged on top. |
| Reader deal | CHF 10 welcome bonus with code investinghero | CHF 25 fee credit with code HEROBB |
| My rating | ★ 4.2 | ★ 4.7 |
| Full review | – | Read the full finpension review → |
Checked at source: neon 23 September 2026 · finpension 23 September 2026
When a pillar 3a is not worth it
Honest triage, because the answer is not always yes. You cannot contribute without Swiss AHV-liable income. You should not contribute money you may need next year, because 3a is locked until five years before retirement age, with narrow exceptions like buying a home or leaving Switzerland. And an emergency fund comes first: three to six months of spending in a normal account beats a tax deduction. Once those boxes are ticked, the 3a is the best-taxed franc a Swiss saver has, and the CHF 7’258 maximum deduction is worth roughly one to two thousand francs of tax back a year depending on your income and canton: check your own numbers before banking on a figure.
Opening neon is free and the 3a costs nothing to set up: you can open the app, click through all five strategies and read every factsheet before committing a single franc. The retirement calculator on neon’s 3a page shows what a monthly amount could become at each risk level.
My rules for neon 3a
- Set a standing order in January, not a scramble in December. The CHF 7’258 maximum divided by twelve is CHF 604 a month, and money invested early spends longer in the market.
- Pick the highest equity share you can genuinely sit through. Retirement money has decades: for most people under 50 that argues for Ambitious 80 or Offensive 100, but only if a 30% drawdown will not make you sell.
- Open a second portfolio once the first is substantial. Staggered withdrawals in different tax years are the standard way to soften the payout tax, and neon gives you five portfolios for free.
- Move your old bank 3a over. The transfer is free on neon’s side and the form is pre-filled. A forgotten 3a fund at a high-fee bank is the most expensive kind of loyalty.
- Judge the fee against what it includes. neon’s 0.39% to 0.45% is all-in for three of five strategies. When a rival quotes less, check whether fund costs come on top.
neon 3a FAQ
What are the fees for the neon pillar 3a?
Between 0.39% and 0.45% a year depending on your balance, charged quarterly: 0.45% below CHF 5’000, falling in steps to 0.39% from CHF 50’000. The fee covers administration, custody and all transactions. neon charges no stamp duty and no direct fund costs; only Ambitious 80 (0.07%) and Offensive 100 (0.04%) carry small indirect fund costs priced into performance. Early withdrawals are charged separately under the simply3a foundation’s fee regulations: CHF 400 for a home purchase, CHF 250 to pledge the account or on becoming self-employed, and CHF 400 for a payout abroad.
Which bank is behind the neon 3a?
The 3a assets are held by the simply3a pension foundation and invested through the private bank Lienhardt & Partner in Swisscanto index funds. Your everyday neon account is separate and sits at Hypothekarbank Lenzburg. The in-app integration is built on technology from Descartes.
What happens to my 3a if neon goes bankrupt?
Your 3a assets are segregated: they belong to you, not to neon or its partners, and remain protected in a bankruptcy. They are not covered by the CHF 100’000 deposit insurance because they are invested fund units, not a bank balance, and that is the stronger protection for invested money.
How much can I pay into pillar 3a in 2026?
CHF 7’258 for employed people with a pension fund. Self-employed people without a pension fund can pay in 20% of net earned income up to a higher cap. The deposit is deducted from your taxable income.
Can I transfer my existing 3a to neon?
Yes, free of charge. In the app you select your current provider and portfolio, neon generates a pre-filled transfer form, you sign it and send it to the old provider. Check the old provider’s side for exit fees; neon charges nothing for incoming transfers.
Which neon 3a strategy should I choose?
The one whose worst year you could sit through without selling. The equity share runs from 25% to 99% across five strategies, and retirement money usually has decades, which argues for more equities rather than fewer. Every strategy also comes with an optional Swiss or sustainable focus.
When is a pillar 3a not worth it?
Without Swiss AHV-liable income you cannot contribute at all. Money you may need in the next few years does not belong in a locked account, and an emergency fund comes before any 3a. After that, the tax deduction makes the 3a the most efficient savings franc in Switzerland.
Is neon 3a the best pillar 3a?
It is the best-integrated one and among the cheapest. The absolute lowest fee remains finpension’s flat 0.39%, and other strong options exist: my 3a comparison ranks them all with every fee read at source.
Does neon 3a offer sustainable strategies?
Yes. Each of the five strategies can be set to a sustainable focus, a Swiss focus, or both, implemented with Swisscanto index funds. The factsheet for every fund is linked in the app.
Is there a neon promo code?
Yes: the code investinghero entered during neon account sign-up gives a CHF 10 welcome bonus. The 3a itself has no separate code; it is opened inside the app once your neon account exists.
Compare & choose
The other comparisons on Investing Hero, each built the same way: every fee read from the provider’s own pricing page.
Where neon 3a sits next to every other provider is on my Swiss pillar 3a comparison. The account it lives inside has its own page, the full neon review, and the trading side is covered in my neon invest review.
How this review stays accurate. I took every number here from neon’s own 3a, strategy and FAQ pages on 21 September 2026, and I re-verify them whenever this page is updated. If you spot a figure neon has since changed, tell me and I will correct it openly.
Sources. Fee tiers, inclusions and the two indirect fund costs from neon’s 3a fee FAQ; strategies, equity shares, focus options and the CHF 1 minimum from the neon 3a page and strategy page; the simply3a foundation, Lienhardt & Partner custody and segregated-asset protection from the 3a security FAQ; the free transfer process from the transfer FAQ; launch timing from MoneyToday’s October 2025 coverage; the Descartes technology partnership from Descartes’ own published case study. All read 21 September 2026. No comparison-site figures were used. Educational content, not financial advice.
