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Both VIAC and finpension will hold your second pillar far more cheaply than a bank, and on the headline numbers they now look almost identical. The decision comes down to two things the marketing pages do not put side by side: what each one really costs once the free allowance is counted, and what it charges you on the way out if you leave Switzerland.
For most people parking a vested benefit for years, VIAC is now the cheaper account, and it includes disability and death cover that finpension does not offer. But if you are leaving Switzerland and expect to withdraw the money inside the first year, finpension charges CHF 3,000 plus 1% of the balance to pay you out abroad, which swamps every other number on this page. finpension still wins if you want to split the payout across two foundations to spread the withdrawal tax.
What changed since this comparison was last updated
What changed since this page was last right. Three things. valuepension is now finpension, and valuepension.ch survives only for partner strategies. VIAC no longer charges 0.51%; its all in cost on a 99% equity strategy is 0.41%, product fees included. And VIAC now allows 99% equities, not 97%, so the allocation difference that used to separate these two has gone. Checked against both providers on 11 August 2026.
VIAC vs finpension at a glance
Everything below is read from the two providers’ own pages and fee schedules, not from a comparison site. Where a provider does not publish a number, this table says so rather than guessing.
| VIAC | finpension | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost, 99% equity strategy | 0.41% total, product fees included | 0.49% all in |
| Fund charges on top | Included in the number above | None, index strategies use 0% TER classes |
| First CHF 8,500 invested | Free | Charged from the first franc |
| Maximum equity | 99%, extra mandatory segment only | 99% |
| Cash interest | 0.05% | Not published as a headline rate |
| Foundation | Vested Benefits Foundation of Bank WIR | finpension Vested Benefits Foundation |
| Foundation domicile | Basel | Schwyz |
| Where securities are held | UBS or Zurich Cantonal Bank, depending on the fund provider you choose | Several custodians, depending on the funds you choose |
| Split across two institutions | No | Yes, two foundations |
| Insurance included | Life Basic disability and death cover, up to 25% extra payout | None |
| Trading frequency | Weekly, every Tuesday | Not published |
| Pledge for a mortgage | Not published | CHF 200 |
| Withdrawal for home ownership | Fee applies, amount not published | CHF 500 |
| Payout abroad, after one year | No fee | CHF 500 |
| Payout abroad, within one year | No fee | CHF 3,000 plus 1% of the balance |
Cost, properly compared
The headline percentages are close enough to look like a coin toss. They are not, for two reasons. VIAC’s 0.41% already contains the fund charges, and its first CHF 8,500 of invested assets is free. finpension’s 0.49% is also genuinely all in, with index funds in zero fee institutional classes, but it applies from the first franc.
Here is what that means in money, on a 99% equity strategy:
| Vested benefit | VIAC, per year | finpension, per year | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| CHF 50,000 | CHF 170 | CHF 245 | CHF 75 |
| CHF 100,000 | CHF 375 | CHF 490 | CHF 115 |
| CHF 200,000 | CHF 785 | CHF 980 | CHF 195 |
| CHF 500,000 | CHF 2,015 | CHF 2,450 | CHF 435 |
How I calculated this. VIAC: balance minus the free CHF 8,500, multiplied by 0.41%. finpension: the whole balance multiplied by 0.49%. Both providers charge quarterly on the average value of the previous three months, so a real year with market movement will differ by a few francs. Neither figure includes the withdrawal tax, which is where the bigger money usually sits.
The exit fee almost nobody mentions
This page is read mostly by people parking a pension because they are leaving Switzerland. For them, one line in finpension’s fee schedule matters more than everything above it.
finpension charges CHF 500 to pay out a capital withdrawal to someone resident abroad, but CHF 3,000 plus 1% of the termination benefit if you have been with the foundation for less than a year. VIAC charges nothing to pay out at all.
| Vested benefit | Withdrawn from abroad inside a year | After a year |
|---|---|---|
| CHF 100,000 | CHF 4,000 | CHF 500 |
| CHF 200,000 | CHF 5,000 | CHF 500 |
| CHF 500,000 | CHF 8,000 | CHF 500 |
On a CHF 200,000 transfer, leaving inside the first year costs CHF 5,000 at finpension. That is more than twenty five years of the annual fee difference, spent in one transaction. If you know you are withdrawing soon after you leave, this is the whole decision.
Where your money actually sits
An older version of this page said finpension held assets at Credit Suisse. That is no longer a useful answer. Credit Suisse (Schweiz) AG was absorbed into UBS Switzerland AG in 2024, and finpension in any case uses several custodians depending on which funds you hold, with others available on request.
VIAC is more specific. Uninvested cash sits at Bank WIR, a Swiss cooperative bank, with the bankruptcy privilege protecting up to CHF 100,000. Fund units are traded and held at UBS if you choose UBS funds, or at Zurich Cantonal Bank if you choose Swisscanto. In both cases the units are special assets, so they stay yours if the bank fails.
Schwyz or Basel: the tax question that outweighs the fees
Lump sum withdrawals from a vested benefits foundation are taxed where the foundation is domiciled, not where you live, if you have already left Switzerland. finpension’s foundation is domiciled in Schwyz, VIAC’s in Basel, and Schwyz taxes these withdrawals materially lower.
This only helps you if you are resident abroad at the point of withdrawal. Still living in Switzerland when you take the money out? Your own canton taxes it, and the foundation’s address is irrelevant.
Pros and cons
| VIAC pros | VIAC cons |
|---|---|
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| finpension pros | finpension cons |
|---|---|
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Which one should you pick?
There is no single winner here, and any page that gives you one is skipping the question that decides it: how long the money is staying.
- Parking it for years, staying in Switzerland. VIAC. It is cheaper at every balance, the first CHF 8,500 is free, and the disability and death cover costs you nothing.
- Leaving Switzerland and withdrawing within a year. VIAC, and it is not close. finpension’s CHF 3,000 plus 1% exit fee for short stays wipes out decades of fee difference.
- Leaving Switzerland but leaving the money invested for years first. finpension. Once you are past the first year the exit fee drops to CHF 500, and the Schwyz withdrawal tax saving is usually worth far more than the annual fee gap.
- Planning to stagger the withdrawal across tax years. finpension. Two foundations means the payout can be split, which VIAC’s single relationship cannot do.
Read the detail in my VIAC review and my finpension review, or compare all the pillar options on the pillar 3a comparison page.
Frequently asked questions
Is VIAC or finpension cheaper for vested benefits?
VIAC, on every balance we modelled. Its 99% equity strategy costs 0.41% all in against finpension’s 0.49%, and VIAC charges nothing on the first CHF 8,500 invested. On CHF 100,000 that is roughly CHF 115 a year in VIAC’s favour. The gap only reverses if the Schwyz withdrawal tax saving at finpension is worth more to you than the annual fee difference.
What happens if I leave Switzerland and withdraw within a year?
finpension charges CHF 3,000 plus 1% of the termination benefit to process a capital withdrawal for someone resident abroad who has been with the foundation for less than a year. On CHF 200,000 that is CHF 5,000. After a year it drops to CHF 500. VIAC charges nothing to pay out. If your plan is to park the money briefly and take it with you, this single line matters more than the annual fee.
Where are my vested benefits actually held?
At VIAC, uninvested cash sits with Bank WIR and benefits from the bankruptcy privilege up to CHF 100,000, while fund units are held at UBS or Zurich Cantonal Bank depending on whether you choose UBS or Swisscanto funds. finpension uses several custodians depending on the funds you pick. In both cases fund units are special assets and do not fall into a bank’s bankruptcy estate.
Can I split my vested benefits between two providers?
Yes, and finpension makes it easier. It runs two vested benefits foundations, so you can have your termination benefit paid into both and manage them in one app. Splitting matters because withdrawing in two different tax years usually costs less tax than taking the whole amount at once. VIAC creates a single vested benefits relationship.
Does the canton of the foundation affect my withdrawal tax?
Yes, if you are living abroad when you withdraw. The tax is levied where the foundation is domiciled, and Schwyz, where finpension’s foundation sits, taxes lump sum withdrawals notably lower than Basel, where the Bank WIR foundation sits. If you are still resident in Switzerland, your own canton taxes the withdrawal and the foundation’s domicile makes no difference.
Compare & choose
The other comparisons on Investing Hero, each built the same way: every fee read from the provider’s own pricing page.
Sources: VIAC vested benefits overview, fees and strategies pages; finpension vested benefits and structure pages; finpension Vested Benefits Fee Schedule in force 1 July 2026. All figures read at source and last checked 11 August 2026.
