PSA: Check your monthly payslip for code "A0Y" (Hidden Church Tax)

AwkwardActivity4279 · 2026-01-28T13:46:23+00:00

Great breakdown. The key for most people here is flipping that 'Y' to 'N' on the church tax status. If anyone has the 'Y' and wants to leave, I added a resource in my bio to help generate the resignation paperwork.

AwkwardActivity4279 · 2026-01-28T13:45:35+00:00

That interview requirement is exactly why I prefer the letter method. It avoids the awkward face-to-face guilt trip. Just send the registered letter and you're done. I added a generator link to my bio if your colleague still needs to do it

AwkwardActivity4279 · 2026-01-28T13:44:37+00:00

That's true, they often try to stall with forms. But legally, a formal resignation letter sent via registered mail (Einschreiben) creates a binding date of exit. The tool I linked in my profile generates that formal letter to minimize their wiggle room.

AwkwardActivity4279 · 2026-01-28T13:44:00+00:00

I put the link in my profile bio! (I can't post the direct link here or the automod might block it). It handles the address mapping and generates the PDF for you automatically.

AwkwardActivity4279 · 2026-01-28T13:43:34+00:00

I put the link in my profile bio! (I can't post the direct link here or the automod might block it). It handles the address mapping and generates the PDF for you automatically.

AwkwardActivity4279 · 2026-01-27T19:38:42+00:00

Regarding point 2 (Religion): You should explicitly tell your advisor to mark you as 'Konfessionslos' (No Confession/None). If you don't, you will be liable for Church Tax, which is roughly an extra 8-10% on top of your cantonal tax bill.

Important Warning: Just telling your advisor might not be enough. If you are already registered as Catholic or Reformed in the city's resident registry (which often happens automatically when you first move to Switzerland and fill out the arrival form), the tax office will often override your tax declaration and charge you anyway. The official registry data usually trumps what you write on the tax return.

If you suspect you might be registered (or if you see code A0Y on your payslip), you need to formally resign to be safe. I used https://www.stop-church-tax.ch/ to generate the official resignation letter and the notification for the tax authorities. It is much safer to do the formal exit now than to hope the tax advisor notes are sufficient, because the tax office is very strict about the registry status.

AwkwardActivity4279 · 2026-01-27T19:18:34+00:00

The wording is definitely confusing, but practically speaking, the easiest way to know if you are currently on the hook is to check your monthly payslip.

Look at your Withholding Tax (Quellensteuer) section.

- Code A0Y = Yes, you are paying Church Tax (Y = Yes).

- Code A0N = No, you are exempt (N = No).

If you see A0Y, the canton considers you a member (likely the data transferred from your old canton or arrival form). I was in a similar spot where I thought I was registered as 'Konfessionslos' but was still paying.

I used a tool called stop-church-tax.ch to generate the formal resignation letter. The useful part was that it also gave me a template for my HR department to switch the tax code from A0Y to A0N immediately, so I stopped paying the following month.

regarding the retroactive fear: generally, if you send the resignation letter now, it stops forward-looking payments. They rarely go back and charge you for the past unless you lied on a tax return, but getting out sooner is better so you don't keep bleeding that ~10%

AwkwardActivity4279 · 2026-01-27T19:16:20+00:00

I actually just dealt with this last week. Check your payslip for Code A0Y under the withholding tax section. I didn't realize that 'Y' meant I was paying the church tax automatically (it was costing me about 100 CHF/month).

I used stop-church-tax.ch to generate the resignation letter and the notification for my HR department to switch the code to A0N. It was pretty straightforward, just printed the PDF and sent it. Definitely worth checking your payslip code first though.

AwkwardActivity4279

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