Switzerland Statutory default interest (Verzugszins)
Switzerland Statutory default interest (Verzugszins) is 5 percent, in force since 1 Jan 1912. Last checked against the official source on 10 Aug 2026.
Switzerland's statutory default interest: a fixed 5% per annum under Art. 104(1) of the Code of Obligations, unchanged since 1912, applying to civil and commercial money debts alike.
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| Current value | 5 percent |
|---|---|
| In force from | 1912-01-01 |
| Official source | Obligationenrecht (SR 220) Art. 104 Abs. 1: 'Ist der Schuldner mit der Zahlung einer Geldschuld in Verzug, so hat er Verzugszinse zu fünf vom Hundert für das Jahr zu bezahlen, selbst wenn die vertragsmässigen Zinse weniger betragen' (a debtor in default on a money debt owes default interest of five per cent per annum, even if the contractual interest is lower) |
| Last verified | 2026-08-10 |
| Verification | primary — No verification limitation recorded — read from the official source cited. |
| Provenance | source fingerprint |
What this value means
Fixed 5% per annum since the Code of Obligations entered into force in 1912 — no reference rate, no periodic setter, one rate for civil and commercial debts. Art. 104(2): a HIGHER contractual rate keeps running during default. Art. 104(3): between merchants the rate may exceed 5% where the customary bank discount at the place of payment is higher (rarely invoked). Switzerland is outside the EU Late Payment Directive — no directive margin applies. REFORM IS DEAD, NOT PENDING: the parliamentary initiative 16.470 (variable SARON-based rate) was opposed by the Bundesrat (August 2023) and formally concluded ('Erledigt') in February 2024 per the parliament's own records — the 5% stands and there is no live successor proposal. Retrieval note: fedlex.admin.ch is a single-page app; fetch the filestore HTML edition of the consolidated text rather than the portal page.
Get it programmatically
curl https://euroref.dev/v1/ch/statutory-interest
# $0.005 per call — x402 on Base (USDC). No key, no signup.
# History: curl https://euroref.dev/v1/ch/statutory-interest/history?from=2020-01-01
# Provenance: curl https://euroref.dev/provenance/ch/statutory-interestOther Switzerland series: SNB policy rate (SNB-Leitzins) · MWST/TVA standard rate (Normalsatz) · VAT registration threshold · National statutory minimum wage · Public holidays · CPI inflation (year-on-year) · Corporate income tax rate (federal, direkte Bundessteuer) · Withholding tax rates · Personal income tax brackets (federal, direkte Bundessteuer) · Statutory social-insurance contributions
The same figure elsewhere: Türkiye · Ukraine · United Kingdom · Austria · Belgium · all 34