Taxation of employees in the case of cross-border work in the home office
Sarah Bühler, René Matteotti and Peter Vogt address the taxation of international employees and their home office activities. They provide an overview of the existing regulations and pay particular attention to the cross-border commuter agreements with Switzerland's neighboring countries.
Implications of the home office for cross-border commuters between Switzerland and Germany
Working from home has become much more important due to the Corona pandemic. Many employers have found that working from home has proven successful and have introduced regulations that enable mobile working. This also affects cross-border commuters between Germany and Switzerland. A variety of tax regulations, especially in the DTA D-CH, as well as consequences under social security law must be taken into account.
Home office and the cross-border commuter agreement with Italy
Today, around 85,000 Italian residents work in the border cantons of Ticino, Grisons and Valais. The cross-border commuter agreement concluded with Italy is of great importance especially for the canton of Ticino with its approximately 75,000 cross-border commuters, of which around 66,000 are considered cross-border commuters within the meaning of the agreement.
Cross-border commuter regulation Switzerland-Liechtenstein
The double taxation agreement between Switzerland and Liechtenstein contains a special rule for cross-border commuters, according to which the income from employment earned in the State of activity is allocated to the State of residence for taxation. If, on the other hand, an employee in a cross-border context does not meet the criteria established for cross-border commuters, the earned income is allocated for taxation to the State of activity and the State of residence on a pro rata basis in accordance with the general principles. Against this background, employers who employ cross-border commuters from Liechtenstein or Switzerland have different clarification and declaration obligations.
Tax relief for various countries
On April 7, 2025, the SIF updated the overview of the effects of the agreement (extent of relief) for various countries.
Switzerland and Zimbabwe sign a double taxation agreement
On March 19, 2025, Switzerland and Zimbabwe signed an agreement on the avoidance of double taxation (DTA) in the area of income taxes in Harare.
Memorandum of Understanding between Switzerland and Italy - Administrative cooperation
On March 19, 2025, the SIF reported that the competent authorities of Switzerland and Italy, in accordance with Art. 7 para. 1 of the Agreement of December 23, 2020 between Switzerland and Italy on the taxation of cross-border commuters, have defined the details of the application of administrative cooperation by mutual agreement.
Supplementary tax: Tax treatment of business units that qualify as permanent establishments
On March 18, 2025, the FTA explained the treatment of business units that are considered permanent establishments in a communication on the minimum taxation of multinational enterprise groups.
Federal Council opens consultation on change to FATCA model
At its meeting on March 7, 2025, the Federal Council opened the consultation process for a new FATCA agreement.
Federal Council opens consultation on the exchange of information on OECD minimum taxation
On January 29, 2025, the Federal Council opened the consultation on the exchange of information regarding OECD minimum taxation.
ISIS seminar folder "Gratuitous transfer of assets under tax law"
All documents from the ISIS) seminar "Gratuitous transfer of assets in tax law" from October 28, 2025 under the direction of Peter Mäusli-Allenspach in one PDF document. Case studies, detailed solution notes and slides: Here you will find all documents of the individual workshops according to the following content description.
Practical examples of cross-border issues in relation to Germany
Case studies, slides and detailed solution notes from the workshop held by Hanna Brozzo and Iring Christopeit on October 28, 2025 on the occasion of the ISIS seminar "Gratuitous asset transfers in tax law".
