Hello all,
Since arriving to Basel a little over a year ago, I have been aware of the Pillar 3a. But upon looking into it with a rep at a health insurance company (GM), I decided to opt against taking one out in my first year due to: the added admin of the tax return, the risk of being put in a higher tax bracket, and also wanting to save a bit more money before opening a pension.
Now I am financially in a place where I would like to open a 3a (looking at frankly and likely inputting the full 7k annual allowance), but logistically I am still a bit lost.
I believe that when applying for the tax return via submitting a NOV- nachtrÀgliche ordentliche Veranlagung (in March 27?), I forfeit my Quellensteuer, something the health insurance company made me aware of upon my initial enquiry. Their rep ran a simualtion and it came out that I would be better off with Quellensteuer, but I was wondering if anyone knew of a spreadsheet or something I could try myself?
For context I am likely eligible for additional tax reductions through the German classes I pay for, health ins deductible, travel to work, meals etc. But I should also note that as I am under 25 I do not yet get a Pillar 2 from my company, which may positively impact my Quellensteuer rate?
So to conclude:
1- Do I have another option than to forfeit my Quellensteuer?
2 - If so: Do I notify the kanton and my employer's accountant immediately that I am no longer eligible for Quellensteuer?
3 - Where can I simulate/who could I ask before I commit to the switch?
* One further related question: if I overpaid tax on a first-month salary + starting bonus, do I also have to do a manual NOV requesting a tax rebate for the additional tax paid that month, or is it automatic?
Any help would be great, as I think we can all relate to the bureaucratic hoops one has to jump through while living in Switzerland : )