Insurance by Agreement: Accident Cover After Your Job Ends

The key points at a glance

• Cover against non-occupational accidents continues for a further 31 days after the end of your entitlement to wages. This continued cover applies automatically and costs nothing.
• Within these 31 days you can extend the cover by agreement for at most six months.
• Only those who were already insured against non-occupational accidents beforehand can take out the agreement, that is, those who worked at least 8 hours per week for the same employer.
• The deadline cannot be made up. Anyone who misses it has lost this option for good.
• Anyone receiving unemployment benefit is insured against non-occupational accidents through Suva and does not need an agreement.

What is insurance by agreement?

Your accident cover as an employee has two parts. One covers occupational accidents and the journey to work, the other accidents in your free time. The second part, the non-occupational accident, is tied to a condition: you must work at least 8 hours per week for the same employer. Anyone who does not meet this criterion is not automatically insured against non-occupational accidents.

When the employment ends, this protection also ends. The law does not let it lapse abruptly, however, but grants continued cover of 31 days. During this time you remain insured against leisure accidents without doing or paying anything.

Insurance by agreement then comes into play. It is an agreement with the accident insurer of your former employer, that is, with Suva or a private insurer, and it extends cover against non-occupational accidents by at most six months. In legal terms it is set out in Article 3 paragraph 3 of the Accident Insurance Act.

What is decisive under the law is that the agreement must be concluded during the 31 days, not afterwards. It is not an insurance that you activate retroactively when needed, but a deadline that expires.

When do you need insurance by agreement?

Five situations lead to the full accident cover through the employer falling away. All five have in common that they are planned and that a gap can therefore be avoided.

Resignation without a follow-on job. The most common case. Anyone who leaves on 31 May, for example, and starts anew on 1 September is without employment for three months. Continued cover carries 31 days of this, the rest is uncovered.

Unpaid leave. The employment relationship continues, but the entitlement to wages does not. What is decisive is the wage, not the contract, and so cover ends here too.

Retirement. With the final wage, cover against non-occupational accidents ends. Anyone who takes up no further gainful activity afterwards needs a permanent solution, not just a bridge.

Reducing hours below 8 per week. Here the employment relationship continues, but the condition for non-occupational accident cover falls away.

Moving into self-employment. The self-employed are not compulsorily insured under the Accident Insurance Act. They can insure themselves voluntarily, and until that contract is in place, the agreement bridges the gap.

How long exactly does the continued cover run?

The 31 days run from the day on which the entitlement to at least half your wages ends. That is not necessarily your last working day.

For someone employed until the end of June who receives the June wage, for example, continued cover begins at the start of July. For someone released from work in May but drawing wages until the end of June, the end of June likewise counts. Conversely: for someone who, after a lengthy illness, receives only daily allowances below half their wage, the deadline may have begun earlier.

What does insurance by agreement cost?

You bear the premium yourself, and the law does not fix its amount. It is set by the accident insurer and depends on the duration of the agreement. We do not name a figure here, because agreement premiums are not collected publicly and differ between insurers. Ask the accident insurer of your former employer, that is, the body with which you conclude the agreement.

What can be quantified, by contrast, is the alternative. Anyone who instead re-includes accident cover in basic insurance pays a higher health insurance premium for it. In our analysis of 46 tariff pairs from the FOPH 2026 premium dataset, the median premium with accident cover is CHF 566.40 per month and without it CHF 530.55. The difference is CHF 39.30 per month or CHF 472 per year. For the span of a six-month insurance by agreement, half of that applies accordingly.

This figure is not a price for the agreement but a benchmark. It shows the order of magnitude of the decision and makes clear that this is not about the price but about the difference in benefits.

Insurance by agreement or accident cover in your health insurance?

Both routes close the gap, but the benefits are not identical. The difference lies not in the medical catalogue of benefits but in what you bear yourself and what is additionally insured.

The first row is the most important. If an accident goes through basic insurance, the deductible and retention fee apply. With a deductible of CHF 300 and the maximum retention fee of CHF 700, in the worst case you bear CHF 1,000 yourself, plus CHF 15 per day for an inpatient stay. Through the agreement you bear nothing.

The third row is the second most important. The Accident Insurance Act provides not only medical treatment but also a daily allowance in the event of incapacity for work and a pension in the event of permanent disability. Basic insurance provides neither. Anyone who has a serious accident during a break therefore loses, through basic insurance, not only the exemption from costs but the entire protection against loss of earnings.

Our assessment is therefore: for a bridgeable gap of a few months, the agreement is generally the better solution, and not because of the premium but because of the daily allowance and the pension. For a permanent situation, for example after retirement or with a very small workload, it is the wrong tool, because it ends after six months. In that case accident cover belongs back in basic insurance.

How do you take out insurance by agreement?

The process is short, but the order matters.

1. First find out which accident insurer is responsible for your former employer. This is stated on the payslip or you can learn it from the HR department. Only this insurer can conclude the agreement.
2. Then determine the date on which your entitlement to at least half your wages ends, and add 31 days. That is your key date.
3. Contact the insurer and state the desired duration. Longer than six months is not possible, shorter is. Choose the duration according to your planned break and not according to the maximum, because you pay the premium yourself.
4. Pay the premium within the deadline. An agreement that is arranged but not paid offers no protection.
5. If the agreement ends and you still have no new job, you need accident cover in basic insurance. Notify your health insurer of this, because the change does not happen automatically.

Special cases around insurance by agreement

Unemployment benefit. Anyone entitled to unemployment benefit is insured against accident with Suva without any action of their own. The protection also applies during waiting periods and labour-market measures, and the premium is deducted from the daily allowance. In this case you need neither an agreement nor accident cover in basic insurance.

Two part-time jobs. The 8 hours per week apply per employer and are not added together. Anyone working five hours each for two employers is not insured against non-occupational accidents and therefore cannot conclude an agreement either.

The new job begins during the agreement. As soon as you again work at least 8 hours per week for the same employer, you are insured through the new employment. The agreement thereby becomes superfluous. Notify the insurer, otherwise you pay twice.

Illness instead of accident. The agreement covers accidents only. Anyone who falls ill during the break relies on basic insurance, with a deductible and retention fee. An agreement therefore does not replace daily sickness benefits insurance.

The agreement expires. Six months is the statutory maximum; an extension is not provided for. Anyone still without employment afterwards must include accident cover in basic insurance.

What is confused about insurance by agreement

Continued cover is not insurance by agreement. The 31 days apply automatically and cost nothing. The agreement is a separate contract that must be concluded and paid within these 31 days.

The 31 days do not run from the last working day. What is decisive is the end of the entitlement to at least half your wages. With garden leave on continued pay, this point is later than the last day in the office.

The agreement is not a supplementary insurance. It extends nothing, but continues an existing statutory cover unchanged. There is no health check and no choice as to the scope of benefits.

Our assessment: insurance by agreement is the point at which a change of job can quietly become more expensive. It costs little, it is quickly concluded, and after 31 days it is irrevocably missed.

FAQ on insurance by agreement

What is insurance by agreement?

An agreement with your employer's former accident insurer that extends cover against non-occupational accidents after the end of the entitlement to wages. It is based on Article 3 paragraph 3 of the Accident Insurance Act and lasts at most six months. The scope of benefits remains the same as during employment, that is, without a deductible and without a retention fee.

How long does insurance by agreement last?

At most six months. A shorter duration is possible and often sensible, because you bear the premium yourself and should therefore tailor the duration to your planned break. An extension beyond the six months is not provided for by law. After that you need accident cover in basic insurance, and you must notify your health insurer of this change yourself.

What does insurance by agreement cost?

The law does not fix the premium; it is set by the accident insurer and depends on the chosen duration. There is therefore no generally applicable figure. For comparison: accident cover in basic insurance costs, according to our analysis, a median of CHF 472 per year, but provides neither a daily allowance nor a pension.

How long am I still insured against accidents after resigning?

31 days, counted from the end of the entitlement to at least half your wages and not from your last working day. This continued cover applies automatically and costs nothing. Within this deadline you can extend the cover by agreement for up to six months. For someone on garden leave who continues to draw wages, the deadline begins correspondingly later.

Can I take out insurance by agreement retroactively?

No. The 31-day deadline cannot be made up. Once it has passed, only accident cover in basic insurance remains, but then with a deductible and retention fee and without a daily allowance. Check the deadline, therefore, on the same day the resignation is settled.

Do I need an agreement if I receive unemployment benefit?

No. Anyone entitled to unemployment benefit is compulsorily insured against accident with Suva, and without a separate registration. The protection also applies during waiting periods and labour-market measures. The premium is deducted from the daily allowance. In this case accident cover in basic insurance can remain suspended.

Does insurance by agreement also cover illness?

No. It covers only accidents within the meaning of the law, that is, sudden, unintended effects of an unusual external factor. Basic insurance remains responsible for illness, with a deductible and retention fee. An agreement therefore replaces neither daily sickness benefits insurance nor a supplementary insurance.

Sources

• Federal Accident Insurance Act (UVG), SR 832.20, Articles 1a, 3, 4, 5 and 10: fedlex.admin.ch
• Ordinance on Accident Insurance (UVV), SR 832.202, Articles 8 and 13
• Federal Health Insurance Act (KVG), SR 832.10, Articles 8, 9 and 10
• Federal Act on Compulsory Unemployment Insurance (AVIG), SR 837.0, Article 22a paragraph 4
• Own analysis of the FOPH dataset “Health insurance premiums 2026”: opendata.swiss

Status of review: 31.08.2026. Legal bases and amounts are reviewed at least annually and whenever there is a specific reason to do so.

This content is provided for general information only and does not constitute individual insurance, investment or legal advice.