OR Art. 331 -

Einleitung zur Rechtsnorm OR:

The Swiss Code of Obligations is a central code of Swiss civil law that regulates the legal relationships between private individuals. It includes five books that cover various aspects of contract law, law of obligations and property law, including the formation, content and termination of contracts, as well as liability for breach of contract and tort. The Code of Obligations is an important code of law for business and everyday life in Switzerland, as it forms the basis for many legal relationships and contracts and has been in force since 1912, whereby it is regularly adapted to social and economic developments.

Art. 331 OR from 2025

Art. 331

¹ Where the employer contributes to a employee benefits scheme ⁽¹⁾ or the employees make their own contributions, the employer must transfer these contributions to a foundation, a cooperative or a public law institution.

² Where the employer’s contributions and any made by the employee are used to take out health insurance, personal accident insurance, life assurance, disability insurance or whole life assurance in favour of the employee with a regulated insurance company or a recognised health insurance fund, the employer is not obliged to transfer the contributions as stipulated in the previous paragraph if an independent claim against the insurer would accrue to the employee on the occurrence of the event insured against.

³ Where the employee is obliged to make contributions to a benefits scheme, the employer must simultaneously contribute an amount at least equal to the total contributions of all his employees; he must finance his contributions from his own funds or from contribution reserves held by the fund which have previously been accumulated by the employer for this purpose and are shown separately in the fund’s accounts. The employer must transfer the contribution deducted from the employee’s salary together with his own contribution to the benefits scheme not later than at the end of the first month following the calendar year or insurance year for which the contributions are due. ⁽²⁾

⁴ The employer must furnish the employee with the necessary information regarding his rights and entitlements against a benefits scheme or an insurer. ⁽³⁾

⁵ At the request of the central office for ‘Pillar 2’ (occupational pension) insurance, the employer must supply any information available to him that might facilitate the location of persons entitled to dormant assets or of the institutions that manage such assets. ⁽⁴⁾