The home-ownership tax math
In Switzerland, owning a home creates a phantom income (Eigenmietwert / imputed rental value), which is offset by mortgage-interest and maintenance deductions. The net impact on your tax bill depends on the ratio. Compute it below — for today's rules and the post-2029 reform.
Marginal-rate input is your combined federal + cantonal + commune rate at the margin (not the average). Optiqo's main calculator gives you that number for your canton + commune + income.
Eigenmietwert + deductions = net cost
Eigenmietwert (imputed rental value). The tax authority treats the home you own as if it were generating rent. They assign it an annual "Eigenmietwert" — typically 60-70% of the open-market rent. This is added to your taxable income.
Mortgage interest deduction. All interest you pay on the mortgage is deductible from taxable income (capped at the total wealth-tax-relevant return + CHF 50 000 for federal tax).
Maintenance deduction. Two methods, you pick yearly:
- Flat-rate: 10% (homes < 10 years old) or 20% (older) of the Eigenmietwert. Always available, no proof needed.
- Actual cost: All "value-preserving" maintenance bills (heating service, paint, kitchen replacement). Receipts required. Better when you've done major work.
Net effect. If your deductions exceed your Eigenmietwert, ownership reduces your tax bill (especially with high mortgage interest). If Eigenmietwert exceeds deductions — common for paid-off or low-mortgage homes — ownership raises your tax bill.
Eigenmietwert abolished
On 28 September 2025 Swiss voters scrapped the Eigenmietwert with 57.7% Yes. The new system takes effect 1 January 2029:
- No more imputed rental value as income
- No mortgage-interest deduction (or capped to specific cases)
- No standard maintenance deduction (only actual value-adding renovations)
- Wealth tax on the home unchanged
Winners: long-term homeowners who've paid down the mortgage. Their Eigenmietwert was inflating taxable income; now that disappears.
Losers: recent buyers with big mortgages who are currently extracting a large interest deduction. After 2029 they keep the interest cost but lose the tax break.
The calculator above shows the "2029 reform" view as a side-by-side. If you have a big mortgage, the reform changes your incentives — paying it down faster becomes more attractive.