Optiqo → your canton ePortal: what goes where

Cantonal eTax portals

The 18 cantons not listed here have their own portals reachable via www.<canton>.ch/steuern (German), impots (French), or imposte (Italian). Cantons usually offer deadline extensions on request (free, typically until 30 Sep).

Where to enter Optiqo's outputs

Pillar 3a contribution

• German cantons: Abzüge → Beiträge an anerkannte Vorsorgeformen → Säule 3a
• French cantons: Déductions → Pilier 3a — cotisations à des formes reconnues de prévoyance
• Italian (TI): Deduzioni → Pilastro 3a
• Attach: the 3a provider's annual confirmation (Bestätigung). All providers send one in January for the prior year.

LPP / BVG buy-in

• German cantons: Abzüge → Einkäufe und Beiträge an die berufliche Vorsorge (2. Säule)
• French cantons: Déductions → Rachats et cotisations à la prévoyance professionnelle
• Attach: the pension fund's "Bestätigung über den Einkauf" letter
• This is separate from the employer's regular monthly contributions (already on your Lohnausweis)

Eigenmietwert + mortgage deductions (homeowners)

• Eigenmietwert: Einkommen → Eigenmietwert (Liegenschaftserträge). The canton's tax authority sets this; you usually just confirm.
• Mortgage interest: Abzüge → Schuldzinsen / Hypothekarzinsen. Attach the annual interest statement (Zinsbescheinigung) from the bank.
• Maintenance: Abzüge → Liegenschaftsunterhalt. Pick flat-rate (no proof) or actual (with all receipts).

RSU / equity income

• Already on your Lohnausweis if the employer is Swiss-domiciled. Check Section 5 (Beteiligungsrechte).
• If you have foreign-employer RSUs and you're a Swiss resident: Einkommen → Erwerbseinkommen aus unselbständiger Erwerbstätigkeit → übrige Einkünfte
• Attach: vesting confirmations + the broker's transaction record

Cantonal move

If you moved canton during the tax year, you file two returns:

• One in the canton where you lived on 1 January of the tax year
• One in the canton where you lived on 31 December
• Income is split by months of residence per canton

Practically: each canton's e-Tax sw asks for the dates; the tax is pro-rated automatically.

Deadlines, extensions, penalties

• Standard deadline: late March in most cantons (see table above).
• Extensions: usually free until 30 September with a one-click request in the eTax portal. After that, fees of CHF 20-50.
• Late filing: penalty starts ~CHF 50; assessment may proceed without your inputs (worst-case).
• Quellensteuer (source tax) employees: usually no return required if income ≤ CHF 120 000 (canton-dependent). You can still file voluntarily to claim deductions — and you usually should, if you have Pillar 3a / LPP buy-in / mortgage interest.

Two practical tips

• File early, get the refund sooner. Most cantons process returns in the order they arrive. Filing in February vs September means receiving any refund 6 months earlier.
• Keep all receipts for 10 years. Swiss tax authority audits go back up to 10 years for ordinary cases. Buy-in confirmations, 3a statements, donation receipts, education receipts — all of it stays digital, in a single annual folder.