How much board money does an apprentice pay at home in Switzerland? Method and guideline values
Swiss law sets no amount for an apprentice who is still at home: for a minor, the Civil Code only says that parents may require an appropriate contribution (art. 323 para. 2); with an adult, the amount is agreed. Budgetberatung Schweiz gives no single figure; in its 2025/26 budget examples it calls “available amount” what is left after the young person’s expenses, for meals out and/or a share of board and lodging: CHF 20 to 300 a month for minors (net income 400 to 1'400) and CHF 85 to 325 for adults (800 to 1'800). Here you find the method, the tables and what changes at 18 and after the apprenticeship.
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Track your groceries in Rappn, freeSwiss law sets no amount for an apprentice who is still at home, and Budgetberatung Schweiz, the umbrella association of the budget counselling offices, gives no single figure: it publishes a method, budget examples for apprentices and a basis for discussion on board and lodging. You find them here with their conditions.
Updated October 2026. Sources: Budgetberatung Schweiz (2025/26), budget examples and Kost und Logis page and sheet; Swiss Civil Code and KVG (as of 1 July 2026), KVV (1 August 2026); BAG (Federal Office of Public Health), premiums 2027 (viewed on 14 October 2026; most pages in German).
How much does an apprentice pay at home?
Whatever the family agrees: under the Civil Code (ZGB), parents may require a minor child who lives with them in a common household to make an appropriate contribution to the child’s maintenance, while what the child earns by their own work is theirs to manage and use (art. 323). Board money, the amount a young person pays the family for food and lodging (Kostgeld in German, pension in French, contributo in Italian; Budgetberatung writes Kost und Logis), has no legal amount. Budgetberatung recommends giving money for board and lodging only once the young person can pay all personal expenses, and notes that the sum depends on their income and the family’s situation.
The method in three steps:
- Start from monthly net income, without the 13th salary, and take off the young person’s expenses: fixed costs (transport, phone), personal expenses (clothes, leisure) and provisions.
- See what is left: available amount = net income − fixed costs − personal expenses − provisions.
- Agree the figure together, looking for a fair solution (budget templates for apprentices, guide to making a budget).
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Your spending
Guideline values from Budgetberatung Schweiz
| Minors: net income | 400 | 600 | 800 | 1'000 | 1'200 | 1'400 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Available amount | 20 | 50 | 40 | 60 | 170 | 300 |
| Adults: net income | 800 | 1'000 | 1'200 | 1'400 | 1'600 | 1'800 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Available amount | 150 | 140 | 250 | 85 | 195 | 325 |
| CHF a month, one person | Without pay for housework | With housework paid at CHF 30 an hour (30–39 hours a month) |
|---|---|---|
| Food, without snacks and alcohol | 375–510 | 855–990 |
| Room, share of the home | 300–900 | 300–900 |
| Household ancillary costs | 50–90 | 50–90 |
| Tidying and cleaning | none | 300–450 |
| Laundry | 10 | 130–250 |
| Total | 735–1'510 | 1'635–2'680 |
The Italian website still links the 2023/24 sheet: the 2025/26 edition applies here.
What board money covers and what the young person pays
Board money covers what the family spends on the young person at home: food, a share of the room and household costs (electricity, internet, TV, the Serafe radio and TV fee) and laundry. In the examples the young person usually pays their own phone, transport (CHF 120 a month), clothes, leisure, personal care and hobbies.
For a minor’s health insurance (basic cover under the Health Insurance Act, KVG), the parents alone owe the premiums until the end of the month in which the child comes of age (art. 61a para. 1). According to Budgetberatung, the young-adult premium replaces the child premium from 1 January after coming of age; the age groups follow the year of birth (health insurance ordinance KVV art. 91 para. 3). For 2027 the BAG gives mean monthly premiums of CHF 128.10 for children and CHF 338.80 for young adults (19 to 25 years). The cantons decide on premium reduction.
After the apprenticeship: a first budget of their own
With the diploma, Budgetberatung writes, comes full responsibility for one’s own money. It advises parents to work out the real housing and household costs instead of conceding in advance because of a low starting wage; a flat amount can then be agreed that leaves room to put money aside for a first apartment, if the parents can afford it and want to. If the child has no appropriate education yet on coming of age, the parents must, as far as can reasonably be expected of them in all the circumstances, pay for the child’s maintenance until such an education can normally be completed (ZGB art. 277 para. 2).
Topics of the first budget, according to the association: taxes (the first bill for a full year of income is often underestimated), personal liability insurance, the rent deposit and furnishing. See the monthly fixed costs, the cost of a first kitchen, the household budget template and, for groceries, the budget for a single person or for students.
How to keep track of the groceries
To compare the food line with the values above, add up a month of receipts and divide by the people at the table. Rappn, a free Swiss app (iOS and Android) that compares the current promotions of seven Swiss retailers and turns receipts into a spending overview, only helps with that: you photograph a receipt, upload it from your gallery or enter a purchase by hand, and the app sorts your purchases into categories and shows your spending by month, next to your own monthly average. Rappn covers groceries only: board money, health insurance and taxes stay outside the app. Rappn is building an AI assistant for groceries: you can join the waitlist.
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Frequently Asked Questions
How much board money does an apprentice pay?
There is no legal amount: for a minor, the Civil Code only speaks of an appropriate contribution (art. 323 para. 2), and in every case the sum is agreed in the family. In the 2025/26 examples of Budgetberatung Schweiz, what is left after the young person’s expenses for meals out and/or a share of board and lodging is CHF 20 to 300 a month for minors (net income 400 to 1'400) and CHF 85 to 325 for adults (800 to 1'800); these are examples, not amounts owed.
Does board money depend on the wage?
Yes: according to Budgetberatung Schweiz it depends on the young person’s income and the family’s situation, and it recommends giving money for board and lodging only once the young person can pay their personal expenses. What the child earns by their own work is theirs to manage and use (ZGB art. 323 para. 1); in the examples the available amount grows with income, but not evenly, because new items such as the health insurance premium come in at certain levels.
Who pays an apprentice’s health insurance?
For a minor, the parents alone owe the premiums until the end of the month in which the child comes of age (KVG art. 61a para. 1). In the 2025/26 examples of Budgetberatung Schweiz the premium enters the apprentice’s budget from a net income of CHF 800 (minors, CHF 120) or CHF 1'400 (adults, CHF 315); below that, the association recommends that the parents pay it, and the split depends on the family’s situation.
What changes after the apprenticeship?
Full responsibility for one’s own budget begins, writes Budgetberatung Schweiz: it advises working out the real housing and household costs; a flat amount can then be agreed that leaves room to put money aside for a first apartment, if the parents can afford it and want to. The tax bill after training is often underestimated, and the cantons’ tax calculators help to estimate it.
Can Rappn help?
Rappn, a free Swiss app, covers groceries only: you photograph receipts, upload them from your gallery or enter a purchase by hand, and you see your spending by category and by month. Board money, health insurance and taxes stay outside the app. Rappn is building an AI assistant for groceries, and there is a waitlist.